Showing papers on "Curriculum development published in 1999"

Addressing the Challenges of Inquiry-Based Learning Through Technology and Curriculum Design

Abstract: Inquiry experiences can provide valuable opportunities for students to improve their understanding of both science content and scientific practices. However, the implementation of inquiry learning in classrooms presents a number of significant challenges. We have been exploring these challenges through a program of research on the use of scientific visualization technologies to support inquiry-based learning in the geosciences. In this article, we describe 5 significant challenges to implementing inquiry-based learning and present strategies for addressing them through the design of technology and curriculum. We present a design history covering 4 generations of software and curriculum to show how these challenges arise in classrooms and how the design strategies respond to them.

AMEE Guide No. 14: Outcome-based education: Part 1-An introduction to outcome-based education

Abstract: SUMMARY Outcome-based education, a performance-based approach at the cutting edge of curriculum development, offers a powerful and appealing way of reforming and managing medical education.The emphasis is on the product‐ what sort of doctor will be produced‐ rather than on the educational process. In outcome-based education the educational outcomes are clearly and unambiguously speci® ed. These determine the curriculum content and its organisation, the teaching methods and strategies, the courses offered, the assessment process, the educational environment and the curriculum timetable.They also provide a framework for curriculum evaluation. A doctor is a unique combination of different kinds of abilities. A three-circle model can be used to present the learning outcomes in medical education, with the tasks to be performed by the doctor in the inner core, the approaches to the performance of the tasks in the middle area, and the growth of the individual and his or her role in the practice of medicine in the outer area. Medical schools need to prepare young doctors to practise in an increasingly complex healthcare scene with changing patient and public expectations, and increasing demands from employing authorities.Outcome-based education offers many advantages as a way of achieving this.It emphasises relevance in the curriculum and accountability, and can provide a clear and unambiguous framework for curriculum planning which has an intuitive appeal. It encourages the teacher and the student to share responsibility for learning and it can guide student assessment and course evaluation. What sort of outcomes should be covered in a curriculum, how should they be assessed and how should outcome-based education be implemented are issues that need to be addressed.

Online Education: Learning and Teaching in Cyberspace

Abstract: 1 Introduction The History of Computers in Education Seymour Papert: Liberating Young Minds Themes that Shape Online Education The Brave New World 2 Scope of Online Education Networks Higher Education K-12 Schools Corporations and Government Agencies Non-Profit Organizations The Home Public Spaces Margaret Riel: Learning Circles Conclusions 3 Elements of Online Education Email Threaded Discussions Realtime Conferencing GroupWare File Transfers Application Software Beverly Hunter: Computers as Tools Simulations Curriculum Development and Management 4 Research About Online Education Impact on Student Achievement Evaluation of Web-based Courses School-Level Impact The Nature of Class Interaction Virtual Conferences Linda Harasim: Studying the Effects of Online Interaction 5 Online Learning Learning to Learn The Social Milieu Engagement Theory Netiquette Computer Literacy Special Needs Gender Equity Norman Coombs: Adaptive Technology for Online Interaction 6 Online Teaching Interactivity and Participation Feedback Workload Moderating and Facilitating Effectiveness Faculty Collaboration Student Evaluation Betty Collis: A World Perspective on Telelearning 7 Design and Development of Online Courses Development Methodology Form and Function The Team Approach Course Documents Integrating Online and On-Campus Activities Authoring Courses Course Quality Judi Harris: Telementoring 8 Organizations and Networking Physical Facilities and Support Staff Patterns of Study and Work Power Relationships Cooperation and Competition Al Rogers: Linking Kids Around the World 9 Policy Ownership Quality Control Student/Faculty Workloads Accreditation and Certification Acceptable Use Jason Ohler: Exploring the Electronic Frontier 10 Education in the Information Age Access: The Haves and Have-Nots Technology: Good or Evil Privacy Cost/Benefits Virtual Schools Organizations that Shape Online Education Resistance to Change Curtis Bonk: Electronic Collaboration 11 When the Electrons Hit the Screen Putting Together an Online Course Getting Connected Finding Money and Resources Selecting Software Troubleshooting What to do Next Mariano Bernardez: Online Professional Development 12 Future Directions Ubiquitous Computing Intelligent Software Merging of Television, Telecommunications, and Computing Virtual Environments, Speech Processing Automated Language Translation Knowledge Management Paul Levinson: Information Technology Visionary 13 Sources Of Further Information Journals/Magazines Conference/Workshop Proceedings Associations Database Report Collections Research Centers Networks References Appendix: Case Studies Glossary Index

