Faculty and staff pilot pre-course meeting to improve student learning

A course for first-year medical students, shown at their

orientation in fall 2023, served as the pilot course for the 

pre-module meeting and process.

Taking an innovative approach to medical education, faculty and staff at the Whiddon College of Medicine piloted an integrated pre-module meeting and process for the 2023-2024 academic year. 

Led by the Division of Medical Education and the Office of Accreditation and Planning, the meeting brought together stakeholders in a single course to discuss what instructors need to optimize their approach, and what support students need to optimize their learning. The intent was to create a collaborative, unified discussion that focused on improving student learning. The Cardiovascular System course for first-year students served as the pilot for the pre-module meeting and process. 

“This approach helps faculty tell the magic of what they do in the classroom,” said David Williams, Ph.D., M.P.A., assistant dean for institutional and academic success. “It takes us out of collecting data on XYZ objective and ‘students performed well.’ We want to see that, but behind that is: what learning is happening for our future physicians?”

Held three to four weeks before the start of the course, the meeting intentionally mirrored health system models for quality improvement, in which seeking improvement is not seen as blaming. A case study on the pre-course meeting by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) noted: “An important outcome of using a systems and quality improvement lens was how it changed the dynamic between course directors/instructors and learning and curriculum leaders. There was an intentional movement away from edicts or checklists around how the module should be taught, and towards a collaborative approach focused on ensuring instructors and students have the support they need.”

Meeting participants agreed that sitting together, in person, allowed them to focus on their questions, needs and solutions, with minimal distractions. This enabled participants to engage in robust discussions that have continued beyond the meeting.

“This process has given us more lead time to consider how much of this can we proactively address or plan around,” said T.J. Hundley, M.D., associate dean for medical education. 

Following this successful pilot, the approach will be expanded to additional courses in coming years, with the goal of holding pre-module meetings for all courses.

AAMC recently highlighted the initiative in its Holistic Student Support Community. Read the full case study.