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The Anatomy Department at Tel-Aviv University Medical School offers its students an elective course of 26 didactic hours on human evolution. The course is open to students from all faculties, who must fulfill all academic requirements, without a prerequisite of a background in anatomy. Approximately 120 students attend annually, a third of them are nonmedical students who major in philosophy, archeology, and sociology. This article discusses the course's contributions to students' understanding of a scientific concept that a scientific theory can be contradicted by new evidence, because facts govern science. Also, research methods of applying scientific principles establish the understanding of the human body, which evidently contributes to health and medicine. In the classes, the students are divided into mini-groups of 2–3 students, while the lecturer moves among students to examine fossils. In addition, analogies, open-discussions, and explanations accompany the tangible experiences. The lecturer of the course is an experienced anthropologist–anatomist researcher. He is a role-model and a mentor, sharing with the students his belief that a scientist should be persistent in his research to overcome difficult circumstances. Students, regardless of their backgrounds, express high appreciation of the course in their feedback questionnaires. The message conveyed by this course is that not only knowledge counts but also its integration with scientific principles. This course teaches us that science can bring students from different areas to study together and share ideas. In conclusion, this is a unique course in the eyes of the faculty and students alike. Anat Sci Educ. © 2012 American Association of Anatomists.

CONTEXT The impact of faculty development activities aimed at improving the teaching skills of clinical instructors requires elucidation. Since 2003, all instructors at our school of medicine have been required to undertake a brief workshop in basic clinical instructional skills as a prerequisite for promotion and tenure. The impact of this has, so far, remained unknown. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to examine to what extent participation in a brief workshop can improve clinical instructors' performance in the long run, and which particular dimensions of performance are improved. METHODS The study included a sample of 149 faculty members who undertook a required workshop in basic instructional skills. The teaching performance of these faculty members was measured by student feedback a year after the workshop. The study used pre- and post-test design, with a comparison group of 121 faculty members. RESULTS Student ratings for 5 dimensions of clinical instruction increased significantly, but only for the study group who had participated in a workshop. The comparison group's ratings were unchanged. The highest improvement in the instructors' performance related to availability of teachers to students. CONCLUSIONS The study supports previous findings about the added value gained by longterm improvement of instructional skills after participation in even a brief workshop. The meaningful improvement in instructor availability to students is associated with the workshops' emphasis on a learner-centred approach and the need to provide continuous feedback.

The purpose of this study was to determine if self-reported teaching style beliefs were different among faculty at a U.S. and an Israeli dental school. Teacher-centered practices refer to beliefs that the teacher holds the subject matter expertise and students are generally passive learners who must be told what to think. Student-centered practices refer to beliefs that students must learn how to construct their own understanding. Student-centered teaching is directed towards enabling students to think about complex issues. Twenty-seven of fifty-eight (47.37 percent) faculty at a dental school in the United States and thirty of thirty-four (88 percent) Israeli dental faculty teaching in basic science courses completed the Teaching Behavior Preferences Survey (TBPS). The TBPS is a thirty-item instrument that measures two domains of teaching styles--teacher-centered (TC) and student-centered (SC)--and four subdomains: methods of instruction (MI), classroom milieu (CM), use of questions (UQ), and use of assessment (UA). Findings revealed that there were no significant differences in student-centered and teacher-centered teaching practices and methods of instruction, classroom milieu, and use of questions. There was a significant difference between the U.S. and Israeli groups in their reported use of assessment. The U.S. faculty reported a greater preference for student-centered assessment practices than did the Israeli faculty.

