Resources for MD Faculty

Abridged syllabi for Phase I are added/updated throughout the academic year.

Guiding Principles and Practices for Phase I of the Penn State College of Medicine Central Curriculum

Penn State College of Medicine is committed to preparing humanistic, systems-ready physicians who are collaborative and adaptive; critical thinkers; and who are scholarly life-long learners. In Phase I, our primary goal is to foster student success by engaging them with foundational knowledge and critical approaches to thinking, ensuring that their future understanding of patient care is deeply rooted in scientific principles and self-directed learning. By the end of Phase I, students will have the essential knowledge and skills needed to excel on the USMLE STEP 1 examination and transition effectively into the clinical learning environment of Phase II.

The following are principles and associated practices for designing and implementing the Phase I Curriculum at Penn State College of Medicine, as approved by CUMED on April 10, 2025.

1. The Phase I curriculum will meaningfully integrate learning across the four College of Medicine pillars: Biomedical Science, Clinical Science, Health Systems Science, and the Health Humanities, such that individual pillar representation is connected to student milestones for Phase I.

   • It is the responsibility of staff and faculty involved in education to have awareness of the pillars, support student understanding of how subject matter is connected to the pillar(s) and contribute to integration and coordination between the pillars.

   • Focus is on enabling students to meet milestones and competencies when determining the share of the curriculum that each pillar receives. There is no requirement to assure that each pillar receives equal representation within the curriculum.

2. Phase I curriculum is designed to provide opportunities to demonstrate mastery of the foundational knowledge and skills established by the Penn State College of Medicine competencies.

   • It is the responsibility of staff and faculty involved in education to assure that knowledge and skills taught during Phase I are foundational and form the basis on which understanding is built during the remaining phases of medical school.

   • Foundational knowledge consists of core concepts, principles, methods, skills, terminology, and modes of reasoning that are essential to prepare students for advanced application during the next phases of training.

3. Foundational scientific principles are situated within the context of clinical correlations.

   • It is the responsibility of faculty involved in education, in partnership with course directors, to assure that foundational scientific principles taught are the concepts essential for the evolving practice of medicine.

   • Course directors partner with the Assistant Dean for Foundational Sciences, oversight committees, and assessment team to use student and faculty feedback, together with evidence-based resources, to ensure best practices for clinical correlations at the level of Phase I.

4. Content selection prioritizes successful transfer of knowledge to Phase II and future patient care, while acknowledging the need to prepare students for successful USMLE STEP 1 performance.

   • It is the responsibility of faculty involved in education to assure that content is selected to support students’ successful STEP 1 performance and build Phase I milestones necessary to enter Phase II of medical school.

   • Guidance for content selection that supports STEP 1 preparation can be found in the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Content Outline.

   • Guidance for selection of materials that support readiness for Phase II can be accessed through the Woodward Center for Excellence in Health Sciences Education, Course Directors for Phase I, the Assistant Dean for Foundational Medical Sciences, CUMED members, Clerkship Directors for Phase II, the Health Systems Science Office, Department of Humanities, and/or the Assistant Dean for Phase II.

   • Phase I focuses on core causation and foundational concepts and introductory skills, such as the biologic basis of disease, mechanisms/rationales for diagnostic tests and treatments, foundational physical examination skills, and critical thinking skills and core knowledge associated with ethics, health systems science, and humanities.

   • Phase I does not focus on advanced clinical knowledge and skills such as: procedural details for surgeries, procedural details for administration of medications (doses, frequency of administration, trade names, routes), or procedural details for diagnostic tests.

5. Educational design within each course will incorporate best evidence in the science of learning.

   • It is the responsibility of faculty involved in education to assure that evidence-based practices shown to improve learning are utilized in course design and teaching.

   • Approaches that have been shown to significantly improve learning include:

     • Retrieval practice (practice questions)

     • Solving problems in small groups

     • Explaining concepts to others (students are actively participating, rather than engaging passively)

     • Creating (i.e. completing a project, performing research, giving a presentation)

     • Connecting new information to prior knowledge

     • Causally integrated explanations (framework that explains “why,” rather than a list of facts)

     • Teaching methodologies in which students complete prework and utilize class time to apply concepts in discussion and/or problem solving (like flipped classroom, team-based learning, problem-based learning, or case-based learning).

     • Spaced learning

     • Resources for evidence-based approaches to teaching and learning can be found at the and the Penn State Schreyer Institute.

6. The curriculum initiates the process of professional identity formation (PIF) and supports the development of skills related to emotional intelligence, such as self-assessment, self-awareness, and self-regulation with consideration to the differences in student's development and learning needs.

   • It is the responsibility of course directors and medical education leadership to be knowledgeable about the process of PIF and the resources available to support students.

   • Activities that support PIF, including self-reflection, self-assessment, and self-regulation, are integrated into the curriculum where related competencies are being taught.

   • It is the responsibility of students to engage in the PIF process and seek resources when needed.

   • Resources available to support students at the college of medicine can be found here:

7. The College of Medicine will provide a diverse, supportive, respectful, and collaborative learning community. in which students are expected to take an active role in their own learning.

   • It is the responsibility of staff, faculty, and students to continuously develop knowledge and skills that foster a supportive and inclusive learning environment.

   • Students and faculty have the opportunity to recognize excellence in teaching through the Exceptional Teacher program in the Office for a Respectful Learning Environment.

   • It is the responsibility of students and faculty to report bias or mistreatment to the through the Resident/Student Mistreatment Reporting Form.

   • It is the responsibility of students to actively engage in their own learning, including seeking support when needed (resources listed in guiding principle 6).

8. Medical Education Leadership, Curriculum Evaluation Committees, Assessment Team, Course Directors, Teaching Faculty, and students will partner together to participate in continuous quality improvement (CQI) efforts.

   • It is the responsibility of staff and faculty involved in education to partner with students to perform CQI efforts in good faith.

   • CQI activities include:

     • Completion of the course evaluation spreadsheet by course directors annually.

     • Reviewing of the course, session, and faculty evaluations completed by students.

     • Biennial review of each course by CEsC and CUMED.

     • Post-course meetings with faculty and curriculum representatives.

     • Faculty development to support best practices in medical education.

     • Refinements of curricular components in response to feedback and updates in evidence-based practices.

9. The community of learners and educators within the Penn State College of Medicine MD curriculum will be informed of these guiding principles in an ongoing and transparent fashion.

   • It is the responsibility of the Assistant Dean for Foundational Medical Sciences to communicate these guidelines at least annually to Course Managers and Course Directors.

   • It is the responsibility of Phase I Course Directors and Course Managers to communicate these guidelines annually to all faculty who teach in their courses.

   • It is the responsibility of all faculty involved in education within the Phase I curriculum to be aware of these guidelines and practices and utilize them during planning and teaching.

   • It is the responsibility of the Assistant Dean for Foundational Medical Sciences to communicate these guidelines and subsequent updates at least annually to students in Phase I.

   • It is the responsibility of the Assistant Dean for Foundational Medical Sciences to review and update these guidelines at least every 3 years before submitting it to CUMED.

   • This document will be reviewed by CUMED at least every 3 years.

Affiliate site preceptors and residents can access abridged versions of clerkship syllabi in SharePoint. Students should utilize Canvas to access full clerkship syllabi.

Affiliate site preceptors and residents can access abridged versions of acting internship syllabi in SharePoint. Students should utilize Canvas to access full acting internship syllabi.