User-centred curriculum mapping: A human-AI hybrid approach

A curriculum map is a visual representation of key components in a medical curriculum, designed to address the challenge of navigating a dense and complex curriculum. Conventional curriculum maps are often fragmented, as they are developed incrementally by faculty members at different times. Over time, this can make them difficult to navigate, irrelevant and incoherent to faculty and student end-users. To address these issues, we developed an in-house curriculum map, <i>MEduCompass</i>, featuring an easy-to-navigate interface. <i>MEduCompass</i> was created through a participatory approach involving students and faculty to ensure it met their needs. Guided by Design Thinking principles, the platform has a structured and cohesive design, incorporating a continuous feedback system for iterative, user-centred feature updates. This was piloted with an undergraduate module on the topic of gastrointestinal systems. Initial feedback from faculty members was that it allowed them to view the curriculum holistically and helped bridge the gap between clinical and pre-clinical years to meet learners’ need. This adaptable, feedback-driven approach ensures that stakeholders’ needs are addressed, keeping the platform relevant to evolving educational demands and learning outcomes, while also adapting to both technical and pedagogical requirements.