INNOVATIONS IN BASIC SCIENCE TEACHING AND LEARNING

Many of us have conceived of and implemented innovative approaches in our teaching program, often with smashing success but on occasion with less than the hoped for outcome. How can we share these experiences with others? Sometimes we are able to inform colleagues in our own discipline but many times the approach is not sufficiently detailed to meet the editorial restrictions imposed by many journals. The Editorial Board of The Forum believes there is a need and desire to communicate the results of these educational experiments. This column has been established to exchange these innovations in basic science courses, that is “What works and what didn’t work?” Since The Forum crosses the basic science disciplinary lines, it presents an opportunity to exchange approaches with a broad audience. Articles will not be restricted to major changes in curriculum, but hopefully will include subjects ranging from techniques for improving lectures to innovations in student evaluation. Enough information should be included for the reader to determine the applicably in their own program. The article should include, if data is available, the objective, general approaches, results, restrictions or requirements, evaluations by students and faculty, and current status of the program. Articles will be restricted to about 1,000 words, but we encourage readers to contact the contributors directly for more extensive details. We welcome submissions, or if you know someone doing something innovative, call me and I will contact them. This is your column and your opportunity to share your experiences in medical education with your colleagues. Do not hesitate to contact me with your ideas, questions, or suggestions.