1Center for Biomedical Resources at Chonnam National University, Korea. 2Department of Medical Education, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea.
PURPOSE: For medical students to have a meaningful learning experience, the curriculum must integrate what students are learning in class with the skills and knowledge required in the clinicalsetting. To satisfy these needs, an integrated curriculum (IC) has been operating at Chonnam National University Medical School since 1999. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the changes in IC students during two implementation periods, the first in 2001 and the second in 2004. This study focused on the student viewpointin order to create an authentic IC program.
METHODS: Questionnaires were used to evaluate the differences in the student perception of IC. The content of the questionnaire dealt with the appropriateness of time management, coherence of the content, teachinglearning method, and IC evaluation.
RESULTS: There were positive responses from the second implementation period than from the first, for almost all sub-items. However, the results showed that IC has to be reinforced by instructors teaching a coherentcontent, by using a variety of teaching-learning methods, by having the students participate actively, and by offering holistic and integrated assessments.
CONCLUSION: The following three steps are recommended for the improvement of IC: facilitate an IC committee, develop teaching-learning methods, and guide student participation.
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