Discussion Items

1. Minutes

The minutes were unanimously approved as submitted. Electronic distribution appears to be working well.

2. Announcements

There were no announcements.

3. Review of Operating Paper

The Operating Paper Subcommittee distributed a revised draft of the EPC Operating Paper. The following changes were suggested and approved:

· The word “chairman” should be replaced with “chair” throughout the document.

· Under “Faculty Composition,” the sentence beginning “Faculty appointed…” was revised as follows: “Faculty appointed to the Educational Policy Council should have demonstrated interest, experience, and skill in education…”

· Under “Council Chair,” second bulleted item, the word “meetings;” should be added to the end of the line.

· Under “Staffing,” the first sentence, up to the word “preparing” should be replaced with “In addition to staff support from the Office of Education and Curriculum, the chair may designate additional staff support as appropriate. Staff shall be responsible for…”

· Under “Procedure,” third bulleted item, the phrase “of the voting members” should be inserted after the word “majority.”

· Under “Procedure,” seventh bulleted item, the term ex officio should be replaced with “only voting” and the word “not” should be deleted.

· Under “Procedure,” ninth bulleted item, the phrase “as determined by the chair” should be added to the end of the line.

· Under “Relationship to Other Committees,” the term “coordinating” was removed from all curriculum committee names, the term “coordinating/year” was deleted, the phrase “both in writing or” was deleted just prior to “as part of the regular EPC agenda.” The word “year” in the last line was changed to “curriculum”.

In addition, it was suggested that a section be added to the document regarding amendments to the operating paper, with a two-thirds majority of voting members present necessary to approve such amendments.

The Operating Paper Subcommittee will provide a revised draft for approval at the March 26 EPC meeting.

4. Election of EPC Vice Chair

Dr. Kruse announced that Dr. Feltovich and Dr. Resch had been nominated for the office of vice-chair. Dr. Resch declined the nomination, and Dr. Feltovich was elected by acclamation.

5. Class of 2000 Graduation Questionnaire

Dr. Wade made a motion, seconded by Mr. LeBlang, to distribute the AAMC Graduation Questionnaire to Department Chairs and Curriculum Committees. A discussion followed as to whether the Curriculum Committees should respond to the raw data and then EPC would discuss the data and the committee responses or whether the EPC should review the data and send concerns to Curriculum Committees with a request for responses on particular issues. This issue will remain on the EPC agenda for discussion at the March meeting.

6. New EPC Subcommittees:

6.1 Biotechnology, Genetics and Ethics

Dr. Kruse explained that the charge to this committee is to assess the effect of the biotechnology revolution on medical school curricula, to make curricular recommendations that address the realms of basic science (genetics, etc), clinical application, and ethics (genetic discrimination, etc), and to assure the vertical and horizontal integration of biotechnology issues across the curriculum. EPC members suggested that the charge also include law and humanities. It was also suggested that this would be a good area for integration across all four years.

Dr. Caspary made a motion, seconded by Dr. Borgia to create this subcommittee. The motion passed with nine in favor and two opposed.

6.2 Faculty Development

Dr. Kruse explained that a faculty committee for faculty development for educational issues was already in existence and that the EPC Faculty Development Committee could either be a joint committee with EPC, or a separate faculty committee composed of EPC members.

It was suggested that this issue be put on hold for the EPC, not because it is not an important issue, but because Faculty Affairs is developing an institutional plan that includes human resources, research, education, and clinical service, as well as the initial orientation. The goal will be to develop a web page, coordinate effort to define needs, develop cohesive plan, and then implement institutionally. Another suggestion was to move ahead with formation of the subcommittee and serve a role in the group being formed by Faculty Affairs.

Dr. Resch made a motion, seconded by Dr. Lower, to move ahead with this committee so the chair of the committee could attend the meetings being arranged by Faculty Affairs and then move the process along. The motion passed unanimously.

6.3 Information Technology (IMPC/EPC Joint Subcommittee)

Dr. Kruse explained that this is a joint committee whose membership will include members of EPC and IMPC and that the charge of this subcommittee is to assess the information technology and management needs of SIU students in each year and to make recommendations to the respective parent committees regarding curricular and equipment needs of SIU students. It is anticipated that this task will involve recommendations for the use of IT as a tool to develop critical thinking skills and to enhance the teaching of evidence based medicine, and thus will produce a coherent plan that benefits the entire curriculum and is compatible with the overall IT mission for the SIU-SOM.

The consensus was that this was a very important subcommittee that the EPC should instate as soon as possible. Mr. LeBlang made a motion, seconded by Dr. Caspary to create an EPC/IMPS Information Technology Subcommittee. The motion was passed unanimously.

6.4 Program Evaluation

Dr. Kruse explained that the charge to this subcommittee was to assess all curricular and evaluative efforts of the curriculum.

It was suggested that this issue is too important to delegate to a subcommittee, and that the EPC should assume this responsibility for the next six months or so. It was noted that each curriculum committee is doing its own program evaluation and that perhaps the efforts of this subcommittee might be duplicative.

