Teaching and Learning Knowledge and Skills (TALKS): The Clinician as a Medical Educator

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Department
Interdisciplinary Medicine
Course Number
IDIS 351
Course Title Teaching and Learning Knowledge and Skills (TALKS): The Clinician as a Medical Educator
Course Director
Amy Caggiula, MD
Length (Weeks)

Year long
When Offered

All year
Prerequisites

All core clerkships
Availability Notes

Credited as a 4-week elective; required activities take place longitudinally throughout the fourth year (June through the following May). Students may add the course during any free 4-week block in their fourth-year schedule.

  • Prior to May 1, students may add/drop the course without special approval, up to the cap. Once the cap is reached, additional students will be placed on a waitlist.
  • After May 1, students should contact the course director/coordinator to add or drop the course.
  • Registration for the year generally closes in August but students may contact the course director/coordinator to inquire about adding the course.
  • Students should notify the course director/coordinator if dropping the course at any point throughout the year (after May 1).
  • Approval from the course director/coordinator is not required to change registration from one 4-week block to another.
Contact Name
Johanna Galt, TALKS Coordinator
Contact Phone
202-994-5393
Contact Fax
Contact Email
talkssupport@gwu.edu
Other Contacts

Dr. Caggiula (acaggiula [at] mfa [dot] gwu [dot] edu (acaggiula[at]mfa[dot]gwu[dot]edu))
Location
Limit
60 (additional students placed on waitlist once cap is reached)
Report

N/A
Evaluation

Honors/High Pass/Pass/Fail based on performance in five categories:

  1. Didactic Workshops
  2. PDX Sessions
  3. Outside Educational Activity & Written Reflection
  4. Peer Teaching Critique
  5. Teaching Session
Description

This senior elective will develop the participant’s teaching skills in small groups and clinical settings. Adult learning theory, effective teaching techniques, and best practices for giving feedback to trainees are presented in didactic sessions. Participants put theory into practice by team teaching with a Physical Diagnosis Instructor (PDXI) in the MS1 and MS2 Physical Diagnosis (PDX) course, participating in educational workshops, performing a peer teaching critique, and other activities. The elective gives students a stronger foundation in medical education as they prepare for the teaching responsibilities of residency.

The course is credited as a four-week elective, although required activities take place throughout the fourth year. Didactic sessions are offered multiple times to accommodate participant schedules. In addition to didactic sessions, participants must teach a small group of MS1s/MS2s in the evening throughout the year in the Physical Diagnosis (PDX) course, complete a peer teaching critique, participate in an outside educational activity and compose a reflection regarding what they've learned in the course, and facilitate a brief small group session on a topic of their choice. The participant is evaluated based on rubrics in all five categories.

Course Learning Objectives:

By the end of this course, the student should be able to:

  1. Describe core principles of teaching procedural and clinical skills.
  2. Discuss how learner, teacher, climate, and content interact in adult education.
  3. Demonstrate effective application of adult learning principles across clinical and small-group teaching encounters.
  4. Utilize evaluation tools in teaching encounters to assess learner performance and inform feedback. 
  5. Adapt teaching strategies to the learner, setting, and instructional goals to optimize engagement and comprehension.
  6. Demonstrate effective interdisciplinary collaboration in a co-teaching scenario.
  7. Facilitate a learning environment based on psychological safety, mutual respect, openness, and growth.
Additional Notes

Required for Medical Education and Leadership scholarly concentration students.