MS4 Catalog

Medical Students as Educators (MSaE)

Title of Elective: Medical Students as Educators (MSaE) Longitudinal
Preceptor(s): Anna Lama, Ed.D.
Location: West Virginia University Health Sciences Center
Duration of Elective: 4 weeks
Offered: By arrangement with preceptor
Max Number of Students: 15-20 

Objectives

Brief Description:

The Medical Students as Educators (MSaE) Elective is a longitudinal teaching practicum for 4th year medical students with a passion for excellence in teaching and learning in medicine. Students in this elective will complete all course work on SOLE, meet monthly on zoom for large group workshops, accumulate required hours of classroom observation of teaching hours, and complete a minimum of 20.5 teaching field placement hours. The MSaE Longitudinal elective educational experience provides structure and guidance to students as they develop the foundation and framework for high-quality teaching and professional expectations.

Overall Learning Objectives. At the conclusion of the elective, students will be able to do the following:

Medical Knowledge (MK)

  • Apply foundational knowledge from biomedical, clinical, epidemiological, and social-behavioral sciences to design and deliver a detailed, content-rich lesson plan (MK1-MK8)
  • Gather, organize, and synthesize information relevant to lesson content in order to develop and present an educational session aligned with a defined instructional goal (MK1-MK8)

Problem Based Learning & Instruction  (PBL&I)

  • Engage in literature review, classroom observations, journal reflections, and group discussions that support ongoing development as an educator and promote habits of lifelong learning (PBL&I1, PBL&I2)
  • Explore foundational topics in health professions education--such as teaching methods, learning styles, instructional design, and assessment principles--through guided module work and discussion (PBL&I4, PBL&I5).

Professionalism (PROF)

  • Demonstrate professionalism through appropriate attire, punctuality, timely submission of assignments, respectful communication, and responsible participation in all course-related activities (PROF 5).
  • Demonstrate respect, compassion, integrity, and responsiveness in all interactions with interprofessionals, colleagues and peers (PROF5).

Interpersonal & Communication Skills (I&CS)

  • Communicate and collaborate effectively with faculty, peers, and other professionals in various educational settings, including small groups, interprofessional environments, and virtual classrooms. (I&CS4)
  • Design, organize, and deliver a large group teaching presentation, incorporating feedback and reflection into multiple iterations (I&CS4).
  • Prepare and co-facilitate a virtual interprofessional education session as part of a small group teaching experience (I&CS4)

Note: MSaE Module Specific Learning Objectives will be provided in the elective syllabus

Methods to achieve objectives

Students will be required to meet objectives in the MSaE elective through seven (7) tasks over the course of an academic year:

  1. Complete weekly learning module readings and assignments in SOLE related to education, teaching and learning, and assessment.
  2. Attend all monthly virtual sessions and deliver 10-minute teaching presentations using either the 'Chalk Talk' or "Ignite' format. 
  3. Conduct a required number of classroom teaching observations (virtual and in-person) and document insights from the perspective of an educator.
  4. Complete a virtual teaching field placement by co-facilitating an interprofessional education session (e.g., through Project DOCC or Interdisciplinary Education Apartment Simulation 'IDEAS'), involving approximately 2 hours of teaching and planning, accompanied by a written reflection on the experience. 
  5. Complete a small group teaching field placement involving approximately 4.5 hrs of teaching and planning.
  6. Complete a bedside teaching field placement (i.e., PDCI Preceptorship) involving approximately 10 hrs of teaching and planning.
  7. Complete a capstone project (i.e., large group lecture, SIM workshop, other), in multiple iterations, and submit a reflection on the experience (3 hrs);

Examination procedures and evaluation criteria

The MSaE Online elective is a Pass/Fail elective. To receive a passing grade, students must successfully complete all five objectives outlined in the syllabus. Students will receive weekly formative feedback on SOLE module assignments. Classroom teaching observations will be scheduled in coordination with the availability of each student. For summative assessment, the MSaE director (Dr. Lama) will observe each student's final project presentation and complete a standardized teaching rubric. A similar rubric will be completed by the virtual teaching field placement facilitator on the student teacher's participation level. Students are required to submit all elective materials--including reading reflections, observation journal entries, and final lesson plans--for final review. A Pass/Fail grade will be assigned base on the successful completion of all elective components.

A note on elective rigor:

The MSaE Longitudinal elective requires fourth-year medical students to actively engage in teaching and learning for 9 months. The MSaE elective is a rigorous course, professionally, which is why the instructor provides abnormal flexibility with the course requirements throughout the academic year. Maintaining your professional commitments throughout the academic year is important and expected.

A note on Travel: 

The Small Group Teaching placement will require all students to travel to the Morgantown campus to complete the co-facilitation hour requirement. The WVU School of Medicine does not cover the cost of gas or other travel expenses for students in any fourth-year electives. Free housing may be provided based on availability. There will not be exceptions made with regards to modifying in-person teaching to virtual teaching. Any conflicts with this point will result in immediate removal from the elective. 

Pre-Rotation Instructions: 

The MSaE Elective requires pre-approval commitment through Ms. Christina Politte and Dr. Lama. Any student interested in scheduling this rotation will need to contact Dr. Lama (alama@hsc.wvu.edu) before May 1 of the academic year for more information. Additions to the rotation after June 1 will be based on rotation availability.