About the SDC Curriculum
FOUNDATIONS OF THE SHARED DISCOVERY CURRICULUM
The Shared Discovery Curriculum (SDC) at Michigan State University's College of Human Medicine represents a radical departure from present educational models, emphasizing usefulness and experience as a framework for adult education. Featuring the blending of curriculum and action, and in explicit distinction to the traditional medical education of the last 80 years, we create a community-focused medical school experience responsive to the health care needs of Michigan and the country – and in the educational best interests of diverse learners.
EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH TELLS US:
- Elaboration, or the active processing of information by learners, enhances understanding
- Cooperative learning, that is, learning with others, is more effective than learning individually
- Feedback is one of the most powerful components of learning
- Mentoring helps to support learners through the use of reflection and feedback, enhances personal and professional development, increases engagement and reduces burnout
- Engagement is the opposite of burnout and leads to a high level of satisfaction for learners and faculty
- Learning in a social context focuses attention on learning as a social and collaborative enterprise, rather than an individual experience