More than three thousand years of Jewish historical and scholarly writings have addressed the problematic relationship between anatomical dissection for the purpose of medical education and Judaism, which values the wholeness and sanctity of the human body. The Department of Anatomy at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine has sought to bridge the gap between science and Jewish religious–cultural values. The Department requires students to conduct laboratory dissections on cadavers in an ethical and respectful manner. Student emotions are also addressed by the Department as students are encouraged to share their apprehensions and concerns about participating in dissections in discussion groups. At the same time, the high academic standards of the medical school are strictly upheld, ensuring that each student has a thorough knowledge of human anatomy. Teaching anatomy in Israeli medical school involves reconciling two conflicting approaches to dissection: (1) The scientific–medical approach, which views the human body as inert material and anatomical dissection as a means of studying anatomy and gaining medical knowledge. (2) A Jewish religious point of view, which perceives anatomical dissection as a threat to the sanctity of a human body and leads to the defilement of those participating in the dissection. In this article, the views of major Jewish scholars regarding dissection are presented and discussed in relation to their implementation in the dissection theater. These views are examined in an anthropological light based on observations in the dissection room and interviews with students and faculty members. The findings reflect the emotions and concerns of Israeli medical students at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine in particular as well as those of the Israeli–Jewish population as a whole. In the dissection theater, medical students must gain a comprehensive understanding of human anatomy while dealing with their own personal ethical, cultural, and religious views on death and dying. Confronting these issues enhances both personal growth as individuals and professional behavior as future physicians. Clin Anat. 19:442–447, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The study compares aspects of the career development of working nurses, graduates of a BA degree program, which runs on two tracks--university (UG) and college (CG). Two hundred nurses participated in the study, 86 of them (43%) UG and 114 (57%) CG. Participants were asked about their academic backgrounds, career advancement and satisfaction with their studies. Results indicated no major differences in professional advancement between the graduates of the two tracks. College-graduates were significantly older with lower previous academic achievements. Both BA programs promoted nurses and enabled career advancement, especially so for the college-graduates who would not, otherwise, have been able to make this progress.

The aims of this study were to determine whether harassment occurs in the authors' school, the Sackler Faculty of Medicine at Tel Aviv University, and to address the possible influence of cultural background on the perception of harassment. The unique makeup of the school was utilized, with two separate programs for American and Israeli students trained at the same sites and by the same faculty. A two-part questionnaire was developed that included students' reports on the occurrence of harassment, at what stage of their studies, by whom and its nature as well as demographic data. In the second part, students reported on their perception of harassment. Seven common scenarios were presented, and they were asked to indicate (on a four-point scale plus a non-applicable option) to what extent each scenario constituted harassment. A total of 115 Israeli and 81 American students in their clinical years responded during 2000-2001. About 50% experienced harassment, mainly in the clinical years. Significant differences were identified between the Israeli and the American students in their: (1) reporting of the amount (Israeli 59% vs. American 38%) and nature of harassment, and (2) perception of harassment (differed in six out of the seven scenarios), that can be related to their different cultures. These findings suggest that medical school faculty should be made aware of cultural differences in students' perception of harassment, thus enabling them to adapt their approach towards the students and take action to prevent its occurrence.

Summary Background: Educators claim that conflicts and teacher–student miscommunications interfere in achieving optimal learning outcomes. Context: Conflicts arise when clinical instructors communicate in a patronising fashion, expressing values that are not those of their medical students. This paper presents our approach of coping with such conflicts. It is based on the notion that language is comprised of developmental levels. The objective is to switch the instructor’s lower level of language from an uncontrolled reaction to a high level of efficient communication. Innovation: During our faculty-development workshops, we piloted sessions consisting of vignettes depicting instructor–student conflicts. The workshop participants were asked to react and discuss questions on their feelings in similar conflicts, and their immediate speech reaction to students. The workshop’s facilitator pointed out that there was no one right solution. She singled out the reaction that takes into account the student’s personality, avoiding imposing solutions. The feedback on these sessions was very favourable, indicating a high level of satisfaction. Implications: The positive feedback is very encouraging. We believe that our workshops amplify the desired effective instructor–student communication, and suggest that the success of this intervention is partly achieved by selecting problematic issues of communication, and adjusting them to the current needs of our faculty members. In order to reproduce our approach, we suggest that other institutions should define their own values and communication code. We recommend them to use the same technique of intervention among a small group in an empowering atmosphere of discussion, using their own situations.

Background: Cultural differences have been discussed as a potential factor influencing students' perception and motivation towards their studies. At the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, two separate programs coexist for American and Israeli medical students. Both are taught at the same sites and by the same faculty, thus enabling cultural comparisons. Our aim was to examine the differences of two medical student groups, American and Israeli, regarding their satisfaction with studies, view of the educational workload, and their perceptions of physician characteristics. Methods: During the academic year 2007-2008 we administered an anonymous questionnaire to the two groups immediately after their first clinical clerkship in internal medicine. The response rate was 82% (90 out of 110) for the Israelis and 93% (53 out of 57) for the Americans. Results : Americans, compared to the Israelis, are significantly more satisfied with their medical studies, consider fewer alternatives to future careers in clinical medicine, feel less of a workload, and hold a more positive opinion of physician characteristics. Conclusions: Cultural differences affect students' perception of their studies, mentors and future careers. Medical educators should be sensitive to the effects of students' background which influence academic and professional attitudes and find ways to strengthen their commitment to the profession.

