Operating Paper

YEAR THREE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE
OPERATING PAPER

I. PURPOSE AND RESPONSIBILITY

The Year Three Curriculum Committee develops policy recommendations and monitors policy implementation during the third year of the medical school curriculum in accordance with LCME Guidelines. The Committee is responsible for coordination and oversight of the quality of education during the Clerkship experience. A high priority is placed on the continuing development and refinement of clerkship curricula. The Year Three Curriculum Committee resolves calendar issues and interdepartmental evaluation issues and is a forum for information sharing among members.

II. ORGANIZATION

A. Committee Composition

The Year Three Curriculum Committee is an operational as well as a policy committee, and therefore requires constituency representation. Members with full voting privileges include:

Year Three Curriculum Director (serving as Committee Chair)

Seven segment Chairs (or their designees) representing Family and Community Medicine, Internal Medicine, Neurology, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Surgery

Doctoring Curriculum Director

Two student representatives (one from Year 3, one from Year 4)

Four At-Large members

Two biomedical sciences representatives

Chair of the Clinical Competence (CCX) Committee

Current Resident/SIU Graduate

Community Physician with a clinical adjunct appointment and

Library Resources Liaison

Non-voting ex-officio members include the following:

Associate Dean for Education and Curriculum

Year One Curriculum Director

Associate Dean for Student Affairs

Year Three Curriculum Coordinator

Assistant Director, Academy for Scholarship in Education

Committee appointments are made by the Dean at the recommendation of the Faculty Council’s Committee on Committees. Segment Chairs and ex-officio members retain their committee seats as long as they serve their departments or offices in those positions. Student members are elected by their respective classes and serve as class representatives until graduation. Remaining members are appointed for rotational three-year terms. If a vacancy of an at-large or community member seat occurs, the Chair will recommend a replacement to the Faculty Council. Such a recommendation will reflect the consensus opinion of the Committee.

B. Constituency Representation

It is expected that Committee members will take issues and ideas back to their respective constituent groups for discussion and present their constituent group’s opinions to the Committee. All Committee members, however, are expected to consider the best interests of the medical school and the students in their decision-making.

C. Committee Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson

The Chairperson of the Year Three Curriculum Committee is the Year Three Curriculum Director who is appointed by the Dean. The Chairperson:

develops agenda and conducts monthly meetings, scheduling additional meetings as necessary

meets weekly with the Year Three Curriculum Coordinator to discuss educational and student issues and to handle administrative committee operations

reviews and approves routine student requests or problems on behalf of the Committee

creates standing and ad-hoc Subcommittees as needed

facilitates short- and long-term planning for the Year Three curriculum

represents the Committee on the Educational Policy Council (EPC) and the Year Directors Group

serves as an ex-officio member of the Student Progress Committee (SPC) and

handles or delegates additional Committee responsibilities as they arise.

A Vice-Chairperson will be elected by the Committee to perform the necessary duties and functions of the Chairperson during his/her absences.

D. Staffing

The Year Three Curriculum Committee is staffed by the Year Three Coordinator in the Office of Education and Curriculum. The Coordinator assists the Chairperson in developing the agenda, records and produces meeting minutes, prepares reports as requested by the committee, and handles correspondence and follow-up necessary to Committee business. The Chair and the Coordinator meet weekly as delineated above.

E. Subcommittees and Work Groups:

As required to conduct Year Three curricular affairs, specialized work groups may be formed as deemed necessary by the Committee. As dictated by the Subcommittee’s charge, these groups may be permanent or ad hoc in nature.

The Year Three Student Progress Subcommittee (Y3SPS)

The permanent members of the Y3SPS will be the Year Three Curriculum Director, the Associate Dean for Education and Curriculum, the Associate Dean for Student Affairs, and the Clerkship Directors. The purpose of the Subcommittee is to monitor student performance and progress throughout the Year Three curriculum and for those clerkships that occur during Year Four. As appropriate, recommendations from the Y3SPS may be reported to the Student Progress Committee.

F. Meetings and Attendance

Regular meetings are held on the fourth Monday of every month from 3:00 to 4:30 PM. Regular meeting location is the Lincoln Conference Room at 801 North Rutledge, Springfield, and Lindegren 310, Carbondale. Members are expected to attend all meetings or to send a proxy on their behalf who is able and willing to represent their constituency group.

G. Procedure

Meetings are conducted using modified Robert’s Rules of Order.

Monthly agenda and minutes are sent to all members during the week prior to each meeting.

Any member of the faculty or student body may ask to have an issue put on the agenda for discussion.

A simple majority constitutes a quorum.

Meeting business may be conducted in the absence of a quorum, but formal votes will not be recorded.

All committee members are eligible to make or second a motion, but only full members cast votes.

All motions must be seconded before they can be discussed on the floor.

Formal votes are taken and recorded, usually by a show of hands. A voice vote suffices only for uncontested issues.

Motions will be decided by simple majority vote. The Chairperson will refrain from voting unless his/her vote is needed to break a tie.

Proxy attendance is permitted and proxy votes are counted.

A policy issue may not be voted upon the day it is introduced without the approval of the full committee or in unusual circumstances. Members are responsible for initiating discussion of these issues within their constituent group prior to voting at a subsequent meeting.

A non-controversial operational issue may be discussed and decided on the day it is raised or deferred for a later vote at the behest of the committee. Controversial issues will not be acted upon at the initial meeting, but taken back to constituent groups for discussion before being voted upon at a subsequent meeting.

The Committee may go into executive session to discuss student appeals or other issues at the request of any member of the Committee.

H. Modifying the Operating Paper

The Operating Paper can be modified at the motion of any member of the Committee. Approval of the modification requires the support of a simple majority of the quorum at a subsequent meeting.

Revised: 2.25.2002

Revised: 8.25.2003

Revised: 11.27.2006