UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
CURRIULUM COMMITTEE MINUTES
05.06.10

Pediatric Conference Room, 4:00 p.m.

Present (underlined) were: Gretchen Arnold,  Robert Bloodgood, Megan Bray, Donna Chen, Eugene Corbett, Thomas Gampper, Wendy Golden, Donald Innes (Chair), Keith Littlewood, Veronica Michaelsen, Mohan Nadkarni, Chris Peterson, Jerry Short, Linda Waggoner-Fountain, Bill Wilson,  Mary Kate Worden,  John Hemler, Christina Portal,  Guest: Jim Martindale, Debra Reed (secretary)  

1. Assessment Committee Report - Jim Martindale briefed the Committee on the progress of the Assessment Committee.  The Committee has recently focused on the details of assessment in the new curriculum:
   
   The mechanics (flow of questions from creation to inclusion in a quiz or exam) and time constraints. Under consideration is requiring questions/multimedia items to be submitted to the system leader at least 3 months before they are to be used and the leader submitting them for inclusion in the database at least one month before use.
   
   The number of questions necessary for examinations, quizzes, and practice exercises: 
   
   Requiring 15 items per hour of student contact with items designated as quiz, summative, cumulative, or practice items.  Practice questions should be especially helpful to the students.
   
   Under consideration is requiring 80-120 items per 5-hour summative examination (25/hour).  This is approximately one half the number of questions per hour for the National Boards (~50/hour).  [NBME: 46/hour]
   
   All questions will be multiple choice best answer with clinical [or experimental] vignettes and with integration whenever possible across threads.
   
   The database is being modified to improve ease of use. 
   
   Smaller groups from the Assessment Committee (2-3 individuals) will following questions through the system and look at the item analysis of the questions and how they function reporting this information back to the system leaders.
   
   Communication with System Leaders needs improvement.  As soon as the assessment guidelines have been vetted by the Curriculum Committee, the guidelines will be sent to all system and thread leaders.
   
   The first exam will be around Labor Day this year so there is some urgency in having an assessment plan in place as soon as possible.  The final plan should be ready for the Curriculum Committee to review by next week.
   
2. Discussion of Selection/Approval Policy for Curriculum Leaders – The Committee discussed past experience with selection/approval of system and clerkship leaders and ways to improve this process.  The Committee agreed that a more transparent policy should be developed for all involved – the Curriculum Committee, the department chairs, and faculty. The job descriptions for these positions will also be reviewed.  A description of the length of tenure (3-5 years?) and a nomination process, e.g. multiple nominations to the Curriculum Committee for each position), interview, etc. should be developed.  The Committee would ask that notice of a change in leadership be given at least one year in advance if at all possible   Consideration was given to the value of an assistant director who is able to step in to the position temporarily if the director should have to step down.    
   The Committee discussed ways to encourage/assure compliance with the policy as well improve communication with department chairs.
   

Donald J. Innes, Jr., M.D.

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