Teaching of interdisciplinary and core curriculun topics using alternative strategies

Objective: In the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium Infectious Diseases Fellowship program, didactic lecture formats were previously used to present training in interdisciplinary topics, journal discussions, and core curriculum topics, but herein is described the recent modification of the fellowship's teaching techniques along with a satisfaction survey. Methods: The initial modification to the curriculum included the institution of debates covering controversial core curriculum topics in parliamentary fashion. The second change was the teaching of interdisciplinary topics utilizing a conference moderator. To evaluate the impact of the new teaching strategies, an anonymous Likert-based survey was distributed to the staff and fellows. Results: The staff and fellows were uniformly satisfied with the changes in the curriculum and new strategies are preferred over the traditional teaching methods. Conclusions: Creating innovative forums to enhance the education of trainees has improved fellow and staff satisfaction with the teaching of these topics.