Diagnosis and treatment planning are considered to be the basis for successful clinical dentistry, however, these skills are difficult to teach and evaluate. At the Department of Diagnosis and Treatment Planning, Tel Aviv University Dental School, a 3-year teaching programme has been developed. The goals of the programme are to teach a systematic pattern of data collection from history, clinical examination, imaging modalities and models, and to use this data to identify the patient's problems and to arrive at a final diagnosis, to develop a treatment plan, taking into account all relevant information, and to consult experts when needed, to train in case presentation, and to deal with peer response. The program includes 20 h of lectures and 30 h of exercises in the 4th year, developing at least 8 full treatment plans per student in the fifth year, a 1 30-min weekly panel seminar during the final year, and a final integrative examination at the end of the 6th year.

The authors compare innovative learning strategies in medical education today with the traditional educational methods of Jewish Talmudic study. These methods began to be developed in yeshivas (the highest Jewish educational institutions) in the third century BC and continue to be used in yeshivas today. The teaching in thousands of yeshivas of Talmudic study worldwide emphasizes student-centered, problem-based, small-group, and lifelong learning. Further, in the yeshivas rote memorization is discouraged; students are selected on the basis of merit rather than social status; and the teachers (particularly master teachers) are expected to act as role models for all aspects of living. Over the centuries, the yeshiva has been slightly modified and specialized, and the number of students has increased, but the institution has retained its basic instructional format. The authors briefly describe each aspect of Talmudic study and how it relates to current educational practices in medical schools. They argue that comparing these two educational institutions--the yeshiva and medical school--is valuable, in that the history of the yeshiva educational system, which has successfully produced generations of creative scholars, educators, and leaders, as well as an enormous body of literature, validates the innovative teaching approaches being used in medical schools today.

OBJECTIVES : We examined the quality of instruction in a continued medical education course and the correspondence between the residents and lecturers evaluations of the program. MATERIALS AND METHODS : Resident psychiatrists and instructors completed structured evaluation forms immediately following each lecture in a psychiatry course for one academic year. RESULTS : Residents' and lecturers' evaluations of goal achievement, but not general ratings of lecture quality correlated positively. Instructors' enthusiasm, clarity and appropriateness of subject matter and encouragement of independent thinking, but not audio-visual aids significantly correlated with resident's positive evaluations. CONCLUSIONS : Ongoing evaluation of classroom lectures by resident psychiatrists may provide valuable feedback to instructors and impact the quality of medical education. The classic role of the teacher organization and enthusiasm are the most important components of quality education.

The present study compared two populations: medical students and faculty as to their definition of essential traits of the ‘good physician’. Each group was further divided into the two phases of medical education. The preclinical phase included preclinical students and preclinical faculty, and the clinical phase included two faculty subgroups—surgeons and internists and students in their clinical clerkships.The study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase (the pilot study), faculty and students (n = 90) specified 24 traits in a random fashion. These traits were made the basis of a structured questionnaire which was administered in the second phase. In phase 2, all participants (n = 388) were requested to grade the five most important traits on a 1–4 scale.The results show a remarkable general agreement on the desirable traits among all participants. However, there is a significant difference in the ordering of the five most important traits among the subgroups. The jive most important traits perc...

This study points out the significant role of senior teachers in the process of instruction. It also asserts the consistency and reliability of student assessments of instruction, and the correlation between these assessments and the students' achievement. The study was conducted on groups rather than individual students. The assumption was that when teaching is carried out in groups, it is preferable to relate to the evaluation expressed by the whole group, and its correlation with achievement. The data included 51 student groups studying in 15 departments affiliated with the medical school in 12 hospitals: paediatrics (3), psychiatry (5), gynaecology (4) and surgery (3). The results emphasize the role of senior teachers in the process of instruction. It was found that a high positive correlation exists between senior teachers' direct involvement in teaching and students' academic achievements. However, a low correlation was found between students' assessments of the overall departmental teaching and their academic achievements. Thus, it appears that achievement is not directly influenced by the quality of teaching as perceived by the students, but rather by other factors, with the exception of a positive correlation between the contributions of the department heads to instruction and students' achievement.