Browsing by Subject "institutional culture"

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    How the distinctive cultures of osteopathic and allopathic medical schools affect the careers, perceptions, and institutional efforts of their anatomy faculties: A qualitative case study of two schools
    (Wiley, 2015-11-01) Brokaw, James J.; Byram, Jessica N.; Traser, Courtney J.; Arbor, Tafline C.; Department of Anatomy & Cell Biology, IU School of Medicine
    Anatomy faculties are integral to basic science instruction in medical schools, particularly given the preponderance of anatomic instruction in the preclinical curriculum. Recent years have witnessed major curricular restructuring and other emerging national trends that pose significant challenges to anatomists. An examination of anatomy faculty perceptions at two philosophically distinct medical schools within this shifting climate provides an indicator of how different institutional characteristics may impact anatomy instruction and other faculty responsibilities. Semistructured interviews of anatomy faculty from a large, well-established allopathic medical school (Indiana University School of Medicine) and a small, new osteopathic medical school (Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine) were explored using qualitative thematic analysis. Four overarching themes were identified: (1) Institutional philosophies, such as affiliation with osteopathic versus allopathic medicine, have minimal impact on how the anatomical sciences are taught. (2) Differences in anatomy faculty experiences at these two institutions are largely driven by the institution's size and history. There is a disparity between institutions in the relative importance of teaching and research, but an ability to do research is important for both faculties. (3) Anatomy instruction and research agendas are driven by personal philosophies and interests rather than institutional philosophy. (4) Autonomy is highly valued by anatomists at both institutions. All the participants share a devotion to educating future physicians. In fact, this study identified more similarities than differences in these two faculties. Finally, we argue that shared educational resources and research collaborations can improve anatomy education and faculty development at both institutions. Anat Sci Educ. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.
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    Respecting Our Students
    (AAPT, 2015-10) Gavrin, Andy; Department of Physics, School of Science
    Giving our students the respect they deserve will improve their performance, our mutual interactions, and our satisfaction as teachers. This is obvious to many TPT readers, but there are times when we all, myself included, forget. There are times when our judgment is clouded by institutional culture, or our best intentions are subverted by the vexations of our roles as instructors. This essay is based on my own experience teaching physics (primarily at a public urban university, primarily at the introductory level), and on conversations with many colleagues here and elsewhere. I hope this essay will serve as a reminder to all of us that we must treat our students with respect, and that the rewards of doing so are worth the effort of rethinking some of our behaviors.