Developing Children's Understanding of the Rational Numbers: A New Model and an Experimental Curriculum

Abstract: A new curriculum to introduce rational numbers was devised, using developmental theory as a guide. The 1st topic in the curriculum was percent in a linear-measurement context, in which halving as a computational strategy was emphasized. Two-place decimals were introduced next, followed by 3- and 1-place decimals. Fractional notation was introduced last, as an alternative form for representing decimals. Sixteen 4th-grade students received the experimental curriculum. Thirteen carefully matched control students received a traditional curriculum. After instruction, students in the treatment group showed a deeper understanding of rational numbers than those in the control group, showed less reliance on whole number strategies when solving novel problems, and made more frequent reference to proportional concepts in justifying their answers. No differences were found in conventional computation between the 2 groups.

Curriculum Materials in Mathematics Education Reform: A Framework for Examining Teachers' Curriculum Development

Abstract: This paper presents a model of teachers’ construction of mathematics curriculum in the classroom or their curriculum development activities. The model emerged through a qualitative study of two experienced, elementary teachers during their first year of using a commercially published, reform-oriented textbook that had been adopted by their district (Remillard 1996). The aim of the study was to examine teachers’ interactions with a new textbook in order to gain insight into the potential for curriculum materials to contribute to reform in mathematics teaching. The resulting model integrates research on teachers’ use of curriculum materials (cf. Stodolsky 1989) and studies of teachers’ construction of curriculum in their classrooms (cf. Doyle 1993). The model includes three arenas in which teachers engage in curriculum development: design, construction, and curriculum mapping. Each arena defines a particular realm of the curriculum development process about which teachers explicitly or implicitly ma...

Looking Toward the 21st Century: Challenges of Educational Theory and Practice

Abstract: While it may be a truism it is nonetheless true that much of what we do, individually and collectively, is shaped by qu^personal j i is tor ies . For that reason I begin this paper by describing some aspects of n ^ b a c k g r o u n d . Doing so provides a context for what follows, and for understanding my hopes and aspirations for our profession and our society. I was born about mid-century in Brooklyn, New York. My parents didnt~have much money. What they did have, along with many others at that time, was the absolutely firm commitment to insuring that their children would have better lives than they did—and the equally firm belief that education was the passport to those better lives. When I was growing up, education was assumed to be a gateway to opportunity. More importantly, there was a widespread belief that society had a moral obligation to provide a high quality education to allj:hildren. I am a beneficiary of that belief. From kindergarten through 10th grade I attended public elementary, junior, and senior high schools in New York City. When my family moved just outside the city limits, I attended a local public high school. I attended Queens College of the City^University of New York as an undergraduate, paying the \"nonresident\" fees of $232 per semester; had I lived within city limits, the fee per semester would have been^32.1 was provided an astoundingly high quality^ education at no cost from kindergarten througK high school, and at negligible cost in college. To this day I am^rateful^And to this day I believe that our society has a moral^cMj^ation to provide every, single child the kinds of opportunities that I was lucky enough to have. Another relevant part of my background is that I began my professional career as a mathematician. Let me describe two aspects of mathematical culture that also shape what you are about to read. The first is a tradition of identifying important problems. In 19007TJavid Hilbert delivered a keynote lecture entitled \"Malhematical Problems\" at the International Congress of Mathematicians. Hilbert identified a number of problems of deep theoretical Jnterest whose solutions he believed would advance the mathematical enterprise. Over the century that followed, mathematicians took u p the challenge. Many of those problems have since been solved, and their solutionsTiave truly advanced the field. ~ All mathematicians—even those who now work in education—are mindful of that tradition, which becomes increasingly salient as we near the threshold of the next century. There is a great temptation to ask, \"How might one characterize the major problems that our field needs to confront, and on which we can make progress, over the century to come?\" Of course, problems in education are very different from problems in mathematics. It might be better to pose the is^jue as follows: \"How might one characterize fundamentally important educational arenas for investigation, in which theoretical and practical progress can be made over the century to come?\" This paper attempts to address that issue. The second mathematical tradition I need to discuss puts it at a great distance from education. Educationists care about the real world and its problems, and those problems tend to be messy. Problems in education resist the clean formulation of mathematical problems, and educators resist the abstraction of problems away from their contexts of meaning. It's different in mathematics. Let me offer a mathematical quotation to highlight the contrast. The quotation comes from a famous book by G. LL Hardy entitled A Mathematician's Apology. Hardy uses apology in the sense of its Greek root, apologia, meaning defense. His defense of pure mathematics is neither defensive nor apologetic:

