Learning outcomes are the backbone of our curriculum and allow both students and teachers to focus their attention on what matters.
On this page you will find documents relating to the process of developing learning outcomes for the School of Medicine at the University of Liverpool, and how new changes to the curriculum are implemented.
Back to: School of Medicine
CBL is a student focussed approach to small group teaching. CBL fosters ‘active learning’, which is proven to enhance retention of knowledge and understanding. This is achieved through:
Our course also delivers a considerable amount of didactic learning (e.g. there are over 680 lectures in Yrs 1-3). However, because the cohort size is 300+, such teaching is limited in its capacity to be interactive and therefore to draw on the benefits of ‘active learning’. CBL complements the lecture programme by enabling this through carefully prompted self-exploration of the lecture content, and the ability to identify and address knowledge gaps in a group setting. It enables both a greater depth of understanding and the consolidation of topics covered in lectures.
CBL also encourages students to make full use of the other resources available to them through the library, internet and their peer group and to develop their communication and presentation skills.
Students value working in small groups, the contact with expert clinicians and the sense of why it is important to learn the medical science, as a background to later practice.
The content is more orientated to the rest of the taught content
Both CBL and PBL blend student self-exploration of topics with group discussion. However, CBL uses cases specifically chosen to explore in more depth some elements of the lecture materials they have met.
The facilitators are personally skilled in the topics being taught
PBL facilitation does not require expert comment or contribution to the knowledge shared and discussion of points, instead prompting students to find this knowledge themselves. Facilitators are skilled in the art of facilitation but do not need to be personally skilled in the topic area. In contrast, CBL facilitators are encouraged to prompt student discussion but also to serve as a source of expert information when necessary. In 2014, we changed to a CBL approach as we believe it is important that the facilitation of our students’ discussion is based on this strong foundation of experience in medicine and medical science and the ability to address additional questions that may arise, by drawing on this experience.
To support the knowledge transfer of lectures, CBL gives the student ‘real’ case histories that take them beyond their taught material. Prepared CBL questions stimulate their reading to solve the types of clinical problems that they will encounter on wards & in clinics in the future.
Our students especially value your clinical experience. During the CBL session you will ask students to present their findings, encouraging discussion of principles and stimulating students to explore topics and situations that bring the cases to life. In so doing, you will help them to appreciate the clinical relevance of the science they are learning.
The emphasis is on facilitating consolidation of the key knowledge related to the topic, rather than on the provision of additional direct teaching. Your role will be to act as an experienced guide, through the material covered by the scenario, rather than to provide a new teaching session or introduce a lot of new material.
To find out more about & register your interest in becoming a CBL facilitator, please speak to your placement site.
Call the department
+44 (0)151 795 4362