But forcing schools to adopt new-age teaching methods or nit-picking the number of hours students spend doing specific types of study is dumb. If a school and their student body prefer a primarily lecture-based, traditional approach to teaching the basic sciences, why not let them do that (UTSOMSA is not like this, they are in fact transitioning to a highly integrated curriculum next year)? Or if another school wants 100% PBL, that's fine too. Even if a student body/school decide that they value independent learning and gives students 3 days off a week to watch online lectures, sink their teeth into textbooks, do online interactive stuff, etc. and then only physically meet two times a week for a PBL case discussion and clinical skills development, why not let them experiment with that? Schools are extremely interested in their students USMLE success and will adapt and change whatever they need in order to ensure that happens. As long as incoming students know what the curriculum is like and the school is open about everything, who cares how much PBL they use? If a school uses a particular teaching technique more than others, then they will attract the students whose learning styles match that.
Maybe my ideas are dumb and naive, since I really have no experience with any of this. It just seems like common sense to me, though. And telling the public that a school is on "probation" gives the entirely wrong impression and damages its reputation in the community in ways that are entirely unfair given the specific grievances the LCME found.
