Curriculum Committee (CC)

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School of Medicine Student Affairs Committee.
Basic Sciences Curriculum Subcommittee (BSCSC)

1: General

The following Bylaws govern the organization and procedures of the Curriculum Committee and its related subcommittees at St. George’s University School of Medicine. The Curriculum Committee is a faculty committee with elected faculty and representative administrators responsible for overseeing and ensuring a coherent and coordinated medical curriculum that meets the mission statement of SGU-SOM and fulfills the MD program outcome objectives as ratified by this committee.

2: Authority

The Curriculum Committee is a delegated authority by the dean of the SGU SOM and has accountability for oversight of a list of activities as outlined in the Charges section.  Standing committees will be formed to address specific aspects of the curriculum and will be represented on the Curriculum Committee.

3: Reporting 

The Curriculum Committee reports to and provides recommendations to the dean of the Medical School. 

4: Charge

The Curriculum Committee is charged with the following responsibilities and forming recommendations to the dean of the SOM:

  1. Oversee the design, delivery, integration, management, evaluation, and development of the medical education program.
  2. Approve new and amended program objectives for the MD Program.
  3. Ensure that the MD Program Objectives guide curriculum content selection, and the review and revision of the curriculum.
  4. Approve new and amended course/clerkship objectives, required clinical experiences, and syllabi.
  5. Approve policies relating to the curriculum.
  6. Define, review, and take action on the SGUSOM’s student assessment system.
  7. Ensure the components of the curriculum include the learning objectives and clinical experiences required to fulfill the MD program objectives.
  8. Incorporate and promote self-directed learning experiences in the curriculum.
  9. Ensure that assessments measure the elements of medical knowledge, clinical skills, and professional behavior necessary to successfully fulfill the objectives of the MD program.
  10. Review and monitor performance outcomes during each curricular phase and of required courses and clerkships; the comparability of educational experiences across sites; the balance of inpatient/ambulatory experiences; the completion of required clinical experiences; and student workload.
  11. Create and monitor curricular action plans as necessary.
  12. Using a variety of outcome data, determine the extent to which students are achieving MD program objectives and use this information to enhance the quality of the medical education program.
  13. Monitor the learning environment to ensure learning occurs in a respectful environment that enables students to achieve learning objectives associated with the behaviors expected of medical professionals.
  14. Determine the minimum level of achievement/competency students are expected to demonstrate upon the completion of individual courses and at the time of graduation.
  15. Promote innovations and oversee curricular revisions/reform.
  16. Establish an overall academic calendar.
  17. Charge ad hoc groups as needed.

5: Guiding Principles

  1. Governance procedures are consistent with the mission of SGU SOM.
  2. The governance process encourages continuous improvement of the curriculum.
  3. All SOM students have access to an equivalent curriculum designed to align with the MD program objectives, and the learning objectives defined for each course and clerkship.
  4. Processes leading to decision-making are based on open discussion, transparency, shared governance, and iterative consensus-building.

6: Membership

  1. Expectation of members:  Although members are elected to ensure broad representation of the SOM, members have the responsibility to function as “members of the whole,” working to optimize the curriculum, rather than to represent the interests of a particular constituency.
  2. Faculty:  The Curriculum Committee consists of 13 elected faculty voting members and 2 voting administrators. The committee is chaired by the senior associate dean for clinical studies or the senior associate dean of basic sciences on a three-year rotating basis, which is extendable by a term at the determination of the dean.
  3. Students:  The Curriculum Committee includes four student representatives who are in good academic standing. Student members should represent different phases of the curriculum and are nominated by the SGA. In the CC and all of its subcommittees the students have 1 collective vote for each 2 members of their representation.
  4. Administrators: The Curriculum Committee includes ex-officio non-voting members: the associate dean for academic affairs UK, the chairs of the respective subcommittees (Chair of the basic sciences Curriculum Subcommittee, Chair of the Clinical Curriculum Subcommittee, Chair of the Assessment and Evaluation Subcommittee, Chair of the Vertical and Horizontal Integration Subcommittee, Chair of the Academic Resources Subcommittee), Emeritus dean of the SOM, Chair of the Faculty Student Selection Committee, the University Registrar, the Director of Financial Aid, and any other invited guests as determined by the chair of the Curriculum Committee.
  5. Terms Faculty:  Faculty committee members will serve three-year terms.  Members may serve two consecutive terms.  No person will serve more than two terms. 
  6. Terms Students Student members of the Curriculum Committee or its Subcommittees will serve for a one-year term and will be renewed at the discretion of the Chair of the Curriculum Committee or its Subcommittee’s.
  7. Election of faculty members:  A call for faculty candidates for open positions on the Curriculum Committee will be issued by the dean of the School of Medicine. This call for candidates will be sent to all faculty throughout all phases of the SOM curriculum.  Faculty interested in serving on the Curriculum Committee will be asked to submit a statement of interest and their CV.  The dean will submit the names and CVs of all elected faculty whom they deem as appropriate candidates for the Curriculum Committee to the chair of the Curriculum Committee for final approval.
  8. Any faculty that are elected to the Curriculum Committee that already serve as the Chair of a Curriculum Committee subcommittee, and thus already have ex-officio status, will gain voting rights on the Curriculum Committee as is given to all elected members.
  9. Resignation: If an elected committee member chooses to step down from the Curriculum Committee prior to the completion of their term, their replacement will come from the most recent list of candidates that applied for membership and will be provided by the dean.
  10. Possible replacement for absenteeism: Members who miss at least three of the committee meetings in a six-month period (or more than 50% of the meetings held in that time period) may be dismissed from service of the committee. Their replacement will come from the most recent list of candidates that applied for membership.

