COM – Course Director and Module Dyad Leader Qualifications and Responsibilities

Policy Number: 3349-AC-425
Effective Date: 01/01/2019
Updated: 03/16/2021
Reviewed: —
Responsible Department: Office of the Dean, College of Medicine
Approval Authority: Dean, College of Medicine

A. Purpose

The purpose of this Policy is to specify the appointment of, minimum qualifications for, and the responsibilities of all faculty who oversee the implementation of the curriculum and student assessment, and to highlight the specific expectations of Course Directors, Module Dyad Leaders, Clinical Experiential Directors, Clerkship Site Directors, and Clinical Site Directors within the College of Medicine COM.   The policy also references adherence to important curricular standards of the LCME, specifically the following elements:

•  Element 8.2 Use of Medical Educational Program Objectives
•  Element 8.3 Curricular Design, Review, Revision/Content Monitoring
•  Element 8.5 Medical Student Feedback
•  Element 8.6 Monitoring of Completion of Required Clinical Experiences
•  Element 8.7 Comparability of Education/Assessment
•  Element 8.8 Monitoring Student Time
•  Element 9.1 Preparation of Resident and Non-Faculty Instructors
•  Element 9.2 Faculty Appointments
•  Element 9.4 Assessment System
•  Element 9.6 Setting Standards of Achievement

B. SCOPE

This Policy is applicable to all faculty who direct and oversee all required credit-bearing courses in the College of Medicine.

C. Definitions

1. Course Director refers to the appointed faculty member who is responsible for the overall design, delivery, student assessments, evaluations, and accreditation compliance of any credit-bearing course (M1 – M4 years).
2. Module Dyad Leaders are appointed faculty members who are responsible for the overall design, delivery, student assessments, evaluations, and accreditation compliance of a module, a type of credit-bearing course in the M1 M2 curriculum.  Each module is directed by a two-person dyad, composed of a physician/clinician and a non-clinical faculty member, who are jointly responsible for leading the module.  Clinical Site Directors are responsible for the overall coordination of teaching activities at a clinical site for selected M1 and M2 courses, such as Patient, Physician, and Community courses, and serving as the liaison among the students, the clinical site and NEOMED.
3. Clinical Experiential Directors are appointed faculty members who provide oversight for clinical discipline-specific credit-bearing courses (i.e., required clerkships) in the M3 and M4 years.
4. Clerkship Site Directors are faculty who provide general oversight and direction for a discipline-specific clerkship rotation at their hospital or site.
5. Credit-bearing Course refers to a course offered by the COM in which a student is enrolled, the course appears on the student’s transcript with either contact hours or credit-bearing acknowledgment, and a grade is assigned. Modules and clerkships are types of credit-bearing courses.

