Empowerment of Learners through Curriculum Co-Creation: Practical Implications of a Radical Educational Theory

Teach Learn Med. 2024 Feb 8:1-7. doi: 10.1080/10401334.2024.2313212. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTFraming the Issue: Medical education programs in the U.S. rely on the aphorism that faculty own the curriculum; that is, the specialized knowledge, skills, and attitudes of a physician are the province of the faculty to be delivered to tuition-paying students. From this view, the learner's role is one of passivity and deference. A contrasting approach, termed curriculum co-creation, frames education as a bi-lateral partnership. Co-creation results from learners, in collaboration with instructors, taking an active role in creating the goals and processes of an educational program. Such a partnership requires substantial revision of the expectations for both learners and instructors. In this Observations article, the idea of co-creation is applied to medical education and an aspirational vision for the role and value of faculty-student co-creation is advocated. Description and Explication: Co-creation partnerships of faculty and students occur in many forms, varying in degree of departure from traditional educational practice. Co-creation principles and partnerships can be deployed for almost all aspects of training including selection and organization of content, effective methods of instruction, and assessment of student learning. The outcomes of co-creation occur at three levels. The most specific outcome of co-creation is characterized by increased student engagement and enhan...
Source: Teaching and Learning in Medicine - Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Source Type: research