title: Student-selected components in the undergraduate medical curriculum: a multi-institutional consensus on assessable key tasks.
abstract: This paper describes further progress by the Northern Universities SSC Consortium in achieving consensus on the contribution of the Student Selected Components (SSCs) to undergraduate medical courses. Following the identification of common purposes and outcomes, the group has matched these to assessable key tasks which students may undertake in order to demonstrate competence on a range of attributes not normally fully assessed in the core curriculum. In some schools, SSCs may be the predominant route through which students gain exposure to research methods and reflective practice. In addition to opportunities to acquire knowledge and skills outside the core curriculum, SSCs can contribute towards enhancement of core skills. SSCs may also contribute to the overall longitudinal assessment of personal and professional development. The potential role of portfolios in maximizing student learning from SSCs is discussed, and future areas for development identified.
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit of Medical Education, University of Sheffield, Coleridge House, Northern General Hospital, Sheffield S5 7AU, UK. p.stark@sheffield.ac.uk
authors.forename: Patsy
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stark
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ellershaw
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Newble
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Sue
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Whittle
authors.forename: Deborah
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Murdoch-Eaton
mesh_terms: D002755:Choice Behavior; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D013337:Students, Medical; D006113:United Kingdom