D. POLICY STATEMENT

1. The courses, modules and clerkships that comprise the curriculum leading to the MD degree are centrally managed by the COM Curriculum Committee and its subcommittees according to college bylaws and accreditation standards.
2. Course Directors
   1. Appointment
      1. Jointly recommended by the Department Chair and the Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education or designees;
      2. Approved by the COM Curriculum Committee (after initial endorsement by the Pre-clerkship Curriculum Subcommittee and/or the Clinical Curriculum Subcommittee, depending on course placement in the curriculum);
      3. Appointed by the Office of the Dean, College of Medicine; and
      4. Remain in position throughout the entire span of the course for the academic year.
         1. Unless there are unusual circumstances, the Course Director may not change in the middle of the year/course for the academic year.
         2. At the end of each academic year, Course Director’s appointment to the position is renewed through joint agreement between the Course Director, the Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education and the corresponding department chair, with consultation by the Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.
         3. Course Directors may be removed for just cause by their Department Chair and the Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education with consultation by the Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs.
            1. Just cause for the purposes of this policy can include, but is not limited to, failure to fulfill responsibilities outlined in Appendix A; failure to meet course performance improvement goals established as part of the regular course review process and created collaboratively by the Course Director, the associate dean(s) of medical education and the COM Curriculum Committee or its relevant subcommittees; misconduct; and/or loss of faculty appointment.
   2. Minimum qualifications
      1. Appropriate discipline and educational knowledge and expertise commensurate with the course including course content, instructional delivery methods and student assessment methods.
      2. NEOMED faculty appointment in the related discipline at a minimum of Clinical Assistant Professor or Assistant Professor.
   3. General responsibilities
      1. General responsibilities of all Course Directors are specified in Appendix A.
      2. The authority of a Course Director is derived from the COM Curriculum Committee as outlined by the NEOMED Curriculum Management Charter. Course Directors and the courses that they oversee are subject to the decisions and actions of the COM Curriculum Committee.
3. Module Dyad Leaders
   Module Dyad Leaders are governed by the same general expectations detailed above for Course Directors, with the following specifications:
   1. Appointment
      1. Any qualifying faculty member with an interest in serving as a Module Dyad Leader may self-nominate for the role or be nominated by a faculty peer, and/or his or her chair, with concurrence from the Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education.
         1. To submit a nomination for Module Dyad Leader, the nominator should provide the candidate’s name and a copy of the candidate’s current Curriculum Vitae to the chair of the NEOMED COM Curriculum Committee.
         2. Before acting on the nomination, the COM Curriculum Committee chair should obtain verification from the candidate’s department chair of the amount of protected time that the candidate will be allotted to perform the Module Dyad Leader’s role.
      2. Any individual selected to serve as a Module Dyad Leader must have
         1. Approval from his or her department chair or designee;
         2. Approval from the Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education or designee;
         3. Approval by the COM Curriculum Committee; and
         4. Sufficient protected time (defined by the COM Curriculum Committee to effectively fulfill the duties described in this document).
      3. Module Dyad Leaders for all required modules must be approved by the COM Curriculum Committee (after initial endorsement by the Pre-clerkship Curriculum Subcommittee and/or the Clinical Curriculum Subcommittee)
      4. 1. Appointment as a Module Dyad Leader is not official until the Dean of the College of Medicine or designee conveys a signed letter of appointment to the Module Dyad Leader.
         2. Module Dyad Leaders serve on an annual basis.
         3. At the end of the academic year, appointments will be renewed by the COM Curriculum Committee if performance has been deemed satisfactory as part of the annual evaluation process, with mutual agreement of the Module Dyad Leader, the Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education, and the relevant department chair. 
   2. General Responsibilities
      1. General responsibilities of Module Dyad Leaders are specified in Appendix B.
4. Clinical Site Directors
   1. Appointment
      1. Clinical site directors are selected by a Course Director.
      2. Clinical site directors serve on an annual basis.
   2. Minimum qualifications
      1. Board-certified physician
      2. Faculty rank at NEOMED at a minimum of clinical assistant professor or assistant professor
      3. Minimum of two years teaching experience; experience as seminar leader preferred but not required
   3. General Responsibilities
      1. 1. General responsibilities are specified in Appendix C.
5. Clinical Experiential Directors (CEDs)
   1. Appointment
      1. CEDs are selected by the Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and the Associate Dean of Experiential Education or designees.
      2. CEDs of required clerkships must be approved by the COM Curriculum Committee (after initial endorsement by Clinical Curriculum Subcommittee).
      3. Appointment as CED is not official until the Dean of the College of Medicine or designee conveys a signed letter of appointment to the CED.
      4. CEDs serve on an annual basis. At the end of the academic year, appointments will be renewed by the COM Curriculum Committee if performance has been deemed satisfactory as part of the annual evaluation process, with mutual agreement of the CED, Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education (or designee), and the relevant department chair (or designee).
   2. Minimal Qualifications
      1. M.D. or D.O. degree with a NEOMED faculty appointment at the clinical assistant professor or assistant professor level or higher
      2. Board certification in the appropriate discipline
      3. Experience in the education of medical students and curriculum development
      4. Current, regular educational interaction with NEOMED M3 student
      5. Ability to dedicate .10 FTE to the position
   3. General Responsibilities
      1. Position responsibilities of Clinical Experiential Directors are provided in Appendix D.
6. Clerkship Site Directors
   1. Appointment
      1. Clerkship Site Directors are selected by the Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs and Associate Dean of Experiential Education or designees.
   2. Minimal Qualifications
      1. M.D. or D.O. degree and eligible to apply for a NEOMED faculty appointment at the clinical assistant professor or assistant professor level or higher
      2. Board certification in the discipline of clerkship that he/she will be supervising
      3. Academic experience and/or training to enable him/her to function effectively as a clerkship site director
   3. General Responsibilities
      1. Position responsibilities of Clerkship Site Directors are provided in Appendix E.

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