Abstract
Background: Student Selected Components (SSCs) are an established feature of UK undergraduate medical curricula that offer students choice. They represent a large investment in time and resources. Although programmes vary between Schools, the major learning objectives remain broadly similar. Providing students engage fully with the activity, the final learning outcomes should also be comparable. However, engaging effectively and purposefully with such programmes may not be a clear and straightforward process for students.
Aim: To present the challenges and solutions to inform students how to derive the greatest benefit from the learning activities in their SSC programmes.
Methods: Synthesis of the accumulated experience over more than 10 years of developing, running and evaluating SSCs by the Directors of SSCs in five Scottish Medical Schools, combined with analysis of course evaluation and student feedback.
Results: Consensus defined 12 tips aimed at improving the approach taken by students to their SSCs, and to provide a structure to maximise their final learning outcomes.
Conclusion: SSC programmes provide diverse opportunities for students to develop and expand their learning. With increasing emphasis being placed upon student assessment to judge a wide range of professional skills and standards into foundation and specialist training, much greater importance is now being given to SSCs as an opportunity for personal, professional and academic developments. However, it is important that this is performed in a purposeful manner to maximise this opportunity. These 12 tips provide guidance to students on how they can maximise the opportunity presented to them by SSCs.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 895-902 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Medical Teacher |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2009 |
Keywords
- UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL CURRICULUM
- MULTIINSTITUTIONAL CONSENSUS
- EDUCATION
Cite this
Getting the most out of student selected components : 12 Tips for participating students. / Riley, Simon C.; Gibbs, Trevor J.; Ferrell, William R.; Nelson, Peter R.; Smith, William Cairns Stewart; Murphy, Michael J.
In: Medical Teacher, Vol. 31, No. 10, 2009, p. 895-902.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Getting the most out of student selected components
T2 - 12 Tips for participating students
AU - Riley, Simon C.
AU - Gibbs, Trevor J.
AU - Ferrell, William R.
AU - Nelson, Peter R.
AU - Smith, William Cairns Stewart
AU - Murphy, Michael J.
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - Background: Student Selected Components (SSCs) are an established feature of UK undergraduate medical curricula that offer students choice. They represent a large investment in time and resources. Although programmes vary between Schools, the major learning objectives remain broadly similar. Providing students engage fully with the activity, the final learning outcomes should also be comparable. However, engaging effectively and purposefully with such programmes may not be a clear and straightforward process for students.Aim: To present the challenges and solutions to inform students how to derive the greatest benefit from the learning activities in their SSC programmes.Methods: Synthesis of the accumulated experience over more than 10 years of developing, running and evaluating SSCs by the Directors of SSCs in five Scottish Medical Schools, combined with analysis of course evaluation and student feedback.Results: Consensus defined 12 tips aimed at improving the approach taken by students to their SSCs, and to provide a structure to maximise their final learning outcomes.Conclusion: SSC programmes provide diverse opportunities for students to develop and expand their learning. With increasing emphasis being placed upon student assessment to judge a wide range of professional skills and standards into foundation and specialist training, much greater importance is now being given to SSCs as an opportunity for personal, professional and academic developments. However, it is important that this is performed in a purposeful manner to maximise this opportunity. These 12 tips provide guidance to students on how they can maximise the opportunity presented to them by SSCs.
AB - Background: Student Selected Components (SSCs) are an established feature of UK undergraduate medical curricula that offer students choice. They represent a large investment in time and resources. Although programmes vary between Schools, the major learning objectives remain broadly similar. Providing students engage fully with the activity, the final learning outcomes should also be comparable. However, engaging effectively and purposefully with such programmes may not be a clear and straightforward process for students.Aim: To present the challenges and solutions to inform students how to derive the greatest benefit from the learning activities in their SSC programmes.Methods: Synthesis of the accumulated experience over more than 10 years of developing, running and evaluating SSCs by the Directors of SSCs in five Scottish Medical Schools, combined with analysis of course evaluation and student feedback.Results: Consensus defined 12 tips aimed at improving the approach taken by students to their SSCs, and to provide a structure to maximise their final learning outcomes.Conclusion: SSC programmes provide diverse opportunities for students to develop and expand their learning. With increasing emphasis being placed upon student assessment to judge a wide range of professional skills and standards into foundation and specialist training, much greater importance is now being given to SSCs as an opportunity for personal, professional and academic developments. However, it is important that this is performed in a purposeful manner to maximise this opportunity. These 12 tips provide guidance to students on how they can maximise the opportunity presented to them by SSCs.
KW - UNDERGRADUATE MEDICAL CURRICULUM
KW - MULTIINSTITUTIONAL CONSENSUS
KW - EDUCATION
U2 - 10.3109/01421590903175361
DO - 10.3109/01421590903175361
M3 - Article
VL - 31
SP - 895
EP - 902
JO - Medical Teacher
JF - Medical Teacher
SN - 0142-159X
IS - 10
ER -