Fig. 1
Official curriculum integration. Figure kindly provided by Dr. Trine Fink, associate professor, Department of Health Science and Technology, Aalborg University, and Dr. Jeppe Emmersen, associate professor, Head of School of Medicine and Health, Aalborg University
Fig. 2
Research design. CI curriculum integration, AAU Aalborg University
Table 1
The prompting questions for the semi-structured interviews for each group
|
I |
Curriculum designers | |
|
A |
What is the meaning of ‘competences’ in the curriculum? | |
|
B |
What is the meaning of ‘research-based program’? | |
|
C |
What is the difference between competences and skills, and between clinical skills practice and actual clinical teaching? | |
|
D |
Why does the program implement PBL with cases and projects? What is a case and what is a project? | |
|
E |
Why do the students learn about all organs at least twice (cyclic learning)? | |
|
F |
What do you expect of projects in conjunction with international partners? | |
|
G |
What is a portfolio? | |
|
H |
How do students implement new technology in the treatment of medical diseases? Where this does occur? | |
|
I |
How are the basic clinical sciences integrated in the modules? | |
|
J |
How are the normal-abnormal human body functions integrated in the modules? | |
|
K |
Why do medical students need to learn basic sciences? | |
|
II |
Facilitators | |
|
L |
What is your role as a case facilitator? | |
|
M |
What is the purpose of identifying keywords and connecting them using arrows? | |
|
N |
How do you know that your students are really learning? | |
|
O |
If medical books have a lot of information that students need to read and study, how do you manage that in one week? | |
|
P |
Why do some students participate little in the discussions? | |
|
Q |
What is the difference between the start and close of a case? | |
|
R |
How do you know that your students are integrating knowledge? | |
|
III |
Students | |
|
S |
What and how do you do in cases? | |
|
T |
What is a keyword? | |
|
U |
What is the purpose of identifying keywords and connecting them using arrows? | |
|
V |
How do you connect the separated information in the fields of anatomy, pathology, and histology? | |
|
W |
How do you know what you have to learn? | |
|
X |
What is a lecture about? What does the professor do? | |
|
Y |
What do you do when a case is closed? | |
|
Z |
How do you know that you are learning? | |
Table 2
Theoretical constructs, themesa, and sources of data
|
I |
CI complexity is embedded in institutional learning perspectives | ||
|
A |
There are many types of organizational elements in the curriculum that are connected in varied, complex ways | ||
|
1 |
Curriculum designer | ||
|
B |
Organ systems integration | ||
|
1 |
Official curriculum | ||
|
2 |
Observations | ||
|
C |
Humanities-clinical sciences integration | ||
|
1 |
Official curriculum | ||
|
D |
Spiral integration | ||
|
1 |
Official curriculum | ||
|
2 |
Observations | ||
|
E |
Cases are successfully used when students read them, brainstorm, derive knowledge, and report on each case in a one week cycle | ||
|
1 |
Curriculum designer | ||
|
2 |
Observations | ||
|
II |
CI is used to harmonize conflicting learning perspectives in curriculum practice | ||
|
F |
Experience-topics integration in cases | ||
|
1 |
Curriculum designer | ||
|
2 |
Facilitator | ||
|
G |
Disciplinary knowledge has an important influence in the learning outcomes of the official curriculum | ||
|
1 |
Official curriculum | ||
|
2 |
Curriculum designer | ||
|
H |
There are some tensions in the curriculum related to the university’s learning perspectives and the broad topics in medicine | ||
|
1 |
Observation | ||
|
2 |
Student | ||
|
III |
CI creates tensions that self-organize its structure | ||
|
I |
Tension between students’ expectations and the official documents of the study program | ||
|
1 |
Facilitator | ||
|
2 |
Observation field notes | ||
|
J |
Students adjust their learning activities when they struggle with the sessions | ||
|
1 |
Student | ||
|
IV |
CI becomes visible in collaborative learning spaces | ||
|
K |
Case close sessions enable students to discuss and explain their learning outcomes | ||
|
1 |
Facilitator | ||
|
2 |
Student | ||
|
L |
Drawing on the blackboard is an activity that supports learning | ||
|
1 |
Observation field notes | ||
|
2 |
Student | ||
aThe table shows some of the themes from which constructs emerged, and these themes were chosen arbitrarily from the theme lists to better represent the inductive analysis