AMEE Guide No. 14: Outcome-based education: Part 1-An introduction to outcome-based education

approach at the cutting edge of curr iculum development, offers a powerful and appealing way of reforming and managing medical education. The emphasis is on the productÐ what sort of doctor will be producedÐ rather than on the educational process. In outcome-based education the educational outcomes are clearly and unambiguously speci ® ed. These determine the curr iculum content and its organisation, the teaching methods and strategies, the courses offered, the assessment process, the educational environ-ment and the curriculum timetable.They also provide a framework for curr iculum evaluation. A doctor is a unique combination of different kinds of abili-ties. A three-circle model can be used to present the learning outcomes in medical education, with the tasks to be performed by the doctor in the inner core, the approaches to the performance of the tasks in the middle area, and the growth of the individual and his or her role in the practice of medicine in the outer area. Medical schools need to prepare young doctors to practise in an increasingly complex healthcare scene with changing patient and public expectations, and increasing demands from employing authorities. Outcome-based education offers many advantages as a way of achieving this. It emphasises relevance in the curriculum and accountability, and can provide a clear and unambiguous framework for curr iculum planning which has an intuitive appeal. It encourages the teacher and the student to share responsibility for learning and it can guide student assessment and course evaluation. What sort of outcomes should be covered in a curriculum, how should they be assessed and how should outcome-based education be implemented are issues that need to be addressed. Outcomes and curriculum planning A good archer is not known by his arrows but by his aim.