Pedagogical Integration Within a Large Anatomy Course: Student and Faculty Perspectives

Multiple topics taught together, with the relationships between those topics made explicit, is known as integration; it can be categorized as horizontal integration of topics within a given course or curricular year or vertical integration of topics across years. In this case study, we applied a three-part curricular model to investigate the extent of horizontal integration of topics in the intended, enacted, and experienced curricula of a large first-year dental school team-taught course, which consists of large group lectures and small group labs. We collected data from the course syllabus, exams, student and faculty surveys, and a faculty focus group interview. Findings from the enacted and experienced curricula indicate that this course successfully integrates the lecture and lab components as well as the different topics taught throughout the semester. The intended curriculum, specifically the syllabus, has less evidence of horizontal integration. Positive factors that contribute to the effective integration are repetition of information throughout the course, reinforcement of lecture information in labs, and communication and collegiality among faculty. Challenges to effective integration mainly fall under the categories of consistency and perceived misalignment of lecture and lab. We identified areas where better communication may help ameliorate such issues. Specifically, the designed integration within the course should be more explicitly explained in the syllabus, so that the intended curriculum more closely aligns with the enacted and experienced curricula. Although the course in this study is an anatomy course taught to dental students, the findings discussed here are applicable to other disciplines.