Abstract
This Personal View is based on our experiences with the levels of integration. We are concerned about the (mis) interpretation of ‘integration ladder’ in our context and propose directions for rethinking curriculum integration. We share the famous board game ‘Ludo’ as a metaphor to understand the concept of integration. Mughal emperors (educators) played (lead) Ludo (curriculum/teaching reforms) in which tokens (disciplines) move from their silos (departments) towards others (integrate) according to rolls of a dice (resources) and not stepwise (1-2-3…11) like in a ladder. There are safe spaces (timetable/minimum hours), double pieces (combination of different integration levels) and tokens (disciplines) can also be pushed back to their silos by opponents (challenges). The game (change management) involves skill (competence in medical education), strategy (planning), emotion (emotional intelligence) and luck. We found Ludo relevant to understanding integration and discuss three different systems with implications on the curriculum, assessment, organisational structure and timetable/schedules. We believe that a clear description of integration as three different systems will counter the issues with the integration ladder and make it easier for institutions and educationists to understand, opt for and implement curriculum integration.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to thank our health professions education colleagues and students for their helpful comments in the writing process.
Disclosure statement
The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Ahsan Sethi
Dr. Ahsan Sethi, BDS, MPH, MMEd, FHEA, MAcadMEd, FDTFEd, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Health Professions Education and Research at the Khyber Medical University, Pakistan and part-time tutor at Centre for Medical Education, University of Dundee, United Kingdom.
Rehan Ahmed Khan
Dr. Rehan Ahmed Khan, MBBS, FCPS, FRCS, JM-HPE, MHPE, is the Professor of Surgery at Islamic International Medical College, Riphah International University, Pakistan.