The ABCs of Child Neurology: Creating Lifelong Learning through Article Based Curriculum
Elizabeth Troy1, Timothy Bernard1, John Binder1, Aaron Carlson2, Hannah Gilbert1, Jan Martin3, Jeremy Moeller4, Scott Rosenthal1, Michelle Tutmaher5, Tai Lockspeiser1
1University of Colorado/Children's Hospital Colorado, 2University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Department of Neurology, 3University of Washington/Seattle Children's Hospital, 4Yale University, 5Emory University School of Medicine
Objective:
To develop an online article-based curriculum (ABC) for child neurology residents that promotes mastery of core knowledge in the field.
Background:
Establishing a foundation of knowledge is key for child neurology residents to build upon as they encounter emerging diagnostics and treatments. While national recommendations define what content should be covered in didactic learning, strategies for implementation vary widely. To address this educational gap, we created The ABCs of Child Neurology, an asynchronous evidence-based curriculum informed by the principles of the Master Adaptive Learner framework. This individualized curriculum fosters self-directed learning as engagement is influenced by knowledge gaps.
Design/Methods:
Curriculum development was guided by the ABPN Child Neurology Core Competencies. The oversight committee, composed of four child neurologists, identified eight broad topics and selected five key articles for each category. The item writing committee, composed of six child neurologists, wrote five assessment items per article. Each item followed national recommendations for developing multiple-choice questions and was reviewed by an item writing expert. Qualtrics, an accessible web platform, hosts the curriculum. This academic year, 11 local child neurology residents as participants in the pilot study are required to complete 1 article per month.
Results:
Feasibility and impact will be evaluated by pre- and post-intervention knowledge assessments, aggregate performance on items, and a survey following each article. All residents completed a 40-item pre-assessment, and percent correct ranged from 35-65%. In the first 3 months, 11/11 residents have completed at least 3 modules. Interest was seen across 8/8 categories, and 21/40 articles were selected at least once.
Conclusions:
By leveraging this asynchronous, individualized curriculum, the ABCs of Child Neurology is positioned for dissemination to child neurology residency programs across the country, offering a key step toward equitable educational opportunities. Future work will focus on curriculum adaptability to learners in pediatrics, psychiatry, and adult neurology.
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