AMEE Berlin 2002 Programme

8C4 ECTS (European Credit Transfer
System) as a tool in curriculum
development
B Grether
Veterinarmedizinische Fakultat der, Universitat Zurich,
Winterthurerstr. 252, CH 8057 Zurich, SWITZERLAND
The European credit transfer system is based on the
total study workload of an average student. The “lecture
per week” is no longer the measure for study workload;
credits also allow the reflection of student time devoted
to other learning activities such as e-learning, group
work, directed self-study and time spent in skills labs.
Whereas transferring an already existing curriculum
into credits may be very difficult, ECTS can be a helpful
tool when planning a new curriculum. The total amount
of study workload will be defined for each course,
including contact hours, pre- and post- course
assignment, preparation for examinations and time
necessary for various learning activities other than
lectures. By attributing credits for this a balance of
study workload over the whole course of study can be
found. A credit system may also create an environment
adequate for introducing new self-directed learning
methods.
8C5 The continuum of professional
development
H M R Meier
University of Toronto, Mount Sinai Hospital, 600 University
Avenue, Department of Psychiatry, Room 929, Toronto ON
M5G 1X5, CANADA
The first Elective provides the first step on the lifelong
journey of professional development. This
teaching-learning relationship offers additional
dimensions for student and Tutor. Appropriate support
for the Tutor’s professional contribution, including
educational credits, enhances the spirit of the Electives
programme and encourages experience in areas underrepresented
or not yet represented in the core
curriculum. Collaboration with CME and rural medical
education includes conceptualisation of faculty
development applicable beyond the Electives
programme, as changes in core curriculum increasingly
involve off-campus Tutors.
Wednesday 5 September
Session 8D The final examination
8D1 Consistency of examination marks
T Vik*, K H Karlsen and S Westin
Norwegian University of Science & Technology, Department of
Community Medicine, Medical Faculty, Olav Kyrres gt 3, N-
7489 Trondheim, NORWAY
To assess the consistency of examination marks, four
examiners marked two cases given to 69 graduating
medical students as part of the final board examination.
- 4.87 -
8C6 Evaluating ethics seminars
Gerald Neitzke
Department of History, Ethics & Theory of Medicine, Hannover
Medical School (MHH), Carl-Neuberg - Str 1, D30623
Hannover, GERMANY
Teaching medical ethics involves teaching aims and
objectives on different levels. On a cognitive level facts
are taught to extend students’ knowledge. On an
affective level emotions and conscience are dealt with
to foster students’ attitudes and conduct. On the
practical level skills are exercised to achieve sound
moral judgement and decision-making, teamqualifications,
and communication skills. If the
effectiveness of ethics seminars is to be evaluated, all
levels of teaching objectives have to be considered.
Changes of attitudes and behaviour are key qualities
of successful moral education. How can they be
measured and what are fundamental conditions of such
tests? Results should not be biased by students’ moral
convictions. Behavioural changes should be
distinguished from changes of attitudes only. A control
group in a strict statistical sense has to be found. This
presentation scrutinises the prerequisites of a standard
of best evidence in ethics education.
8C7 A tool to evaluate medical ethics
seminars
Mareike Moeller* and Gerald Neitzke
Geibelplatz 4, 30173 Hannover, GERMANY
The development and testing-phase of a survey to
evaluate ethics seminars are presented. At Hannover
Medical School one third of first year medical students
get the chance to attend ethics classes. This offers the
opportunity of an ideal study design with a randomised
control group. The questionnaire is designed to test
affective and practical components related to specific
teaching aims. Attitudes like moral conscientiousness
and empathy, and abilities like argumentation skills and
decision-making are detected. The rationale is to
measure students’ development in the handling of moral
dilemmas before and after attending ethics classes.
Students are confronted with two case histories which
pose moral problems. A total of 16 statements (4 on
each teaching objective) are to be approved/disapproved
on a ratio scale. The pre-test took place already; the
post-test will be carried out in July 2001. The
questionnaire and preliminary results are presented.
The marks were scored from 5 (failed) to 12 (excellent)
and grouped in four categories: Failed, acceptable,
good, and excellent. No student failed. Mean score
given by one examiner (7.9; SD: 1.6) was significantly
lower than that given by the other three (9.4; SD: 1.2).
Correlation coefficients between examiners’ scores
varied from 0.61 to 0.72 (p < 0.001). Agreement in
classifying a student’s knowledge as acceptable, good
or excellent varied from no (kappa: 0.04; 95% CI: -