Teachers' Knowledge of Models and Modelling in Science.

Abstract: This study investigated the knowledge that experienced science teachers have of models and modelling in science in the context of a school curriculum innovation project in which the role and the nature of models and modelling in science are emphasized. The subjects in this study were teachers of biology, chemistry and physics preparing for the curriculum innovation. Two instruments were used: a questionnaire with seven open items on models and modelling, which was completed by 15 teachers, and a questionnaire consisting of 32 items on a Likert-type scale (n=71). Results indicated that the teachers shared the same general definition of models. However, the teachers' content knowledge of models and modelling proved to be limited and diverse. A group of teachers who displayed more pronounced knowledge appeared to have integrated elements of both a positivist and a social constructivist epistemological orientation in their practical knowledge. Implications for the design of teacher education interventions are...

Oven‐ready and Self‐basting: taking stock of employability skills

Abstract: This article examines the current preoccupation with enhancing the employability of graduates through the adoption of generic key skills into the undergraduate curriculum. It looks at the evidence for seven assumptions commonly made by those who promote the ‘employability’ agenda, and raises questions about the security of these assumptions including the transferability of key skills to employment contexts, the cost effectiveness of developing key skills in Higher Education rather than in employment and the competitive market advantage that individual students are believed to obtain. It concludes that in the absence of major changes to the funding regime there is unlikely to be a radical change to the curriculum and that more attention should now be paid to the post‐graduation/induction period than to the pre‐graduation stages.

Going beyond cultural pluralism: Science education for sociopolitical action

Abstract: Some guiding principles of antiracist education are combined with Vygotskian notions of education as enculturation in order to produce a set of proposals for a radical form of multicultural science education for sociopolitical action. Major educational goals include: raising participation and attainment levels in science for students from ethnic minority groups; and sensitizing all students to racism, and other forms of discrimination and oppression, in science and technology, science education, and contemporary society. This article outlines a radical form of curriculum development, involving the politicization of teachers, as the only effective way of implementing such a curriculum. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Sci Ed83:775–796, 1999.

Medical curriculum reform in North America, 1765 to the present: a cognitive science perspective.

Abstract: Since 1765, five major curricular reform movements have catalyzed significant changes in North American medical education. This article describes each reform movement in terms of its underlying educational practices and principles, inherent instructional problems, and the innovations that were carried forward. When considering the motivating factors underlying these reform movements, a unifying theme gradually emerges: increasing interest in, attention to, and understanding of the knowledge-base structures and cognitive processes that characterize and distinguish medical experts and novices. Concurrent with this emerging theme is a growing realization that medical educators must call upon and utilize the literature, research methods, and theoretical perspectives of cognitive science if future curricular reform efforts are to move forward efficiently and effectively. The authors hope that the discussion and perspective offered herein will broaden, stimulate, and challenge educators as they strive to create the reform movements that will define 21st-century medical education.

