While I usually would not use Fox News as writing inspiration, a recent article was both too interesting and relevant to let go. The article explained how the Ohio State University College of Medicine has changed its curriculum to adapt to rapidly expanding medical knowledge and technology by focusing on teaching students how to learn through a more individualized approach with more hands-on aspects than the traditional route of medical school. OSU College of Medicine's progressive curriculum is one example of how the face of education is finally changing to keep up with societal and technological advances. But the changes that are finally being put in place are long overdue and not extensive enough. From students at an elementary school level to students at a graduate school level, there should be greater incorporation of hands-on learning and more focus on how the individual learns.

According to OSU College of Medicine's website, their new curriculum, titled Lead.Serve. Inspire., focuses on self-directed learning to tailor the medical school experience more to the individual. The LSI curriculum integrates interacting with patients into the beginning of medical school, rather than the path that most medical schools follow: textbook learning for the first two years and more experiential learning in the last two years. Each student is given an iPad on which they can access class lectures and other resources. Furthermore, health care economics classes are included in the curriculum to prepare students to become a doctor beyond treating an illness, such as managing a practice.

The integration of experience with textbooks and lectures is equally important on an undergraduate level, because an undergraduate education should prepare students for a career or for graduate school. Hands-on experience provides students with the opportunity to explore career paths and apply what is learned in the classroom to real-life situations. And, although the experience may not be career-specific like it would be on a graduate level, it still helps students gain work experience and make connections with people outside of their university.

The purpose of the changes in OSU College of Medicine's curriculum and method of teaching is to adapt to "the shift in the nature of disease from acute illness to chronic multisystem disease, the technological explosion, and an ever-increasing knowledge about disease and management," according to the OSU College of Medicine website. The way illness is perceived has shifted and the range of knowledge regarding health and illness is constantly expanding. OSU College of Medicine's new curriculum is set up to work with these changes. Additionally, the curriculum change will help future doctors provide a better experience for patients by having medical school students interact with patients earlier on than in the traditional medical school route. Instead of focusing on just classroom learning during the first two years of school, medical school students are "trained as medical assistants in the first six weeks, and within eight weeks they are seeing patients as health coaches," according to the article.

The expansion in knowledge and accessibility of information extends beyond just medical education, and methods of education are slow to adapt. The most common way of teaching is still sitting in a room with one person lecturing. And we still see this in college lecture halls where a professor talks at you while you sit and scribble down some notes if you're interested enough. While the information you need from textbooks (physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, etc.) is important in becoming a doctor, equally important is a more hands-on aspect: early exposure to patients. This kind of philosophy and method of education could and should be applied in other fields and areas of study.

Brandeis is also moving in this hands-on learning direction, albeit slowly and maybe not as effectively as it potentially could. Some classes like "General Biology Lab" and "Deconstructing War, Building Peace" are experiential learning courses, which according to the Brandeis website let students develop "knowledge, skills, and values from direct experiences." Some of the majors even require an internship and students also have the opportunity to participate in a Justice Brandeis Semestery. While these are great, they have their limitations. They are difficult to fit into a busy schedule and can only accommodate so many students.

Brandeis could offer more EL courses and make more hands-on education opportunities available. This can be done by making EL meeting times when most students don't have class or by having a quasi-JBS that takes place on Tuesdays and Fridays so that students can still take other classes. It is especially difficult for science students to take advantage of Brandeis' hands-on opportunities, which can be fixed by creating a science-specific JBS or something of a similar concept that works with the science classes.

When Brandeis students are able to take advantage of these more interactive experiences beyond the lecture hall, it provides more than just knowledge. According to the OSU College of Medicine's website, one of the key aspects of the new LSI curriculum is the early integration of the information learned in textbooks with the hands-on aspects of being a doctor. For all levels of education, hands-on experiences also keep students grounded and motivated when the studying and paper writing gets overwhelming. Additionally, the experiences provide an opportunity to learn what cannot be taught through a textbook or a lecture.

Curricula across the various levels of education should follow in the steps of OSU College of Medicine and other institutions like Brandeis that are shifting the way students learn.
The hand-on experience is invaluable (especially with much of what we learn in the classroom so easily accessible) and prepares students just as much if not more for what will come after graduation.
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