A few small steps or giant leap? De-densify the curriculum in one move

We describe a two-year, stepwise curricular change plan with a goal to address student and faculty wellbeing by reducing curricular density and rescheduling courses.

At year five of a new practice-ready curriculum, we strategically assessed and redesigned our integrated learning experience (ILE) course sequence to minimize curricular density with consideration for student and faculty wellbeing. This stepwise approach to curricular revision involved converting an in-class day (three hours) to asynchronous delivery in 12 core didactic courses (first- through third-professional years) for one year followed by a transition to a four-day vs. five-day course week the following year. Additional scheduling changes were implemented to improve the use of physical classroom space and overlapping student activities.

Whereas thinking a gradual transition would be more accepted, moving straight to a four-day ILE week would have been more beneficial for faculty workload and wellbeing and decreased student confusion. However, the rescheduling of courses freed up classroom space allowing all classes to be held in person in a physical classroom and alleviated overlapping curricular activities during the week.

The stepwise change of including an asynchronous day resulted in confusion and stress during the transition to a four-day class week and additional faculty work. However, adjusting the course schedule increased uncommitted student and faculty time, alleviated classroom constraints, and eliminated overlapping curriculum activities. Learning about our process and approach to reduce curricular density, what worked well, and lessons learned may allow other programs to be more efficient when making curricular changes.