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Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine
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Office of Medical Education

Mission Statement

The mission of the Office of Medical Education is to provide guidance and support for the medical education program through the design, delivery, and assessment of innovative curricula, educational technology, and experiential learning.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT

The Office of Medical Education provides support for faculty, students and overall curricular support for the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. We support curricular design, instructional strategies, accreditation and overall quality improvement. Key services include faculty development, course design and support, instructional strategies, and program evaluation.

The frontline curriculum support team is composed of program coordinators who interface Fertitta Family College of Medicine's learning management system eMedley and manage course scheduling for their respective faculty members. Please feel free to contact us to inquire about how we can customize a support plan for you and your instructional team.

Curriculum

Fertitta Family College of Medicine’s unique and innovative curriculum will prepare students to practice high-quality, high-value patient-centered medicine in a rapidly changing and complex health system. We place a major emphasis on primary care in underserved populations, social determinants of health, community and population health, and behavioral health to improve health care disparities in urban and rural areas.

Throughout the four-year curriculum, students will be immersed in a highly integrated approach to the teaching of biomedical, clinical, behavioral and social, health system and population health sciences, complemented with robust experiential learning.

FREQUENTLY ASKED CURRICULAR QUESTIONS

How am I graded in the preclerkship and clerkship curriculum?

All preclerkship courses are graded as pass/ fail. Students must pass the comprehensive final summative exam in a course to achieve a passing score. Clerkships will be graded as pass/ fail/ honors.

What do pre-clerkship course requirements include?

In all pre-clerkship courses, you will have summative and formal formative assessments. Summative assessments (exams) are designed to determine student mastery of material and contribute to the pass/fail course grade. Formal formative assessments are designed to provide individual student feedback in learning material between summative assessments and do not contribute to the pass/fail course grade.

How will the curriculum be assessed given this is a new school?

We have a Medical Education Program Evaluation Plan that we developed to assess LCME standard alignment, course/clerkship quality, and student outcomes at multiple time points from multiple data sources throughout the four-year program. The results will be used by multiple entities within the College to determine progress and any needed changes.

How do we learn clinical skills?

Physical examination skills are taught via a combination of in-class instruction and through the Physical Examination Teaching Associate (PETA) Program. The PETA program is one of a growing number of programs throughout the country that trains patient educators to teach students the technique of physical examination using their own body as a teaching tool. This allows students to learn in small groups and receive immediate practice and feedback about their skills, and have confidence that they will not accidentally hurt their patient as they learn. The curriculum is overseen by faculty and allows them to focus their time with students on questions of pathology and clinical reasoning. Students will then take the skills that they learn in the classroom and apply them in a real clinical setting. Each student is assigned to a Continuity Clinic site as part of the Longitudinal Primary Care course. Students will get to use the skills that they have learned in the Continuity Clinic under the supervision of their attending primary care physician preceptor.

Where will we be doing clerkships?

Our main hospital affiliate is HCA Houston Healthcare, a large health care system of hospitals across and around Houston. We intend to have our students have their clerkships at the following hospitals: HCA West Houston, HCA North Cypress, HCA Clear Lake Regional, HCA Kingwood and HCA Southeast. The HCA-UH Family Medicine and Ob-Gyn residencies are based at HCA West Houston. The HCA-UH General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine and Transitional Year residency programs are based at HCA Kingwood Hospital. We also have affiliation agreements with MD Anderson and St. Joseph Medical Center.

Curriculum Resources

Software Applications

Fertitta Family College of Medicine students will use the following software applications to enhance and aid their education.

  • Fertitta Family College of Medicine learning management system containing a suite of modules for various medical education tasks. Users can log into eMedley using their CougarNet username.

  • Application that enables students to learn, retain, apply and study medicine from anywhere with video lectures integrated into a powerful question bank. Users can log into Lecturio, after receiving an invitation email to set up a password.

  • Students will participate in polling and other activities via the mobile app, which is an easy-to-use engagement and assessment tool. Read more information about PointSolutions.

  • A workspace for real-time collaboration and communication, meetings, file and app sharing, and more. Read more about Microsoft Teams.

  • An online resource for medical students and educators that makes complex concepts easy to understand, B&B can be used to supplement curriculum and is useful for CBSE and USMLE exam prep. Users can log into B&B using their UH credentials.

  • Aquifer is an application that helps students build clinical reasoning skills and supplements clinical experiences through evidence-based, peer-reviewed and continuously updated courses and virtual patient cases.


FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR EDUCATION TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATIONS

General Education Technology Questions

What are the computer recommendations for Fertitta Family College of Medicine?

Am I able to complete my coursework on an iPad?

In some cases, there may be tasks that can be completed using iPads and similar devices, you will NOT be able to complete exams with an Android tablet, Chromebook, notebook or iPad.

Which web browser should I use for my coursework?

It is recommended that students use Google Chrome for tasks in the eMedley learning-management system. Other browsers may be appropriate for tasks outside of that system.

