A model for the improvement of medical faculty lecturing

The development of a program designed to improve the teaching effectiveness of faculty members of a new Introductory Psychopathology course at the University of Washington School of Medicine is described. Two consultants from the Office of Research in Medical Education worked closely with the faculty in designing the evaluation program during the preparation of the course. The literature on lecture effectiveness is reviewed, as are existing instructional evaluation instruments. The integration of this information and the needs of the involved faculty produced a lecture observation schedule designed to facilitate the observation of a lecture and the immediate feedback which followed each of the 15 lectures evaluated. The process of using this instrument to assist the faculty in self-improvement is discussed. While the specific evaluation method described may not be appropriate for all situations, it may serve as a model for the development of similar programs in other settings.