Dr. Resch made a motion, seconded by Dr. Kovach, to establish an EPC Program Evaluation Subcommittee that includes the members of the existing Program Evaluation Group to continue and expand the existing Program Evaluation plan.

It was noted that there could be an imbalance in review of the data if this function is performed by a subcommittee and that the full EPC should take responsibility for this activity. It was noted that the amount of data to be reviewed, the number of forms, etc., is immense, and that the planning work that has already been done by the existing Program Evaluation Group needs to be transitioned. It was suggested that a subcommittee could be useful in thoughtfully considering the work that has done to date and developing a plan for incorporating those efforts into routine EPC functions.

The consensus was to ask for a presentation of Program Evaluation activities to date from Dr. Distlehorst, as the chair of the existing Program Evaluation Group. The white paper developed by the group will be distributed to all committee members prior to the presentation.

Mr. LeBlang made a motion, seconded by Dr. Lower, to table the motion. The motion passed with nine in favor, one opposed, and no abstentions.

6.5 Educational Implications of Patient Safety and Medical Error

Dr. Feltovich reiterated his comments from the January meeting and offered to chair a subcommittee to review the issue and develop a plan. The consensus was that this is a curricular content issue that should be presented to the curriculum committees for implementation, since the role of the EPC is to develop curriculum policy, not deal with isolated curricular content. It was also noted that this is a topic that is built into the four-year Doctoring Streamer.

The consensus was that Dr. Feltovich should work with Dr. Barnhart to ensure that this issue is addressed throughout the curriculum. Dr. Feltovich made a motion, seconded by Mr. LeBlang, that Doctoring should assume responsibility for this issue.

7. Update of Curriculum Implementation Process

Dr. Kruse reported that a schedule for discussion of the items on the curriculum implementation process list from the C2000 Steering Committee had been distributed to EPC members via e-mail and that the topics would be placed on upcoming EPC agendas as outlined in the schedule.

8. Subcommittee Reports

8.1 Educational Value Unit Task Force Update

Dr. Kruse announced that all faculty were being sent a draft of an EVU “scoring system.” There will probably be several iterations before it is finalized.

9. Committee Reports

9.1 Year 1 Curriculum Coordinating Committee

Dr. Shea reported that the second curriculum segment in Year 1 (Sensorimotor Systems and Behavior) is nearly complete. A Year 1 Student Progress System/Remediation Plan is being developed for review by the Student Progress Committee. Six or seven students appear to have areas of concern at this point in the curriculum. The Mentored Professional Enrichment Experience deadline has passed; 28 student proposals have been accepted and are being reviewed. Dr. Shea reported that 52 students have signed up to take five NBME Subject Exams in the week following Year 1.

9.2 Year 2 Curriculum Coordinating Committee

Dr. Borgia reported that the Year 2 Curriculum Committee had scheduled a retreat for April 19 to review the curriculum, respond to student issues, and make recommendations in four areas: Basic Science Streamer/Rotation of Segments; Quality of the Segments (topics, approaches, cases, length); End of Block Assessment; and Small Group Learning/Facilitator Issues.

The issue of how much of the retreat activity will be brought to EPC, and whether retreat recommendations will require EPC approval was briefly discussed.

9.3 Year 3 Curriculum Coordinating Committee

Dr. Kovach reported that the Year 3 Committee has spent much of its time in developing a calendar for the 2001-2002 academic year. In December, the committee voted to accept a schedule that reduced the Internal Medicine and Surgery Clerkships by one week each from what they were before the current C2000 calendar. This reduction in time for the two long clerkships allowed for implementation of two weeks of a four-week Neurology clerkship in Year 3 (with the remainder two weeks scheduled in Year 4) and an additional two-week experience in Year 3. School of Medicine faculty were solicited for possible new clerkship experiences, and two were submitted: Emergency Medicine and Geriatrics. The committee voted in January to implement the Emergency Medicine clerkship as a two-week experience that offsets Neurology in Year 3 so that there are only nine students in each clerkship. The Department of Surgery has asked to address the Year 3 Committee in February to address concerns about the new schedule, and then the Year 3 Committee will have to decide how to proceed.

9.4 Year 4 Curriculum Coordinating Committee

Dr. Lower reported that the Committee has been reviewing recommendations from the Elective Subcommittee, which has reviewed all of the existing electives, as well as new electives. A major issue has been whether enough Basic Science electives have been submitted to support the proposed Basic Science Elective Requirement for Year 3. It was determined that there were enough electives to instate a basic requirement this year. A specified number of weeks may be required next year, depending on how this year goes.

9.5 Four-Year Doctoring Streamer

Mr. LeBlang reported that the Year 4 Doctoring experience: Physician and Society, had received high praise from students. Dr. Hingle reported that the committee has been working on integration of Year 3 and 4 Doctoring experiences.

10. Other Business

There was a brief discussion regarding the Year 3 Calendar process. There appeared to be consensus that the EPC should not vote on a year calendar issue, since that is scheduling, not policy, although the calendar should be presented for informational purposes.

11. Next Educational Policy Council Meeting: Monday, March 26, 2001, 1:30 to 3 pm.

	Minutes