“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change” – Charles Darwin
The education of students at the preschool through University level is rapidly changing, and instructors who understand the basis of these changes will be most effective educators. Most of the curriculum innovations are developed and supported by research on teaching and learning. This presentation will review the impact of Bloom’s Taxonomy, Knowles’ theory of the Adult Learner, and Kolb’s 4-Stage Learning Cycle on the classroom and curriculum. Assessment of learning is also changing, moving from measuring knowledge (learning objectives) to skills (competencies). In the shift to competencies, today’s mentor must stimulate and monitor the professional development of their students and trainees. In USA, medical residents are assessed by competencies which include Medical Knowledge, Patient Care, Practice-Based Learning and Improvement, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Ethics and Medical Professionalism, and Systems-Based Practice. In this changing environment, the essential role of the teacher remains unchanged: to create an effective learning environment, to provide direction for the learner, and to model effective learning behaviors.
Robert G. Carroll earned his Ph.D. in 1981 under the direction of Dr. David F. Opdyke at the Department of Physiology of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Newark. Following a 3 year post-doc at University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, MS under the sponsorship of Drs. Thomas E. Lohmeier and Arthur C. Guyton, he moved to East Carolina University in 1984 as an Assistant Professor of Physiology. He is currently Professor of Physiology at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, and holds an administrative appointment as Assistant Dean for Academic Affairs in the Basic Sciences.