Utilizing program requirements to your advantage

Area of Science:

• Medical Technology Education
• Curriculum Development
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Accreditation requirements for medical technology programs necessitate comprehensive curriculum planning.
• Ensuring alignment between learning objectives and assessment methods is crucial for educational quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of a curriculum summary for a medical technology program.
• To identify benefits of the curriculum summary for program officials and faculty.

Main Methods:

• Developed a curriculum summary based on the Essentials of an Accredited Educational Program for the Medical Technologist.
• Analyzed the alignment of cognitive, affective, and psychomotor objectives with instructional activities and evaluation methods.
• Modified psychomotor objectives for criterion-referenced, pass/fail laboratory practicals.

Main Results:

• The curriculum summary facilitated agreement between terminal behavioral objectives and instructional/evaluation methods.
• Psychomotor objectives were adapted for practical laboratory assessments.
• The summary streamlined the curriculum review process.

Conclusions:

• A well-structured curriculum summary is vital for meeting accreditation standards in medical technology programs.
• The development process yielded benefits beyond initial accreditation compliance, including improved internal alignment and assessment.
• The summary serves as an effective tool for ongoing curriculum review and quality assurance.