What are the education technology support hours?

Education technology support is available during the university’s business hours of 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

How do I contact education technology support at the Fertitta Family College of Medicine?

eMedley FAQs

How do I log into eMedley?

Users can log into eMedley using their CougarNet username.

Is eMedley available from home?

Yes. eMedley is available from any location. It does not require VPN or campus access. It is recommended that students use Google Chrome for tasks in the eMedley learning-management system.

Am I able to complete my coursework on an iPad?

In some cases, there may be tasks that can be completed using iPads and similar devices, you will NOT be able to complete exams with an Android tablet, Chromebook, notebook or iPad.

How do I access my courses in eMedley?

After signing into eMedley, click the icon with three yellow blocks on the left menu and select educate. The educate module is the learning-management system within eMedley.

I don’t see my course in eMedley. How do I get access?

If a course is missing from your view, Contact us regarding eMedley access via email.

Is there a mobile app for eMedley?

There is no mobile app available for the Fertitta Family College of Medicine at this time.

Lecturio FAQs

What is Lecturio?

Lecturio is an application that helps students learn, retain, apply and study medicine, from anywhere, with video lectures, by award-winning professors, integrated in a powerful question bank.

How do I log into Lecturio?

Users can log into Lecturio with their @central.uh.edu address (faculty) or their @uh.edu address (students). Please keep in mind that login credentials for this site are independent of UH logins and passwords, so you’ll need to keep up with the password that you create for this site.

Is there a mobile app for Lecturio?

Yes. Custom mobile apps have been created for the Fertitta Family College of Medicine and they can be found in the Apple App store or the Google Play store.

I don’t have access to Lecturio. How do I get access?

TurningPoint FAQs

How do I access TurningPoint?

Is there a TurningPoint mobile app?

Read information about the TurningPoint mobile app.

Microsoft Teams FAQs

What is Microsoft Teams?

Read more information about Microsoft Teams.

Who can use Microsoft Teams?

University faculty, staff and students can use Microsoft Teams.

How do I start using Microsoft Teams?

Any actively enrolled student or currently employed staff or faculty member can create their own Teams. To get started:

  • Download Teams for your desktop, iOS or Android, or just use Teams on the web.
  • Sign in with your CougarNet ID and password (make sure to append @cougarnet.uh.edu after your username).

Where can I find training resources for Microsoft Teams?

Boards and Beyond FAQs

What is Boards and Beyond?

An online resource for medical students and educators with instructional media and USMLE-style questions. Faculty can use B&B to supplement curriculum and students find it useful for CBSE and USMLE exam preparation.

How do I access Boards and Beyond?

B&B is available to students and faculty at TJFFCOM. To receive an access code and register, please contact Educational Technology at comedtec@cougarnet.uh.edu.

Aquifer FAQs

What is Aquifer?

Aquifer is a safe space to practice clinical decisions with deep evidence-based articles, videos, learning modules and formative assessment. It offers comprehensive coverage of national curriculum standards and authentic clinical contexts.

How do I access Aquifer?

Aquifer is available to students and faculty at TJFFCOM. To gain access, please contact Educational Technology at comedtec@cougarnet.uh.edu.



Educational Technology Support

Support Hours
Education Technology Support
8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday - Friday
Email: comedtec@cougarnet.uh.edu

Tests, Books & Equipment

Center for Clinical Arts, Skills, and Experiential Learning (CCASEL)

Student taking blood pressure

The Center for Clinical Arts, Skills, and Experiential Learning (CCASEL) (pronounced castle) serves as the hub for simulation activities of all modalities, clinical skills training and other experiential learning initiatives in the College of Medicine. It is also the home for the College’s Standardized Patient and Physical Examination Teaching Associate Programs, which allow trained community members to be part of the educational team by providing instruction and feedback to students about their communication, interpersonal and physical examination skills. The Center is overseen by Steven Butler, Ph.D., LP, CHSE, CHSOS, Director of Clinical Simulation.

For more information or to inquire about hosting a simulation activity, please email us at sdbutler@central.uh.edu. Current medical students may also contact us to request access to the lab space for self-directed learning, practice and review at no charge.

  • Steven Butler, Ph.D., LP, CHSE, CHSOS
    Director of Clinical Simulation
  • Kathleen Gullion, M.F.A.
    Standardized Patient Program Manager

STUDENT RESOURCES

The Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine Student Resources page provides the latest announcements and information on academic support, learning communities, the student handbook and other useful resources to help you on your journey.

TEACHING RESOURCES

The Office of Medical Education has developed an online resource for medical educators called the Fertitta Family College of Medicine Medical Education Training Center. The material on this site covers a wide range of instructional methods and practical training for eMedley, the learning management system used by the Fertitta Family College of Medicine. As new modules are created, they will be published to this site making it a great resource as you develop and implement your courses.

Curriculum Support Team