Educating World Citizens: Toward Multinational Curriculum Development

Abstract: School curricula are virtually everywhere developed nationally and intranationally—by national or local curriculum committees. Ironically, even the portion of the curriculum that involves world study (e.g., courses in world history, world geography, world problems) is developed within nations. Has the time not come to create some portions of the school curriculum multinationally? A multinational research team from nine nations used Cultural Futures Delphi procedures to interview then survey iteratively a multinational panel drawn from an array of fields in the same nine nations. The panelists reached consensus on (a) complex global crises that humans will face in the next 25years, (b) human characteristics needed for dealing with these crises, and (c) education strategies needed for developing these characteristics. Interpreting these findings, the research team developed a curriculum geared to the development of world citizens capable of dealing with the crises.

Teachers of the 21st Century Know the What, Why, and How of Technology Integration

Abstract: So your goal is to be a teacher for the 21st century. The easy way is to stay in the profession for two more years! However, if your goal is to be a teacher that prepares students for the 21st century, then your objective has to be more challenging. The teacher of the future must be not only accomplished in instructional techniques and technology, but also in the integration of technology into the curriculum. The questions arise of what is technology integration, why should we integrate, and how do we integrate. The Jerome Joint School District #261 has spent the last 18 months trying to answer these questions. Although integration models and instructional practices are still developing and being assessed, following are some of the insights into technology integration and some examples teachers in our K-12 district have found to be effective. What is Technology Integration? Let's first define what it is not. Integration is not putting computers in the classroom without teacher training. It will not happen without training. Integration is not substituting 30 minutes of reading for 30 minutes of computer skill development. It is, however, using computers to teach 30 minutes of reading. Integration is not providing application software like electronic encyclopedias, spreadsheets, databases, etc. without a purpose. It is not prepackaged programs that are often unrelated activities clustered around a particular topic that address few higher concepts or goals. Nor is it teacher created programs that cover special interests and/or technical expertise but do not fit content-area curriculum. Defining what technology integration is and is not is the first step in deciding how to integrate it into the classroom. Now let's define what it is. Technology integration is using computers effectively and efficiently in the general content areas to allow students to learn how to apply computer skills in meaningful ways. Discrete computer skills take on new meaning when they are integrated within the curriculum. Integration is incorporating technology in a manner that enhances student learning. Technology integration is using software supported by the business world for real-world applications so students learn to use computers flexibly, purposefully and creatively. Technology integration is having the curriculum drive technology usage, not having technology drive the curriculum. Finally, technology integration is organizing the goals of curriculum and technology into a coordinated, harmonious whole. Why Integrate Technology? The next question is why integrate technology at all? This is a question the teachers in the Jerome School District struggled with, especially in the beginning. However, we knew opinions among both the public and other educators are leaning toward the fact that students need to be proficient computer users. Here are a few but important reasons for integrating technology that we have come to understand in our efforts to integrate technology: 1) correctly designed, more depth into the content-area curriculum is possible, 2) in the information age, there is an intrinsic need to learn technology, 3) students are motivated by technology, thus increasing academic engagement time, 4) while working in more depth with the content, students are able to move beyond knowledge and comprehension to application and analysis of information, 5) students learn where to find information in an information rich world, 6) computer skills should not be taught in isolation and 7) students develop computer literacy by applying various computer skills as part of the learning process. How Do You Do It? Once we know what and why, we have the question of how. Michael Eisenberg suggests that there are two requirements for effective integration of technology skills: 1) the skills must directly relate to the content area and to the classroom assignments, and 2) the skills themselves need to be tied together in a logical and systematic model of instruction. …

AMEE guide No. 14: Outcome-based education: Part 2-Planning, implementing and evaluating a competency-based curriculum

Abstract: In September, 1996, Brown University School of Medicine inaugurated a new competency-based curriculum, known as MD2000, which defines a comprehensive set of competency requirements that all graduates are expected to attain. The medical students entering in 1996 and thereafter are required to demonstrate mastery in nine abilities as well as a comprehensive knowledge base as a requirement for graduation. Faculty use performance-based methods to determine if students have attained competence. We describe in this article the reasons why we developed the new curriculum, how we planned and structured it, and the significance we anticipate the curricular innovation will have on medical education.

