Course Director Roles and Responsibilities

Course directors function under the authority of the School of Medicine Curriculum Committee [insert link] and administration [insert link] and are a key component of the management of the educational program leading to the Doctor of Medicine degree. Under this supervision, the course director:

• Organizes and supervises the course, including schedule development.
• Determines, with pertinent stakeholders, including the Office of Medical Education, [insert link] Curriculum Committee, and departmental faculty, the objectives and content for the course based on the SOM educational program objectives.
• Determines the composition and appropriateness of examinations and other assessments.
• Coordinates the educational schedule, with emphasis on delivery of content, fulfillment of student learning
  objectives, and adherence to time allotments of instructional sessions.
• Assesses the quality of teaching provided by the faculty and assists individual faculty with identifying resources for professional development. If needed, the course director involves members of the department or administration to assist faculty in performance improvement.
• Manages course materials and records, including syllabi, faculty presentations, and student assignments.
• Maintains an updated Canvas [insert link] site for the course.
• Submits final grades via Workday [insert link] no more than thirty (30) days after the receipt of National Board of Medical Examiners. For rotations ending in April or May, this period is decreased to ten (10) days.
• Ensures required electronic formative and summative evaluations are completed on the established timeline.
• Validates and updates the course and session learning objectives in the curriculum map to ensure they
  accurately reflect those provided to students and align with SOM educational program objectives.
• Provides documentation of course practices and student performance as needed by the Office of Medical Education, other UMMC administrative offices, national agencies, and accrediting bodies.
• Reviews and responds to the end-of-course Evers Report.
• Engages in continuous quality improvement under the guidance of the Evaluation Subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee.
• Provides a list of required and recommended textbooks to the bookstore.

Appointment and Selection

Nominees for course directors must hold a faculty appointment and possess credentials or experiences relevant to the topic area of the course they will direct. Additional, course directors must:

• Have familiarity with departmental and School of Medicine policies and procedures related to medical student education
• Hold the rank of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor
• Have demonstrated commitment to excellence in medical education and the ability to lead others toward that
  goal

A nomination for course director is initiated by the chair of the sponsoring department via submission of a letter of nomination to the vice dean for medical education, including:

• A brief review of the nominee's credentials and qualifications to be the course director
• A statement of resources committed to supporting the nominee, which should include designated educational
  FTE/salary support and protected time for course management; administrative assistance; and office space The nominee for course director must also submit a letter to the vice dean for medical education that includes:
• Acknowledgment of the commitment involves and acceptance of the responsibilities of a course director
• The nominee's curriculum vitae
• A brief statement of the nominee's educational philosophy

The completed nomination will be reviewed by the Curriculum Advisory Council which may elect to interview the candidate. The nomination will then be forwarded to the Curriculum Committee with a recommendation to approve or reject it. If approved by the Curriculum Committee, the Office of Medical Education will contact the newly selected course director to schedule an orientation session.

The full policy and procedure (E-SOM-OME-GEN-PR-00007) may be located in the UMMC Document Center via login.