Medical School roles
In a PBL curriculum, the Medical School play a number of roles:
Content expert
While this is a familiar role, the method of 'delivering' content may vary. In the Sydney Medical Program, content experts:
- Construct discipline 'maps' which outline the essential knowledge associated with their discipline and where it is 'built in' during the four years of the Program
- Prepare self-directed learning materials which are available to students as learning topics
- Provide summaries of lectures and themes session (these are practical classes in each of the four themes: Basic and Clinical Sciences, Community-Doctor, Patient-Doctor and in Personal and Professional Development)
- Deliver lectures and theme sessions especially in areas which are conceptually challenging
- Supervise options, electives and honours projects
- Construct assessments in collaboration with content experts from other disciplines
- Assist individual students requiring remediation
Problem-based learning tutors
While the role of the PBL tutor is initially unfamiliar to many academics, most are quick to see the similarities between PBL tutoring and the supervision of higher degree students. Tutors in a PBL group fulfil many roles:
- asking questions
- encouraging students to clarify their ideas
- encouraging students to examine new ideas
- pointing out inconsistencies
- encouraging all group members to contribute
- supporting each member of the group
- ensuring that everyone has a chance to contribute
- testing for agreement between group members
- summarising progress
Students appreciate PBL tutors who promote intrinsic motivation and 'ownership' of learning within a positive emotional learning climate. It is this 'climate' that is a critical element of success for PBL groups.
Clinical tutors
Clinical tutors combine the qualities described as characterising both content experts and PBL tutors. While they have important information to share with students, clinical tutors promote the active acquisition of both knowledge and skills. Clinical tutors are also very significant role models (Gordon and Lyon, 1998) and for this reason they are never "off duty".. Since students now begin their clinical experience in the first month of the first year, they have many more opportunities to observe clinical teachers in their roles as teachers, but also as providers of medical care. These observations trigger strong intrinsic motivation, as evidenced in their portfolio records of the first six months of medical school.