Required Project

As part of the ESLP requirements, you will complete an educational project by the end of the second year. The project is designed to give you an opportunity to work in-depth on a problem of interest to you and of benefit to the undergraduate medical education program. Further, the project should incorporate the skills and knowledge acquired during the ESLP, and result in a peer-reviewed scholarly product(s).

You may choose among three different types of projects: research, curriculum development or educational leadership. Educational research projects require following the scientific method to investigate medical education questions and hypotheses. Curriculum development projects involve the systematic development or revision of a course, clerkship, rotation, or major conference/workshop series, which will ultimately be implemented by you. An educational leadership project addresses the administrative, management, leadership or faculty development issues within the undergraduate medical education program.

The ESLP Educational Project begins in the Fall of Year One with the identification of an educational problem and question. Participants are then assigned a CHM faculty mentor with expertise in the project area. Participants and faculty mentors meet regularly, and interim assignments help guide the development and implementation of the educational project. The project outcomes are disseminated at the end of Year Two in both written and oral form.

Examples of Possible Educational Projects

Educational Research

  • A survey of medical students to determine if medical school loan burden is related to career choice.
  • Using distance learning to assess advanced interviewing skills.
  • Can we teach medical students how to do research?
  • The impact of lifestyle issues in the selection of a medical specialty.
  • A follow-up study of recent rural track medical student graduates.

Educational Leadership

  • The revision of the medical student interview day.
  • Developing a department educational strategic plan.
  • Development of a clerkship evaluation system.
  • Development of a new clerkship website.
  • A faculty development program to increase scholarly activity of faculty.

Curriculum Development

  • Creating a competency-based curriculum for a psychiatry clerkship.
  • A curriculum to teach essential procedural skills to medical students.
  • Teaching PubMed searching skills to community-based preceptors.
  • A curriculum to teach EBM skills to clerkship faculty.
  • Teaching medical students to use PDA’s during the Family Medicine clerkship.

Selecting an Educational Project Topic

The selection of a major topic is an important task. You will be working with this project during the two year ESLP program. As you think about possible ESLP educational projects, ask your self the following questions:

  • Do I know the subject matter for the project, and do I have the skills necessary to complete project?
  • Do I have a personal interest and passion about this project?
  • Do I have access to resources (learners, subjects, equipment, support staff, curricular time, money, etc.) needed to implement the project?
  • Do you have some control within the system where the project will be implemented?
  • Is the project consistent with your current educational responsibilities?
  • Are you in an environment that will reward and support your educational project?
  • Can be project be designed, developed, implemented, analyzed and disseminated during the two year ESLP program?
  • Can the outcome of your educational project can be translated into peer-reviewed scholarship?

What if I can’t think of an Educational Project topic?

You will be expected to identify a project topic by the time you begin the ESLP. If you have difficulty identifying a project topic, try any of the following
strategies:

  • Talk to other faculty familiar with your educational responsibilities and brainstorm possible project topics with them.
  • Go online and review the annual meeting programs for posters, workshops and other educational presentations made during professional meetings in your discipline/specialty, or educational meetings such as the CGEA, IAMSE, AAMC, RIME, Generalist in Medical Education, etc.
  • Review recent issues medical of educational journals for ideas: Academic Medicine, Teaching and Learning in Medicine, Medical Education, Medical Teacher, Evaluation in the Health Professions, etc.

Who do I contact with questions about a possible topic for an Educational Project?

William A. Anderson, Ph.D.
Office of Medical Education Research and Development
A-214 East Fee Hall
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824

Phone: (517) 353-9656 ext: 230
Email: ander113@msu.edu