Developing a curriculum blueprint and taxonomy: Process, progress, and pivots

Abstract

Curriculum transformations represent opportunities to innovate; however, there are few examples to inform this process. In 2018, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) Adams School of Dentistry began to transform the predoctoral curriculum to improve content integration, enhance team‐based experiences, and develop leaders. Part of this experience has been crafting a conceptual curriculum guide or “blueprint” that outlines a vision for the design process and ensures the transformation achieves its goals. We describe how we created the UNC Blueprint for our revised curriculum, which defines who our graduates are, what they know, and what they can do. This approach has led us to develop a mapping taxonomy to ensure the student outcomes are appropriately aligned with content, instruction, and assessment throughout the curriculum. Last, we encourage others to be agile in their approach, create a common language among their teams, and frequently engage faculty to facilitate the process.

Responding to emerging oral healthcare needs with CARE: Design of the CARE curriculum model

“…To construct the outcomes, the team assembled a list of all possible outcomes desired for a learner, including the relevant knowledge for current and future practice, the tasks learners should be able to perform, and the values and attitudes we hope to cultivate. In addition, we sought inspiration from research conducted at other dental schools and published examples in health professions education 4,10 . This synthesis resulted in the CARE framework, a model similar to CanMEDS, 11 that orients program outcomes around four key roles the graduate is expected to embody: Clinician : A knowledgeable and skillful provider of high‐quality and safe patient‐centered care. Advocate : A positive influencer of health for diverse patient populations and communities. Researcher : A scholar committed to continuous learning necessary for practice and development. Entrepreneur : An innovator who contributes to exceptional and novel service experiences. …”

Safe to speak: Fostering psychological safety among incoming predoctoral dental students

“…The curriculum transformation at the University of North Carolina Adams School of Dentistry served as the inspiration for conducting the intervention with incoming predoctoral dental students about psychological safety. 20 One prominent aspect of the Advocate, Clinician, Thinker…”

“…The curriculum transformation at the University of North Carolina Adams School of Dentistry served as the inspiration for conducting the intervention with incoming predoctoral dental students about psychological safety 20 . One prominent aspect of the Advocate, Clinician, Thinker Curriculum is to introduce learners to important social and behavioral topics during their initial orientation into the school 21 .…”

How to create a faculty‐centered curriculum support system: Launching the Academic Support Center (ASC) to inspire excellence in curriculum change

“…The UNC Adams School of Dentistry is conducting a transformative curriculum redesign, referred to as the Advocate, Clinician, Thinker Curriculum 24,27 . Early research conducted by the School identified faculty support as a primary concern for an effective transition; therefore, the Dean committed to establishing the ASC to assist faculty during the curriculum change and to sustain the new curriculum moving forward 18 .…”

“…Moreover, curricula change initiatives must remain adaptive to emergent challenges, such as the adoption of an Integrated National Board and the novel coronavirus (COVID‐19) pandemic 19–23 . Several institutions have shared their successes and stumbling points encountered, recognizing multiple approaches to the process 14,15,24 . Of note, documentation and formal evaluation of curriculum change processes also remain a low priority.…”