Outcome 4. Educator resource development and implementation of
core concepts within curricula (2023-2026)
We will develop tools that help educators and curriculum developers
embed core concepts within the curriculum and resources that can be used
in teaching and learning. Given the importance of the core concepts in
pharmacology, there will be instances in which educator and student
resources aligned with these concepts already exist. We hope to
facilitate the sharing of these resources through platforms and events
during which educators can share existing resources. However, as was the
case in physiology, we would also like to create resources that are
tailor-made to support meaningful and active learning and help students
to recognise, test and revise their current mental models [48]. Once
these resources are created, we will need to validate them, which can be
done using the Core Concept Inventories as an assessment tool.
In terms of curriculum development, many educators have already started
and more will continue to embed the core concepts. Their experience will
help guide the tools that we develop in this area. However, there will
always be educators and curriculum developers who are reluctant to
instigate change in the absence of evidence. Our role will be to
identify factors that inhibit adoption of core concepts and use this
information to develop tools that overcome such limitations. For those
who want to get a head start on embedding the core concepts within their
curriculum, we outline some potential strategies below.