Internal Resources

Tucson Curriculum Management Subcommittee (TCMS)

Overview

The Tucson Curriculum Management Subcommittee (TCMS) is a standing subcommittee of the Tucson Education Policy Committee (TEPC). It is the principal subcommittee that oversees content, content delivery and quality of pre-clerkship curriculum. The charge to the TCMS is to make policy recommendations to the TEPC concerning the structure, development, and delivery of the educational program, but does not establish such policy.  TCMS also contributes to the annual review of blocks. TCMS produces one of the review reports that covers the evaluation of block content, examinations and instructional effectiveness. The TCMS block review report is delivered to the TEPC.  TCMS may establish guidelines and procedures required to fulfill its charges.  It also assists in the development and implementation of curricular innovations.

Membership

Voting Members

  • All Block and Course Directors (limited to one Director or designee per block or course)
  • All Thread Directors
  • Director of the Societies Program
  • Director of the Doctor and Patient Program
  • Director of the Clinical Reasoning Course
  • Director of Scholarly Project
  • Director of the Primary Care Accelerated Medical Pathway (PCAMP)
  • Discipline Directors who are not Block or Thread Directors
  • Supervisor of Preclerkship Coordinators

Supporting Members

  • Vice Dean for Medical Education
  • Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs
  • Associate Dean for Student Affairs
  • One voting member of the Tucson Clinical Curriculum Subcommittee (TCCS) of the Tucson Educational Policy Committee (TEPC)
  • Block Coordinators
  • Assistant Director of Accreditation
  • Other Education Support Staff, as required by committee task.

Leadership

  • The Chair and Vice Chair of the Tucson Curriculum Management Subcommittee will serve as the officer of the whole Committee. The position of Chair of the Committee begins on July 1 and lasts for one year. Devotes 3–4 hours/month to pre-meetings designed to set and approve the meeting agenda, chairing the meetings, and answering emails in between meetings.
  • Any faculty voting member of TCMS will be eligible to serve as Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson. The term of service will be two years, the first year as Vice-Chair and the second year as Chair. A new Vice-Chair will be elected each year.
  • If exceptions to term length need to be made to accommodate retirement, prolonged illness, etc., adjusted term duration will be made in consultation with University Legal Counsel for alignment with faculty bylaws and will be voted on at TEPC for approval.

Responsibilities

Related to Development and Delivery of the program

  • Recommends to TEPC a curriculum management plan, which includes procedures and schedules for the tasks required to prepare, deliver, and manages all pre-clerkship courses, threads, and scholarly project.
  • Implements the curriculum management plan established by TEPC.
  • Ensures compliance with the management plan and assesses its effectiveness.
  • Anticipates or responds to operational concerns with respect to the ongoing delivery of courses.

Related to Management of the Curriculum:

  • Advises TEPC on the sequence and length of content for courses, which is driven by the EPO’s and reviewed annually for breadth and depth, vertical and horizontal integration within pre-clerkship as well as across all four years
  • Recommends and approves the assignment of content topics to courses, driven by the EPOs.
  • May conduct specific audits of content for integration and completeness, as necessary.

Related to Instruction:

  • Assures that the content and educational activities of courses fulfill institutional objectives.
  • Develops guidelines concerning the role and the performance of participating faculty.
  • Ensures compliance with established processes for faculty instructional development.
  • Monitors procedures for the recruitment, training, assignment, and performance of faculty facilitators.
  • Ensures that content and instructional methods are delivered as approved.

Related to Assessment of Student Performance:

  • Recommends to TEPC policies concerning assessment of student performance.
  • Ensures that the content of examinations matches learning objectives and that examinations are consistent with goals of student development as established by the subcommittee and TEPC and oversees post-administration analysis of examinations to assure their validity and reliability.
  • Develops new assessment methods and instruments, consistent with TEPC policies.
  • Monitors grading practices and outcomes.

Related to Operations, Evaluation and Oversight:

  • Members are considered to represent constituencies within the faculty and staff (e.g., Block and Discipline Directors represent the faculty who teach in their areas) and are expected to consult with their constituents on matters arising before the subcommittee and to inform them about policies and procedures established by the subcommittee.
  • Provides regular reports to TEPC concerning the delivery and quality of pre-clerkship curriculum.
  • Implements TEPC Evaluation Plan for pre-clerkship blocks and produces review reports on individual blocks.
  • Generates and compiles other evaluation and review data as directed.
  • Oversees changes to the pre-clerkship curriculum as required by TEPC.
  • Participates as required in comprehensive review processes, including reviews related to LCME accreditation.

Vice Chair Selection

Eligibility

  • Former Chairs Seeking Vice Chair Position:
    • Individuals who have served as Chair for TCMS may be eligible to serve as Vice Chair following the completion of their term as Chair.
  • Restrictions on Candidacy:
    • Individuals currently serving as Chair or Vice Chair on any other committees, including TEPC and its subcommittees, are not eligible to run for Chair or Vice Chair positions within TCMS.
  • Nominee Requirements:
    • Nominees must have been in their current role for over a year to be eligible for the Chair or Vice Chair positions.

Procedures

  • Calls for Nominees:
    • Near the end of the Chair and Vice Chair's term, a call for volunteers for self-nominations for the Vice Chair position will be made to the voting members (May meeting).
  • Nomination Process:
    • Members who meet the requirements and would like to self-nominate should email the subcommittee facilitator, the Associate Dean for Curricular Affairs, the Current Chair and Vice Chair of TCMS.
  • Election Process:
    • If multiple self-nominations of volunteers that meet the criteria are received, a vote will be conducted to elect the successful candidate.
    • A survey will be administered anonymously to the voting members, and announcement would be made at one of the June scheduled meetings.
    • If no self-nominations are received, the rotation system will be implemented to fill the roles.
  • Rotation for Leadership Roles:
    • A rotation system will be implemented for all voting members to serve as Vice Chair and Chair of the subcommittee.
    • The alphabetized list for chair rotations will start with the current Chair’s role, whether it is a block, discipline, or thread. The rotation will then proceed in alphabetical order from this starting point.
    • If a volunteer steps forward to serve as Chair, the rotation process will be temporarily paused. After the volunteer’s term, the rotation will resume from where it was paused.
    • If no volunteers step forward, the rotation will continue as planned, starting from where the previous assignment ended.
  • Returning Members:
    • Members who have previously served as Chair or Vice Chair and wish to rotate back into these roles will be considered after self-nominations and the rotation list have been exhausted. 
  • Excusal from Rotation:
    • If the next member in the rotation has conflicting commitments prohibiting them from serving, they must email a statement to excuse themselves from their appointment.
    • This statement must be submitted to the TCMS Chair and the Associate Dean of Curricular Affairs.

Term Limits

  • Rotation Frequency:
    • Individuals may serve as Chair or Vice Chair for no more than two consecutive terms. After completing two terms, a member must wait for one full term before being eligible to serve again in either role.