7: Procedures

  • Meetings:
    1. Meetings of the Curriculum Committee will be called once a month by the chair.
    2. Each committee meeting will be chaired by the Chair.
    3. The Curriculum Committee will meet at least once a month for a minimum of ten months a year.
    4. The Chair may also invite other members of the faculty, staff and students to serve as ex-officio non-voting members or as guests.
    5. The Chair of the Curriculum Committee or any of its Subcommittees can call an executive session of the respective committee at any time, and subject to quorum can conduct business. Executive meetings are for voting members only. An executive session can be called at any time during a meeting. With the full agreement of all voting members guests can be invited to an executive session for the provision of information.   
  • Parliamentary authority: The conduct of meetings will be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order.
    1. Curriculum committee resolutions will be passed by simple majority.
    2. Changes to the bylaws need 2/3 majority.
    3. The Curriculum Committee has the authority to create additional standing subcommittees and define their charge.
  • Voting 
    1. Voting members: Voting members are the faculty and student members designated to vote.
    2. Student members have 2 collective votes.
    3. Quorum: A quorum will be considered to be 51% or greater of the voting members.

8: Communications, records and approval

  1. The chair of the Curriculum Committee will be responsible for ensuring that administrative staff keep accurate records of all meetings. Minutes of the meetings will be posted on the curriculum Sakai site approximately two weeks after the meeting and will be sent to the membership prior to the subsequent meeting.
  2. All minutes and reports, including decisions made by the Curriculum Committee, will be kept in the Curriculum Committee Sakai site, and access to all members will be provided.

9: Subcommittees

  1. Basic sciences Curriculum Subcommittee (BSCSC):  This committee is responsible for overseeing curricular content and learning objectives; identifying opportunities for continuous curriculum improvement; and assuring evaluation of student performance, teaching effectiveness, and curricular quality of the basic sciences years.  The committee will assure that the basic sciences curriculum is delivered as planned and that there is equivalency of the curriculum across all terms of basic sciences and between all campuses. The chair of the BSCSC subcommittee will serve on the Curriculum Committee as a non-voting member.
  2. Clinical Curriculum Subcommittee (CCSC):  This subcommittee is responsible for overseeing curricular content and learning objectives; identifying opportunities for continuous curriculum improvement; and assuring evaluation of student performance, teaching effectiveness, and curricular quality of the clinical years. The subcommittee will assure that the clinical years curriculum is delivered as planned and that there is equivalency of the curriculum across all teaching sites. The chair of the CCSC subcommittee will serve on the Curriculum Committee as a non-voting member. 
  3. Assessment and Evaluation Subcommittee (SAPESC):  This subcommittee is responsible for defining methods and options for assessment of student achievement of learning objectives as presented to and approved by the Curriculum Committee. The SAPESC will monitor and assure equivalent assessment across all regional sites, including timing, content, administration, grading, interpretation, and reporting. The chair of the SAPESC will sit as ex-officio, non-voting member of the Curriculum Committee.
  4. Academic Resources Subcommittee (ARSC): This subcommittee is responsible for reviewing the adequacy of educational resources, e.g., IT, library, simulation and evaluating the needs for new curricular initiatives. The committee also make recommendations to the Curriculum Committee and administration on acquisition of new educational resources or reallocation of resources.
  5. Vertical and Horizontal Integration Subcommittee (VHISC): This subcommittee will review curriculum continuity across phases for gaps, unplanned redundancies, and thematic development. The committee are charged with interphase development of themes, e.g., interprofessional education and self-directed learning. The chair of the VHISC will sit as ex-officio, non-voting member of the Curriculum Committee.
  6. Supplemental Academic Support Committee (SASSC): This special committee oversees non-curricular programs that are specifically designed to align with and augment student learning for the MD program, but have no oversight by the curriculum committee per se. This committee gives a biyearly report to the Curriculum Committee.

10: Domains outside direct Curriculum Committee or its subcommittees charges:

  1. Faculty – development, assessment, promotion
  2. Facilities management
  3. Educational Resources – affiliation agreements, clinical capacity
  4. Financial arrangements – setting budgets
  5. The Graduate Assessment Board (GAB) and the Committee for Satisfactory Academic Progress and Professionalism Standards (CAPPS). The Curriculum Committee sets the standards but is not involved in the operation of the GAB or the CAPPS. 
  6. Diversity – student recruitment, faculty recruitment
  7. Student Support – non-academic or academic not covered by the curricular structure
  8. Institutional Strategic Planning
  9. Extra-Curricular Activities – research, Gold Humanism Honor Society (GHHS) and other honor societies or special interest groups not associated with credit for the MD program
School of Medicine Student Affairs Committee.
Basic Sciences Curriculum Subcommittee (BSCSC)