*1.2.2 History*

Earliest ancient centuries, Before Common Era (BCE), testified the outset of medicine by Egyptian and Babylonian priests in ancient Egypt and Iraq. Evolving of medical knowledge and development of medical education started and transferred by Hippocrates during Greece culture then by Galen which was eminent during Roman Empire [14, 15]. Islamic civilization had a potent influence on medical education especially after its invasion to Europe. Revolution was transmitted from Arabian to European areas between the ninth to fourteenth centuries. Razi and Ibn Sina, excelled at this time, in diagnosis, management and in medical education [14, 16, 17]. Then, in Europe, 19th century came to prove, classify, develop and apply the educational theories in a frame of systematized educational practice [14, 15]. With the beginning of 20th century, Flexner exploded his report for medical education reform to be applied in all US areas and all medical institutions without distinction or segregation [18]. In 1949, Tyler started structuring curriculum in a four-staged organized framework. Then Harden 10 question adjusted in depth and breadth more details about content of each of Tyler's 4 stages considering the relation between curriculum elements and stakeholders, institution support and community conditions to be more reflective on practice [8, 19]. Later, Kern developed the six steps framework which has been become the popular systematized framework in medical education till our current days [8, 20].

The current open 21th century mandates continuous life-long learning in medical education. This requires contemplation of history' events to confront the present facilities and challenges and to adapt the everlasting changing future without missing the fundamental rules, without omission of basic knowledge and theories monograph and without neglecting the variables of stakeholders needs.

**Footnote:** *Be firm in roots (by applying what is sturdy from curriculum history), flexible in twigs (by continuous required reforms)*.

#### **1.3 Importance**

The educational process is complex and is loaded by many elements which need to be determined, organized and linked together. These elements include defining goals and objectives, content intelligibility, targeting general and learners' needs, detection of educational strategies, implementation and assessing of the whole educational process [9]. Inter-link between all these elements in a

clear organized plan is what ended by a curriculum design [8]. Repercussions are obviously attained in educational process if there is no clear specific organized plan. The role of curriculum plan is to organize *what to be learned (content of program, learners will do), who will receive this (learners, stakeholders), how to learn this (strategies, methods, and implementation), why this important to be learned (goals, objectives and assessment), when (timetable, environment and resources)* and *where the learning process (environment, resources)* are carried out in a conceptual framework. Moreover there are many factors and forces that should be considered during achieving this sophisticated process [21]. These factors entail social, societal, political, commercial (which is obvious in private institutions), academic and health service aspects [8]. Consideration of all these factors, during curriculum mapping, is important to reveal curriculum translation into practice and to reflect the practice impact on curriculum development as well [8, 21, 22]. Recently in addition to these factors consideration in curricula planning, system based thinking and regulation are overarched to fill gaps in health care system [23].

**Footnote:** *Practicing education, using elements without knitting each of them in comprehensive organized steps, resembles breaking up of one bead from a continuous necklace beads. Other elements (or beads) will be easily lost.*

*So, connect all elements (beads) to construct useful curriculum (necklace).*

### **2. Curriculum classification**

#### **2.1 Criteria**

There are many curricula classification and types, each determines the way of preparation and delivery of the education process. Each curriculum -to be effective- requires fulfilling specific criteria of different aspects [24]. Although there is an evolving renaissance in medical education and curricula designing, there is still no evidence that the new curricula are more effective than the iterative old ones [25]. On the other hand, following fundamental criteria (in **Figure 1**) for curriculum planning and achievement guarantees -to greater extent- a realistic, not only a theoretic, curriculum which is attuned with contexts. These criteria include the relevance of curriculum to health service and learners' needs, filling gaps to reach outcomes, flexibility with surrounding changes, relatedness to practice, organized timetabled plans and continuous assessment and remediation at each curriculum stage in addition to final assessment as well [24].

**Footnote:** *Each body –to be healthy- requires basic balanced mixtures of different sorts of diet, each soul –to be sober- requires acquiring perceptions from different* 

**Figure 1.** *Fundamental criteria.*

*Clinical Curriculum Revolution to Integrity and "Attunity" DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99460*

*cultures. Likewise, each curriculum -to be effective- requires matching specific criteria of different aspects.*

*So, make your curriculum effective by considering its fundamental criteria.*
