An Exploration of Faculty Perceptions of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine to Inform Biomedical Engineering Curriculum Development

摘要

As educational curriculum can often become stagnant over time, it is important to consider how to ensure the relevant skills and concepts associated with a rapidly developing field such as TERM are incorporated into undergraduate education. Measures should be taken to determine if the necessary skills and concepts identified by those individuals practicing tissue engineering, in this case faculty members, are being integrated into the undergraduate curriculum. One method of doing this is an evaluation of current course content offered to students interested in TERM, recommending the addition or modification of content to provide students with the skills necessary for future success. Another avenue of curriculum development that has already influenced undergraduate students at UM is a 1-credit experiential course designed in The Instructional Incubator5 which introduces students to the basics of TERM, including cell culture, biomaterials, and quantitative analysis of experimental outcomes. Courses developed in The Instructional Incubator undergo iterative adaptation allowing for the course to incorporate new concepts as the field of TERM continues to evolve.