3. Curriculum Outline
Structure and Delivery of Preclinical Curriculum
The program delivers a curriculum where the educational focus shifts from passive learning to an action-oriented and student-centered approach. This promotes students’ active role in building their own knowledge that is integrated across all courses. The curriculum is designed to provide students with context for new concepts, opportunities to develop and apply new knowledge, and activities that support comprehension and retention. To encourage active learning, the program’s systems-based courses are delivered using team-based learning (TBL). Unlike lecture-based instruction, TBL is a more collaborative teaching and learning strategy that follows a structured process to enhance student engagement, communication, critical thinking and clinical reasoning skills, and knowledge retention. In TBL, students have increased accountability for their educational experience from preparation and individual pre-work to group learning. Students prepare independently outside the classroom using study modules and educational resources designed and curated by the PA faculty. This allows classroom time to be used for dynamic and engaging activities that provide students with the opportunity to apply concepts and develop clinical reasoning skills.