A new pathway in teaching dermatology

Abstract

New legislative requirements for medical licensure in 2003 made necessary restructuring of medical education at German universities. Since the hours of patient contact and the proportion of small group teaching were explicitly defined, many curricula had to be changed fundamentally. For the clinical years of its Medical Curriculum Munich (MeCuM(LMU)) the medical faculty of the Ludwig-Maximilian University in Munich (LMU) decided on a modular concept. For dermatology, this meant less lecture time, more student-patient interaction, the introduction of small group teaching, and the establishing of a catalogue of learning objectives. In cooperation with the Virtual University of Bavaria the internet was integrated into mandatory teaching for the first time. A faculty development program was instituted to increase teaching competence. All measures were designed to create an individual learning setting offering optimal support for every student. The large number of students remains the final nemesis.