Imperial Connection: Renewal of Years 1 and 2 curriculum rolls out

By Dr Senita Mountjoy, Academic Lead, Collaborative Partnerships Office, London; Dr Lucy Rosby, Senior Lecturer, Medical Education and Lead, Course Evaluation, Singapore

Regular reviews of the LKCMedicine MBBS curriculum ensure that it remains robust, relevant and up to date so that the School produces the best doctors for tomorrow

Over the course of the last two years, the Curriculum Review and Renewal team based across Singapore and London, has been working hard on the first formal Curriculum Review and Renewal of the Years 1 and 2 Curriculum at LKCMedicine. Now that this process is near completion and with the second cohort of LKCMedicine students successfully graduated, it seems timely to provide a summary of this comprehensive process and how this will enhance the education and experience of our future students.

In the initial 'Review' phase completed last year, a comprehensive evaluation of all learning activities and materials encountered by our students during their first two years at LKCMedicine was undertaken, including key insights from students.  As 'consumers' of the curriculum, student input has formed a key part of this process ensuring the ongoing high quality of medical education at LKCMedicine is passed on to future generations.

This academic year, the focus has been on the 'Renewal' phase.  Key recommendations from the 'Review' phase have been considered and incorporated into changes to the new Years 1+2 curriculum. These include improvements to how students view and navigate the curriculum, consideration of the partnership between scientific and clinical educators in shaping and delivering the curriculum and streamlined processes for curricular change to encourage ongoing improvements.  With these recommendations in mind, a multi-layered renewals process is nearing completion.  Clinical and scientific educators in Singapore have worked tirelessly with the support of academic associates and fellows in Singapore and London on refreshing and renewing curricular material ready for the start of the new academic year 2019/2020.

Moving forward, as this Review and Renewal of the Years 1+2 curriculum nears completion, the strength of the NTU-Imperial College collaboration manifest in LKCMedicine, is clear. Ongoing plans for continuous curricular improvements will ensure that the education received by our students continues to be the best it can be to prepare them for medical practice.