Kiceniuk, Deborah Susan.2014-10-2120002000AAINQ66666http://hdl.handle.net/10222/55796Medical education curriculum change has been a source of debate among educators, and medical school faculty and students, since before Flexner's survey in 1910. The purpose of this study was to examine curriculum change and the events surrounding those changes from within and outside the medical school environment from 1947 to 1967. This study was a historical case study centred in the interpretive paradigm which told the story of curriculum change at Dalhousie Medical School from the point of view of those who worked or attended the School at the time under study. Consequently, the events related in this study were documented from the voices of faculty members, staff, and students, and from Dalhousie Medical School documents. Additional information was obtained from secondary sources written by historians.The evidence revealed that Dalhousie Medical School's undergraduate curriculum underwent two decidedly fundamental changes, in addition to the many incremental changes, during the time frame explored in this thesis. These changes appeared to be cyclical in nature. Consequently, it is reasonable to assume that the curriculum is not often stable, but always undergoing some change in order to maintain an equilibrium. The evidence demonstrated that there existed both facilitators and barriers to curriculum change both within and outside the medical school environment. These facilitators/barriers may include the physical resources of the school, funding, scientific advances, and an adequate number of faculty members to teach. However, it may be impossible to prioritize these forces since they appear to act in a synergistic fashion, at times beyond the control of curriculum planners.Thesis (Ph.D.)--Dalhousie University (Canada), 2000.Health Sciences, Education.Education, History of.text