The fundamental element of the system is the concept that Yale medical students are mature individuals, strongly motivated to learn, requiring guidance and stimulation rather than compulsion or competition for relative standing in a group. The corollary of this concept is that students must assume more than usual responsibility for their education. Students should be considered adults in a graduate school and be permitted to enjoy as large a degree of freedom as is consistent with the fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Memorization of facts should be far less important than a well-rounded education in fundamental principles, training in methods of investigation, and the acquisition of the scientific habit of mind. Thus, attendance is not taken, lectures are held to a minimum, and much basic science instruction occurs in small group seminars or conferences.
Students evaluate themselves through optional, anonymous examinations.
Their performance is assessed by the faculty through participation in seminars, by an anonymous qualifying examination at the end of each course, by performance on clinical clerkships, and by passing of the United States Medical Licensing Examinations. In the first two years, there are no grades and there is no class ranking. While grades are not given and rank order not established, evaluation of students is an important part of the educational process. The faculty considers small-group teaching with interchange between faculty and students to be the most effective means of teaching and evaluation. Students should expect direct questioning at seminars and labs as an important adjunct to the evaluation process.