An application of computers to curriculum review and planning

A computer-based curriculum data base was developed at the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine to provide curriculum planners accurate information on what was being taught, who was teaching, and where in the curriculum subjects were being taught. In this paper, the authors report the use of the curriculum data base, its implications for curriculum management and planning, and plans for its further development and use. Applications that address problems of curriculum overlap, integration, and correlation are discussed. The results indicate that the medical school curriculum can be successfully stored and analyzed by computer and that the data base and system can provide valid descriptions of curriculum content in nonclinical courses.