STEM and the Revised Medical College Admission Test (MCAT)

STEM and the Revised Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) Chicago Symposium January 30, 2015 Robert Hilborn American Association of Physics Teachers MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT2015

Outline Educational ecology Background and history Conceptual framework for the new exam STEM in the revised MCAT Implications for undergraduate curricula Discussion 2 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

The blueprints for the MCAT2015 exam are based on evidence Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians Committee Behavioral and Social Sciences Foundations for Future Physicians Holistic Review Project Advisory Committee Behavioral and Social Science Foundations for Future Physicians 3 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015 Roadmap to Diversity: Integrating Holistic Review Practices Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians Report

Conceptual Framework: Preparing for Medical School General Academic, Social, and Personal Preparation 4 Natural Sci. Preparation - SFFP Behavioral Sci. Preparation MCAT MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015 4

How did we get here? 5 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

A Comment on American Higher Education Lectures enable colleges to "handle cheaply by wholesale a large body of students that would be otherwise unmanageable and thus give the lecturer time for research." MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Abraham Flexner The American College (1908) Carnegie Foundation Report Number Four (1910) AKA “The Flexner Report” With Louis Bamberger, Flexner founded the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, heading it from 1930 to 1939 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

The Flexner Report (1910) Medical community should Enact higher admissions standards (high school diploma and two years of college) Adhere to strict principles of mainstream science in their teaching and research Reduce the number of medical schools (from 155); nation was producing too many doctors MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

High Drop-out Rates in Medical Schools Led to 1928-1946 Scholastic Aptitude Test for Medical Students 1946 – present Medical College Admission Test 9 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

The Scientific Foundations for Future Physicians Project Initiated in 2007 and organized by Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Committee: medical school faculty undergraduate science and math educators Diverse institutions MCAT leadership (a division of AAMC) closely involved MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Structure of SFFP Recommendations Overarching Principles Competency (Medical or Entering) E1, E2, .8 broad statement of goal for knowledge and what you should be able to do with that knowledge Learning Objective 1, 2, etc competencies in various topical areas Examples 1, 2, etc. MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Competencies: E1 – E8 1. Apply quantitative reasoning and appropriate mathematics to describe or explain phenomena in the natural world 2. Demonstrate understanding of the process of scientific inquiry, and explain how scientific information is discovered and validated. 3. Demonstrate knowledge of basic physical principles and their applications to the understanding of living systems. 4. Demonstrate knowledge of basic principles of chemistry and some of their applications to the understanding of living systems. 5. Demonstrate knowledge of how bio-molecules contribute to the structure and function of cells. 6. Apply understanding of principles of how molecular and cell assemblies, organs, and organisms develop structure and carry out function. 7. Explain how organisms sense and control their internal environment and how they respond to external change. 8. Demonstrate an understanding of how the organizing principle of evolution by natural selection explains the diversity of life on earth. MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Math and the SFFP E1 1. Demonstrate quantitative numeracy and facility with the language of mathematics 2. Interpret data sets and communicate those interpretations using visual and other appropriate tools. 3. Make statistical inferences from data sets. 4. Extract relevant information from large data sets. 5. Make inferences about natural phenomena using mathematical models. 13 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Entering Med Student Competencies Competency E1. Apply quantitative reasoning and appropriate mathematics to describe or explain phenomena in the natural world. Learning Objectives: 5. Make inferences about natural phenomena using mathematical models. Examples: Describe the basic characteristics of models (e.g., multiplicative vs. additive). Predict short- and long-term growth of populations (e.g., bacteria in culture). Distinguish the role of indeterminacy in natural phenomena and the impact of stochastic factors (e.g., radioactive decay) from the role of deterministic processes. MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Math and the SFFP E1 6. Apply algorithmic approaches and principles of logic (including the distinction between cause/effect and association) to problem solving. 7. Quantify and interpret changes in dynamical systems. Examples of dynamical systems: Describe population growth using the language of exponents and of differential calculus. Explain homeostasis in terms of positive or negative feedback. Calculate return on investment under varying interest rates by utilizing appropriate mathematical tools. 15 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Entering Med Student Competencies Competency E3. Demonstrate knowledge of basic physical principles and their applications to the understanding of living systems Learning Objectives: 1. Demonstrate understanding of mechanics as applied to human and diagnostic systems. 2. Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of electricity and magnetism (e.g., charge, current flow, resistance, capacitance, potential, and magnetic fields). 3. Demonstrate knowledge of wave generation and propagation to the production and transmission of light and sound. 4. Demonstrate knowledge of the principles of thermodynamics and fluid motion. 5. Demonstrate knowledge of principles of quantum physics such as atomic and molecular energy levels, spin, and ionizing radiation 6. Demonstrate knowledge of principles of systems behavior, including input– output relationships and positive and negative feedback. MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Entering Med Student Competencies Competency E3. Demonstrate knowledge of basic physical principles and their applications to the understanding of living systems Learning Objective 3: Demonstrate knowledge of wave generation & propagation to the production and transmission of light, sound. Examples Apply geometric optics to understand image formation in the eye. Apply wave optics to understand the limits of image resolution in the eye. Apply knowledge of sound waves to describe the use and limitations of ultrasound imaging. MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Competency E4 Demonstrate knowledge of basic principles of chemistry and some of their applications to the understanding of living systems. MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Learning Objective 6. Demonstrate knowledge of the chemistry of carboncontaining compounds relevant to their behavior in an aqueous environment. Recognize major types of functional groups and chemical reactions. Explain how molecular structure and geometry, including chirality, relate to chemical reactivity. Explain the chemical principles that allow structural inference about bio-organic molecules based on common spectroscopic analyses, such as NMR, UV/visible/IR absorption, or X-ray diffraction. Apply knowledge of the chemistry of covalent carbon compounds to explain biochemical reactions. MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Competency E6 (Cell Biology) Learning Objective 1 Employ knowledge of the general components of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, such as molecular, microscopic, macroscopic, and threedimensional structure, to explain how different components contribute to cellular and organismal function. MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Learning Objective E6.1 Examples: Describe how the internal organization of a cell changes as it begins cell division. Describe how proteins are targeted to different compartments in eukaryotic cells. Describe the role of the cytoskeleton in amoeboid movement of cells. MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

