Micro-Integration: A Process for Integrating Multiple Discipline-Specific Learning Objectives for Enhanced Co-Teaching of Medical Education Sessions
Authors: Wright Bruce , Schlegel Elisabeth 
Published: May 2024

Introduction: Integrating subject matter in organ-systems-based courses is now the norm in medical education. This is valuable at the course level and organ-system level. However, at the session level, many basic scientists have observed essential content from their disciplines being discarded when solo-taught by faculty from other disciplines. This has had the effect of content experts re-siloing their content in sessions that were intended to cover integrative content. Such siloing forces students to integrate the separated components themselves. Even when designated for co-teaching, many sessions created by only one faculty member effectively sideline the other instructors attending the sessions. Hypothesis: A deliberative process for improving the incorporation of discipline-based learning objectives and content into the material for multidisciplinary co-taught sessions improves both co-teaching opportunities and student learning. Methodology: The authors offer the term “micro-integration” as a deliberative, 4-step process for converting an individually created session into an effective multidisciplinary session. (1) Once a session on a topic is identified for co-teaching as part of a larger curricular plan, a session lead is identified. This person often teaches most of the session’s content. (2) In creating a multidisciplinary, integrated session, topics from other disciplines (in both basic and clinical sciences) that complement or complete the integration are identified. Each content expert creates learning objectives that correspond best to their discipline. (3) Each expert creates discipline-specific content that covers their individual learning objectives for that session. (4) The group collaboratively creates the final product. As an example, in one first-semester session on “Action Potentials and the Neuromuscular Junction,” most of the material—learning objectives and the content of the session—was prepared by a physiologist. Two learning objectives on the microbiology of botulism and tetanus were also incorporated. Finally, another learning objective and related content on the clinical presentation of these two disorders was included. Together, these highlighted the importance and relevance of physiology, microbiology, and clinical medicine on the same topic, presenting medical students with an integrated, clinically relevant understanding of action potentials and synaptic transmission. Data and summary of results: At a medical school that has an integrated pre-clinical curriculum, micro-integration was the norm for many sessions. Reaction from students to these micro-integrated sessions has been generally positive. Faculty also reported feeling empowered by micro-integration. An unexpected but welcome result of this process involved item writing. Because each content expert was aware of specific knowledge each of their peers were contributing, they were better able to write integrated formative and summative examination items that prioritized their learning objectives while also tying into others’ learning objectives. These learning objectives and related examination items were tracked all the way up to the course level to match content taught with overall learning objectives for each organ system. In general, micro-integration was used in three types of sessions: (1) Basic scientists from different disciplines (e.g., anatomy and physiology) coordinating their learning objectives and content across a common topic; (2) Basic science sessions incorporating clinical relevance to the original material (e.g., biochemistry and clinical medicine); and (3) Clinical sessions incorporating basic science material (e.g., clinical medicine and pharmacology). Conclusion: Micro-integration is a new, deliberate approach to creating contextualized, just-in-time educational materials at the session level that may improve the content and quality of co-teaching to undergraduate medical students. This process of session-specific curriculum development could be helpful, both for overcoming faculty resistance to integration of their learning objectives and content in undergraduate medical education, and for improving the quality of examination items.

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This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.