Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41057871›Full record

ArticleBMC medical education2025

How to use curriculum mapping to ensure a coherent and coordinated learning spiral in a competency-based medical curriculum across two medical universities.

Tuija Eeva Elisabeth Waldvogel, Monika Link, Giovanni Pedrazzini, Jacqueline Jennebach, Jörg Goldhahn, Olaf Ahlers

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical education, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Tuija Eeva Elisabeth WaldvogelDepartment of Health Science and Technologies, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. tuija.waldvogel@hest.ethz.ch.
Monika LinkFaculty of Biomedical Sciences, USI, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.
Giovanni PedrazziniFaculty of Biomedical Sciences, USI, Università della Svizzera italiana, Lugano, Switzerland.
Jacqueline JennebachGerman Association of Medical Faculties, Berlin, Germany.
Jörg GoldhahnDepartment of Health Science and Technologies, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Olaf AhlersBrandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, Institute of Research in Health Sciences Education, Faculty of Health Sciences Brandenburg, Neuruppin, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundEvaluation of competency-based medical curricula is still a challenge. Curriculum mapping comprises all learning objectives for the learning events which are (usually) mapped to a national framework. This study evaluates coherence within the learning spiral across two consecutive competency-based curricula by usage of curricular maps.

methodsCurriculum mapping data of two undergraduate medical curricula (Bachelor and consecutive Master) from two different Swiss universities was used to evaluate a given topic (in our case cardiology) related to continuity and increasing complexity. In addition, coverage of the Swiss national framework ('PROFILES') was assessed.

resultsA continuous exposure to cardiovascular content across the two programs as well as an increasing complexity was found. The analysis further showed that most parts of the national Swiss framework ('PROFILES') are covered to some extent and revealed missing coverage of some parts of the first chapter ('General Objectives') and second chapter ('Entrustable Professional activities').

conclusionThe results support the implicit notion that the medical curriculum across two universities can be coherent and provide the necessary structure to enable a coordinated learning spiral. The approach can be used for any curriculum which has been mapped to a framework to evaluate the coherence and coordination of a learning spiral in each field. This approach can be very valuable especially for medical programs where students change from one institution to another.

Indexed as

CardiologyClinical CompetenceCompetency-Based EducationCurriculumEducation, Medical, UndergraduateHumansLearningSchools, MedicalSwitzerlandCompetency-based medical educationCurriculum evaluationCurriculum mappingLearning spiral

Identifiers

PMID41057871
PMCPMC12502588

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.