The Revised MCAT MR5 (2010-2013) – 5th MCAT Review, 5th review since 1928 Current exam was launched in 1991 Gathered input at 90 outreach events Collected survey data from 2700 medical school and baccalaureate faculty, medical students, and residents Solicited input from blue-ribbon panels and advisory committees Revised MCAT launches on April 17, 2015. 22 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

MCAT2015 will test competencies in four areas 23 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Conceptual framework for MCAT2015 Matches medical schools’ shift to competencybased curricula Increases emphasis on scientific and critical reasoning skills Asks examinees to think like scientists by bringing together concepts in the natural and social sciences And by reasoning about research designs and results and interpreting data and drawing conclusions 24 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Chemical & Physical Foundations of Biological Systems Foundational Concept 4 Content Categories 4A: 4B: 4C: 4D: 4E: Translational motion, forces, work, energy, and equilibrium in living systems Importance of fluids for the circulation of blood, gas movement, and gas exchange Electrochemistry and electrical circuits and their elements How light and sound interact with matter Atoms, nuclear decay, electronic structure, and atomic chemical behavior 25 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

How are MCAT topics chosen? Two Surveys: 1. Importance survey – medical school faculty, medical students, residents 2. What is taught survey – undergraduate natural science and social science faculty 26 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Medical school faculty and students and undergraduate faculty survey data Content topics with high importance ratings that are widely taught will be tested on the future exam. Focus will be on using that content knowledge to reason about applications to living systems Some “straight content knowledge” questions will continue to appear on the MCAT MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Science Importance Survey Results Current MCAT cut-off MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Physics Topics That Were Rated Very Highly 3.0 Units and dimensions Mass, length, time, role of experiment and measurement Error (uncertainty) analysis Transport Processes – diffusion, osmosis, etc. Graphing Techniques Translational motion Sound Kinetic Theory and Ideal Gas Laws Fluids Circuit elements (batteries, capacitors, dielectrics, resistors, ) Atomic Nucleus Feedback and Control (descriptive) Statistical Physics (statistical distributions, fluctuations and noise) 4.0 or higher (greater than any biochemistry topic) MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Physics Topics with Relatively Low Importance Ratings 2.5 Momentum Rotational motion Circuits (Kirchhoff’s Rules, Wheatstone bridge, potentiometer and voltage dividers, power in circuits) Magnetism (magnetic materials, orbits of charged particles in magnetic fields, general sources of B fields) Electromagnetic Induction Alternating Current Circuits 30 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Organic Chemistry Topics with Relatively Low Ratings 2.5 Alkenes Alkynes Alkyl Halides Dienes Units of Unsaturation Benzene and Aromatic Hydrocarbons Arenes Phenols Ethers Dicarboxylic Acids, Anhydrides, Imides α, β-Unsaturated Carbonyl Compounds 1,3- β -dicarbonyl Compounds\ Other Nitrogen-Containing Compounds (Nitriles, Nitro, Azo, Lactams, Amides, Azides) Sulfur Compounds Organometallic Compounds MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015 31

Scientific Inquiry & Reasoning Skills These mirror SFFP entering medical student competencies 1 and 2 Tenets from other blue-ribbon reports include: AAAS Vision and Change Report Advanced Placement in Biology Content Outline Next Generation Science Standards Science Framework for the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) 32 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Scientific Inquiry & Reasoning Skills Knowledge of Scientific Concepts & Principles Scientific Reasoning and Problem Solving Reasoning About the Design and Execution of Research Data-Based and Statistical Reasoning 33 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Mathematics and the Revised MCAT No questions involving calculus. Only a few medical schools require students to have taken calculus. Revised MCAT emphasizes (simple) statistical reasoning, modeling, analysis of data, . 34 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

How will the revised MCAT affect undergraduate curricula? 35 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Challenges for Undergraduate Faculty Devise a courses that help students meet the SFFP and other competencies Sharpen the focus of undergraduate STEM courses for life science students: not everything in the standard STEM courses is relevant to life science students Work with other STEM colleagues to streamline and focus the pre-health curriculum – investigate multidisciplinary courses MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Implications for STEM Courses 0th Approximation – make no changes A Bit Better – physics and chemistry should include examples from life sciences and medicine – help students with transfer of knowledge (Ross’s talk) MCAT Guide: “Focus will be on using that content knowledge to reason about applications to living systems” More biochemistry (ACS foundational level) Use SFFP Competencies and Learning Objectives as a starting point for course design. 37 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Implications for Introductory Physics for the Life Science Courses Still Better work with your local biologists steal material from Redish (Maryland) Meredith (UNH) Crouch (Swarthmore) McKay (Michigan) Donaldson (Rockhurst) Beverly (Mercy) 38 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Resources for examinees and faculty Official Guide to the MCAT2015 Full-length sample test to be taken online. Online course-mapping tool for students and prehealth advisors Khan Academy video tutorials Pre-health Collection in MedEdPORTAL’s iCollaborative Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences web site http://www.compadre.org/ipls/ 39 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015

Discussion 40 MCAT is a program of the Association of American Medical Colleges and related trademarks owned by the Association includes Medical College Admissions Test, MCAT and MCAT 2015