GMS 7001:  Fundamentals of Biomedical Science Education


Course Director:  Wayne T. McCormack, Ph.D.
E-mail:  mccormac@pathology.ufl.edu
Phone:  392-7413
Office:  R1-102


 

Spring 2008
Mondays & Wednesdays (
CG-56), 2:00-3:00 pm

**Wednesday, February 6 (CG-56), 2:00 - 4:00 pm** (additional hour)
 

Catalog Description:  (2 credits)  Overview of educational issues faced by biomedical scientists teaching at the undergraduate, graduate, and/or professional level.  Practical guidelines most relevant for beginning biomedical science educators, e.g. teaching skills & strategies and the underlying theory of learning & teaching.

Course Overview:  Biomedical scientists are trained during graduate school and postdoctoral studies to be researchers.  However, those who pursue academic career tracks are also expected to teach, and are often not well prepared for this faculty assignment.  This IDP elective course provides an overview of educational issues faced by biomedical scientists teaching at the undergraduate, graduate, and/or professional level.  The goal of the course is to familiarize biomedical science graduate students interested in pursuing academic career tracks with techniques that are the most relevant for beginning teachers, e.g. teaching skills & strategies and the underlying theory of learning and teaching.  The course will use a variety of teaching formats modeling teaching behaviors, and will provide practical guidelines for a variety of teaching skills.

Syllabus:

 

Date

Session

Faculty

1

Mon, Jan 7

Meeting a Class For the First Time

Dr. W. McCormack

2

Wed, Jan 9

Listening to Learn, Teach, and Lead

Dr. W. McCormack

3

Mon, Jan 14

Introduction to Principles of Adult Education

Dr. W. McCormack

4

Wed, Jan 16

Teaching vs. Learning / Models of Learning

Dr. W. McCormack

5

Mon, Jan 21

Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday - no class

 

6

Wed, Jan 23

No class

 

7

Mon, Jan 28

Countdown for Course Preparation

Dr. W. McCormack

8

Wed, Jan 30

How to Make Lectures More Effective

Dr. W. McCormack

9

Mon, Feb 4

Peer/Collaborative/Cooperative Learning

Dr. W. McCormack

10

Wed, Feb 6

Team-Based Learning (2 hours)

Dr. W. McCormack

11

Mon, Feb 11

Small-Group Teaching (2 hours)

Drs. P. & N. Small

12

Wed, Feb 13

History of Medical Education

Dr. K. Rarey

13

Mon, Feb 18

Teaching & Assessing Medical Students

Dr. K. Rarey

14

Wed, Feb 20

The Power & Perils of Powerpoint

Dr. R. Rathe

15

Mon, Feb 25

Teaching by Distance Education

TBA

16

Wed, Feb 27

Assessing, Testing, & Evaluation

Dr. W. McCormack

17

Mon, Mar 3

The ABC’s of Grading

Dr. W. McCormack

18

Wed, Mar 5

Teaching as Scholarship

Dr. W. McCormack

 

Mar 10 & 12

No class - UF Spring Break

 

19

Mon, Mar 17

Mentoring

Dr. S. Semple-Rowland

20

Wed, Mar 19

Lifelong Learning (For the Teacher, Too!)

Dr. W. McCormack

21

Mon, Mar 24

No class

 

22

Wed, Mar 26

Student Presentation

 

23

Mon, Mar 31

Student Presentation

 

24

Wed, Apr 2

Student Presentation

 

25

Mon, Apr 7

No class - WM out of town

 

26

Wed, Apr 9

No class - WM out of town

 

27

Mon, Apr 14

Student Presentation

 

28

Wed, Apr 16

Student Presentation

 

29

Mon, Apr 21

Debriefing

Dr. W. McCormack

30

Wed, Apr 23

No class - COM Research Day

 

Sample topics for student presentations:                                    (please select a topic by Wednesday, March 5)

  1. Problem-Based Learning - The Case Method

  2. Ethics in Teaching - The Teacher's Responsibilities

  3. What to Do About Cheating

  4. Problem Students (There's Almost Always at Least One!)

  5. Learning Through Writing (High Stakes & Low Stakes)

  6. Motivating Students To Learn

  7. Teaching Culturally Diverse Students

  8. Laboratory Instruction

  9. Teaching Values: Should We? Can We?

  10. WebCT Vista

  11. Application of learning theories or learning styles

Assessment:

30% Attendance
20% Peer evaluation of your contributions to Sessions 1-20
50% Student presentations (to be assessed by peers & faculty)
Maximum cut-offs for letter grades:  90, A;  85, B+;  80, B;  75, C+;  70, C.

Required text: 

“McKeachie’s Teaching Tips - Strategies, Research, and Theory for College and University Teachers” by Wilbert J. McKeachie, 12th edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006.

Other resources:

“Tools for Teaching” by Barbara Gross Davis, 1st edition, Jossey-Bass Inc., 1993.

“Designing & Assessing Courses & Curricula: A Practical Guide” by Robert M. Diamond, The Jossey-Bass Higher & Adult Education Series, John Wiley & Sons, 1998.

“Curriculum Development for Medical Education: A Six-Step Approach” by David E. Kern et al., The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.


1/31/08  wtm