Advances in Medical Education and Practice (Aug 2024)
The Museum as a Shared Space: Developing Contextual and Cross-Disciplinary Approaches to Arts-Based Education
Abstract
Kain Kim,1 Elizabeth Hornor,2 Ali-John Zarrabi3 1Department of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; 2Michael C. Carlos Museum, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA; 3Division of Palliative Medicine, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USACorrespondence: Kain Kim, Emory University School of Medicine, 2015 Uppergate Dr, Atlanta, 30307, Tel +1 201 820 5533, GA, Email [email protected]: Despite the growing evidence favoring use of context-based interdisciplinary pedagogies in medical education, museum learning remains underutilized as a low-cost, replicable tool for introducing such constructs. We describe a novel approach to museum-based education building off the existing pedagogy of Visual Thinking Strategies that heightens the role of context.Methods: Outside the Frame, an optional elective at Emory University School of Medicine, was piloted in two iterations for a total of 7 second-year medical students who voluntarily enrolled in the course for the fall 2022 and 2023 semesters. Participating students were transitioning from the preclinical classroom environment to clinical clerkships, a period associated with feelings of personal and professional instability that may particularly benefit from critical reflection. The course included didactic components, hands-on crafting activities, presentations, and discussion groups. Student feedback was collected through anonymous pre- and post-course surveys, as well as written narrative reflections.Results: All post-course responses ranked their experience of the course as being “valuable” or “very valuable”. Narrative reflections were overall positive and highlighted the role of context and cross-disciplinary input in shaping metacognitive awareness and cultivating comfort with uncertainty.Discussion: This pilot innovation demonstrates that a methodical framework to arts-based learning can elevate the role of context in a standardized museum education curriculum. Future visual arts and medicine courses may incorporate this framework to chart more active collaborations with museum educators and humanities faculty, as well as engage a broader range of communities and professional disciplines beyond medicine.Keywords: medical humanities, visual arts, undergraduate medical education, pedagogy, curriculum evaluation