Professionalism and Teachers as Designers.

Abstract: This paper addresses the issue of teachers' professional knowledge and professionalism in relation to the growing design aspects of teachers' work. The teaching profession is described as a profession characterized by ruptures as a consequence of school reforms. New demands on teachers are made as a result of reforms and, as a consequence, the character of the teaching profession is changed. The paper focuses on one aspect of the recent 'reconstruction' of the teacher, namely changes in teachers' work outside the classroom. These changes presuppose a new kind of professionalism related to the virtual aspects of design work: the way teacher knowledge has been embedded in practice must be replaced by a 'disembedding' of this knowledge. The changes also imply a new view of teacher planning which has not been seen as a practice in itself, but something that happens 'before action'. Seeing curriculum making and the designing of school work as a virtual practice which is different from teaching in the classroom...

Composition Studies and ESL Writing: A Disciplinary Division of Labor.

Abstract: Although the number of nonnative speakers of English in U.S. institutions of higher L education has been increasing continuously during the last four decades, the development of composition studies does not seem to reflect this trend.1 Until fairly recently, discussions of English as a Second Language (ESL) issues in composition studies have been few and far between. Few composition theorists include second-language perspectives in their discussions, and only a handful of empirical studies written and read by composition specialists consider second-language writers in their research design, interpretation of data and discussion of implications. It almost seems as though the presence of over 457,000 international students in colleges and universities across the nation (Davis 2) does not concern writing teachers and scholars.2 The presence of ESL students should be an important consideration for all teachers and scholars of writing because ESL students can be found in many writing courses across the United States. As Jessica Williams' survey of ESL writing program administration suggests, the vast majority of institutions continue to require undergraduate ESL students to enroll in firstyear composition courses, often in addition to special ESL writing courses.

Did we hear you? : issues of student voice in a curriculum innovation

Abstract: The call for student 'voice' to be 'heard', already part of several discourses in educational research, has now become an issue in physical education research in such topics as teacher-student interactions, dropout, equity, skill development, assessment and constructivist perspectives on teaching/learning strategies. However, little attention in either the mainstream or physical education literature has been paid to student 'voice' in curriculum making at the syllabus level. This paper, drawing on poststructuralist and feminist analyses, provides a critique of how student 'voice' has been positioned in curriculum innovation, drawing on an evaluation of a senior secondary school subject in Australia.

The Failed Promise of the American High School, 1890-1995

Abstract: This work examines debates about curriculum policy in the American high school and also looks at changes in the institution itself. The authors argue that beginning in the 1930s, American high schools shifted from an emphasis on academic education to a focus on custodial care of adolescents.

Spirituality, Religion, and CACREP Curriculum Standards

Abstract: Survey data of the general population, counselors, and counselor educators indicate that spiritual and religious issues are therapeutically relevant, ethically appropriate, and potentially significant topics for counseling and counselor education in secular settings. In this article, the authors propose that a balanced, thoughtful inclusion of these topics in Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) core curriculum areas is a reasonable and sound approach to preparing counselors to work ethically and effectively with these issues in secular counseling settings. Methods and examples for achieving this inclusion are presented for each of the CACREP core curriculum areas.

Interactive, Collaborative Professional Development in Early Literacy Instruction: Supporting the Balancing Act.

