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Policy No: 2157
Responsible Office: Medical Education
Last Review Date: 01/23/2026
Next Required Review: 01/23/2031
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Policy No: 2157
Responsible Office: Medical Education
Last Review Date: 01/23/2026
Next Required Review: 01/23/2031
Scheduling required in-class activities and out-of-class work during the pre-clerkship curriculum
1. Purpose
Students must be assured of protected time for other assignments requiring work outside of regularly scheduled educational activities.
2. Applicability
This policy applies to faculty involved in pre-clerkship instruction.
3. Definitions
In-class scheduled activities: These typically encompass but are not limited to lectures, laboratory sessions (wet or dry), Clinical Skills and OSCE sessions, Clinical Application of Basic Science (CABS), small group learning sessions, and exams (biweekly module exams, customized NBME assessments, quizzes).
Examples of assignments requiring work outside of class:
Independent Learning: Assigned course content (i.e., readings, PowerPoints, problem sets) that students are expected to study outside of regularly scheduled class time.
Flipped Classroom: In-person sessions that require pre-session preparation (assigned reading, content review, presentations, etc.) prior to the activity.
Self-directed Learning: Activities that include medical students’ self-assessment of knowledge gaps; independent identification, analysis, and synthesis of relevant information; appraisal and synthesis of relevant information; appraisal of the credibility of information sources, and feedback on these skills.
Other outside work requirements: These can include other activities such as reflective writing assignments or case presentations.
4. Policy Guidelines
4.1. General scheduling process
4.1.1. Scheduling of pre-clerkship courses ideally should be completed 6 months, but definitely no later than 3 months, prior to the start of the course. Yearly course starts and stop dates for the upcoming academic year should be available by January of the current year.
4.1.2. In-class course sessions are approved for scheduling from 8:00AM-5:00PM, Monday-Friday, excluding the 12-1 PM lunch hour when possible. These sessions are visible and updated for students, faculty and staff on the master calendar.
4.1.3. Successive modules within the M1 or M2 sequence should not have overlapping schedules.
4.1.4. Exceptions to the general scheduling process may be necessary to maintain curricular integrity in the case of campus closures (i.e., weather-related, natural disaster, emergency, etc.) and/or other unforeseen acts.
4.2. In-class activities, including assessments
4.2.1. On average, lectures should not total more than 12 contact hours per M-F week.
4.2.2. Small group learning should account for at least 25% of in-class contact hours; ≥40% is recommended.
4.2.3. On test days, no other course sessions are scheduled when possible.
4.2.4. Exams can be scheduled any day of the week (M-F), but should not occur on the first day of class following the return from a university-approved holiday for Thanksgiving, winter, or spring break.
4.3. Out-of-Class Work Policy
4.3.1. The typical M-F course week should include a minimum of two free half-days on average, to facilitate independent learning activities.
4.3.2. Student time off for university scheduled holidays occurring within a M-F work week counts toward the free half-days.
4.3.3. Independent Learning Assignments should be designed to require no more than 1 hr on average to complete on first pass, excluding study time.
5. Procedures
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6. Enforcement
N/A
7. Related Documents
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