EVMS 2.0 is the 5-year Quality Enhancement Plan (QEP) [click to view full proposal] project developed in conjunction with our application for re-affirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) in 2009.

Our QEP will enhance medical student learning by systematically integrating educational technologies (ET) into the medical curriculum. EVMS 2.0 signifies a shift in our curricular approach to increasingly emphasize the ever-growing role that computers, modeling and simulation, and the Internet have in medical education and practice. This QEP project formally addresses only the MD program curriculum, but its implementation will also enhance learning in our Health Professions programs through HP faculty participation in ET faculty development activities and through ET used by MD program faculty who also teach in the HP programs. Following the completion of EVMS 2.0 the next phase of increasing ET at EVMS will more formally involve the HP programs.

We have determined that now is the time to make changes to our MD program curriculum, which to date has depended heavily on large-group lectures and structured clinical experiences. Computers and related technologies are woven into the fabric of the daily lives of entering medical students, who expect to use them in their learning. Educational technologies provide a set of powerful tools for medical education. Furthermore, where feasible our learning environment should resemble the medical practice environment, which is increasingly reliant on computers and information technology.

In order to achieve our vision, EVMS 2.0 has outlined the following three goals:

1. Enhance medical student learning through improved integration of educational technologies into courses and clerkships.
2. Enhance student skills in medical procedures through simulation and other educational technologies.
3. Strengthen faculty knowledge and skills in educational technology.

For each of these goals, this plan proposes the necessary objectives, activities, timelines, responsible personnel, and evaluation questions to be addressed. Resources needed for the project are outlined.

The curriculum will drive the adoption of ET. The careful selection and implementation of ET-based teaching/learning projects will provide students with additional pathways to achieve curricular objectives. EVMS 2.0 will help faculty implement ET teaching/learning methods as they maintain their traditional responsibilities for determining what is to be learned (learning objectives) and serving as a valuable source of content knowledge for students. Their roles as guides and mentors for their students will expand where ET methods result in increased independent learning options for students. A faculty development initiative will help faculty become more knowledgeable and comfortable integrating ET into their teaching, and consultation on ET will be available to faculty as needed.

Responsibility for the implementation and assessment of EVMS 2.0 is vested in the EVMS 2.0 Implementation Committee (E2IC). This committee is composed of faculty, staff, and students in the MD and Health Professions programs appointed by the Dean/Provost, and is co-chaired by the Associate Dean for Medical Education (Thomas R. Pellegrino, MD) and the Associate Dean for Library and Learning Resources and Director, Educational Technology (Judith G. Robinson, MSLS).

A successful EVMS 2.0 will result in our MD program students using a broader array of ET resources to help them achieve their learning objectives, and a faculty fully capable of and comfortable in providing that enhanced learning environment.