Abstract: Project RIME, Reading Instructional Methods of Efficacy, is an interactive, collaborative professional development project designed to support early elementary and special education teachers as they integrate more explicit instruction for children at risk for reading failure into their curricula. Two components of the model are described: the interactive course and the yearlong school collaboration. This article focuses on 11 teachers from two schools and compares them to teachers from two other schools. Several evaluations, including measures of teachers' attitudes and knowledge, are described. Results indicate that although teachers became more positive and knowledgeable toward using explicit instruction, their orientation toward implicit, whole-language approaches remained stable. In contrast, teachers' attitudes and knowledge in the comparison schools were unchanged. Results from student performance are also summarized. The perceptions of 3 teachers were explored further using qualitative data analysi...

Community as Classroom: Dilemmas of Valuing African Indigenous Literacy in Education

Abstract: The interface between school and indigenous knowledge of local plants is rarely a focus of attention in classrooms. The transfer of indigenous knowledge from everyday life to schoolwork is not always valued or encouraged, and indigenous ways of knowing may not be recognized by teachers. This article defines and documents the interplay between indigenous folk knowledge and modern (western) curriculum practice in African schools within the framework of critical theory. It raises important questions of cultural identity at a time of economic and educational globalization. First, the author explores the definition of indigenous knowledge, second, he examines the dilemmas that undermine and undervalue efforts to integrate indigenous education in the formal school curriculum and third, he outlines the rationale for valuing indigenous literacy and makes some suggestions as to how this may be achieved.

National Literacy Strategy: Review of research and other related evidence

Abstract: The National Literacy Strategy provides steady and consistent means of raising standards of literacy in England over a long period of time. The Strategy is made up of a Framework for Teaching, which gives detailed guidance to teachers, a supporting professional development program, and other community-based elements. This Review of Research indicates many of the sources of research and related evidence which underpin the National Literacy Strategy. In particular, the Review concentrates on the Framework for Teaching, but it also draws upon sources related to the Policy and Strategic Justifications, School Effectiveness, and Management and Issues of Teaching Quality. These sources include findings from survey, experimental, and observational research; analyses and discussions from literary scholarship; and reports from curriculum development projects and school inspections. Of particular value have been a number of meta-analyses of research in a particular field, and these serve as landmarks at several points in the Review. Although the length of the review was limited, and work in preparing it has inevitably had to be of a selective nature, where appropriate, every effort has been made to refer to sources which identify overviews of relevant evidence. Includes an extensive bibliography. Appended is information about recurring issues in inspection evidence.

Addressing student difficulties in applying a wave model to the interference and diffraction of light

Abstract: This article illustrates the use of research as a basis for the development of curriculum on physical optics. Evidence is presented that university students who have studied physics at the introductory level and beyond often do not have a functional understanding of the wave model for light. Identification and analysis of student difficulties guided the design of a set of tutorials to supplement instruction in a standard calculus-based or algebra-based course. Ongoing assessment was an integral part of the curriculum development process. The instructional materials that resulted have proved to be effective at helping students construct and apply a basic wave model for light.

A/E/C Teamwork: A Collaborative Design and Learning Space

Abstract: This paper describes an ongoing effort focused on combined research and curriculum development for multidisciplinary, geographically distributed architectureengineeringconstruction (AEC) teamwork. ...

Information literacy in an undergraduate nursing curriculum: Development, implementation and evaluation

Abstract: With the increasing complexity of nursing practice and health care delivery, developing information literacy in students for lifelong learning is a vital element of nursing education. The San Francisco State University School of Nursing has developed, implemented, and evaluated an integrated program of information literacy in its undergraduate curriculum. The curriculum strand includes a variety of instructional strategies woven through all semesters of the nursing program. To evaluate the information literacy program, an exploratory descriptive approach was taken using two different cohorts of students. Baseline testing prior to implementation of the information literacy program and posttesting after implementation of the program revealed selected positive occurrences in students' use of bibliographic databases and journal literature. However, students did not perceive they were more successful in accessing information, and faculty assessment of students' ability to evaluate information did not change from 1992 to 1996. These and other evaluation findings have implications for the development of an information literacy curriculum and its integration with other facets of student learning.

