TIME as a generic index for outcome-based medical education

Abstract

TIME (Topics for Indexing Medical Education) is a general-purpose, intermediate-granularity taxonomy of topics that describe the content of undergraduate medical education. Within outcome-based education systems, curriculum planning focuses on the desired product rather than process, and the contributions of curricular elements to achievement of the outcomes must be made visible. In this paper, we discuss how TIME may be used as a content index in curriculum maps to link curricular elements to multiple outcome frameworks. This assists with curriculum development and evaluation, quality assurance, curriculum searching, detection of gaps and redundancies, and sharing of educational objects. TIME is available at http://www.time-item.org (username “guest”; password “guest”).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Timothy G. Willett

TIM WILLETT, MD, is study fellow at the Centre for Medical Education, University of Dundee, Scotland and a curriculum consultant to the University of Ottawa. He is a medical doctor with a career interest in medical education.

Kenneth C. Marshall

KEN MARSHALL, MSc PhD, is professor emeritus, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa. He is currently involved in review, revision, management and quality assurance of the undergraduate medical curriculum.

Marc Broudo

MARC BROUDO, MA, is director of curriculum management support, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia.

Michael Clarke

MICHAEL CLARKE, PhD, at the time of authorship, was director of iMed (medical education and technology), Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa. He has since become director of information and communications technologies for development, International Development Research Centre, Ottawa.