Issue link: https://kusm-wichita.uberflip.com/i/1024595
Some students talk more than others during the case discussion, but all participate. They've been part of the group — the team — for about four months and show some of the give and take that comes from working so closely. At one point Unruh, while others run through the pathways for diagnosing anemia a little quickly for his taste, says, "I don't want to oversimplify," spurring Watson to respond, "Feel free to step in." Throughout, facilitator Bradley breaks in occasionally with a question or observation, but mostly the students steer discussion. Later, as the session wraps up, Bradley tells them: "You went right along the path. You did it just the way you should do it." "The focus is turning from memorizing facts to being able to understand and explain concepts, and in that process being able to defend their thoughts among their peers as well as explain them to others having difficulty understanding them," said Scott Moser, M.D., associate dean for curriculum at the Wichita campus. Will Donelson, a first-year from Wichita, says the curriculum, like anything new, hasn't been without glitches, but likes the collaborative approach as compared to a lecture-based one where "you just kind of slam your head against the material until it sinks in. This is more interactive in the sense that instead of just giving you the information, you have to find it for yourself and get those neurons firing in your head to see the kind of thought processes you should be taking." A positive aspect, Moser said, is that students spend more time together on campus instead of, in some cases, exclusively learning solo at home via lecture video feeds. "The way they interact with each other is very different than in the past," Moser said. "When you mostly study on your own, it's very easy to be competitive with your classmates. But when you sit with them day to day and help one another learn in a small group and see each other and develop relationships, it's a whole lot harder to get into the same level of competition with your peers." It's great getting so close to the group. Medicine is very competitive, so it's nice to get to a place where you're so comfortable with your peers that you're willing to admit to the things you don't know. That's very helpful. Valerie Binns, first-year, Hiawatha 13