Constructivism and Authentic Pedagogy: State of the Art and Recent Developments in the Dutch National Curriculum in Secondary Education.

Abstract: The recently introduced national curriculum for the ® rst stage of Dutch secondary education requires not only a change in educational content but also a change in educational processes. The knowledge students acquire is expected to be related to everydaylife, and tobe meaningfully embedded insociety. Furthermore, the student is expected to use social and cognitive strategies such as researching, collaborating, andexpressingopinions. The accompanying learningenvironmentnecessitates active and interactive learners as well as teachers who use various strategies to promote `authentic learning’. To what extent do Dutch teachers use teaching strategies to foster authentic learning? From 1993 to 1996, three large Dutch secondary schools (between 1000± 1400students ) were subjectedtoanin-depthinquiry. Theseschoolswereexpectedto implement the state-mandated innovations in the 1993± 1994 core curriculum. The results showthat none of the schools scores highly on the characteristics of authentic pedagogy. Authentic pedagogy demands a major change in the teacher’s role, including a change in the use of curricular materials and the development of new teaching strategies embedded in a supporting school organization. The results are viewed in the context of the recent discussion on information-processing theory versusradical constructivism. Implications forcurriculumandclassroompractice are suggested.

Learning to value ethnic diversity--what, why and how?

Abstract: Introduction Learning to value ethnic diversity is the appreciation of how variations in culture and background may affect health care. It involves acknowledging and responding to an individual’s culture in its broadest sense. This requires learning the skills to negotiate effective communication, a heightened awareness of one’s own attitudes, and sensitivity, to issues of stereotyping, prejudice and racism. This paper aims to contribute to debate about some of the key issues that learning to value ethnic diversity creates. Context Although some medical training is beginning to prepare doctors to work in an ethnically diverse society, there is a long way to go. Promoting ‘valuing ethnic diversity’ in curricula raises challenges and the need to manage change, but there are increasing opportunities within the changing context of medical education. Appropriate training can inform attitudes and yield refinement of learners’ core skills that are generic and transferable to most health encounters. Curriculum development Care must be taken to avoid a narrow focus upon cultural differences alone. Learning should also promote examination of learners’ own attitudes and their appreciation of structural influences upon health and health care, such as racism and socio-economic disadvantage. Appropriate training and support for teachers are required and learning must be explicitly linked to assessment and professional accreditation. Conclusion Greater debate about theoretical approaches, and much further experience of developing, implementing and evaluating effective training in this area are needed. Medical educators may need to overcome discomfort in developing such approaches and learn from experience.

Women's Perceptions of Midwifery Care: A Longitudinal Study to Shape Curriculum Development

Abstract: Background Health and education services are increasingly expected to focus on the consumer. The perceptions of childbearing women should be incorporated into midwifery curricula, but often they are given minimal attention or not sought for this purpose. This study was designed to enable the views and experiences of local women to influence curriculum development in a large university in England. Methods A descriptive, longitudinal, qualitative study was conducted using semistructured and unstructured interviews with women, and data from their maternity records. Forty-one pregnant women were recruited and interviewed during pregnancy, in the early postpartum period in hospital, and in their homes 2 to 3 weeks after the birth. Results Themes were clustered into three categories: the characteristics and qualities of the caregivers, the individualized nature of care, and the clinical competence of the caregivers. Continuity of caregiver was desired but accepted as probably unrealistic by many. Developing a "special" trusting relationship with a female midwife was perceived as essential to promoting a positive childbirth experience. Clinical competence was expected and largely experienced. Negative feelings related to individual caregivers more than the type of care given. Conclusions Most women had positive experiences, finding midwives and doctors with good knowledge, interpersonal skills, and abilities. Examples of poor communication skills and interprofessional conflict indicated a need to give priority to developing and assessing students' interpersonal skills. Evidence of interprofessional conflict acted as the catalyst to merge midwifery with the department of obstetrics in the university to enhance interprofessional learning.