The SEQUINS Scholars program aims to provide a deeper understanding of health inequities in Neurology to medical students via a year-long virtual lecture series. To connect abstract concepts to real-word applications, a case-based learning model can engage learners through the Experiential Learning Cycle of concrete experience, reflective observation, abstract conceptualization, and active experimentation. To apply Experiential Learning Theory to the SEQUINS Scholar curriculum, students had an interactive session at the end of each lecture with example cases and were asked to reflect on applying what they learned to their capstone project. Following a lecture on community engagement, the learners are given an example case of treating patients in a stroke clinic with poorly controlled hypertension. The learners consider the barriers of care that could lead to this issue and are walked through a scenario of meeting with primary care physicians, community health workers, and patients in the community to identify a specific barrier to care and tailor an intervention best suited to the community. At the end of the session, students are asked to spend a few minutes journaling on what they learned and how to apply the principles of community engagement to their capstone project. Integrating case-based learning into health equity curricula can deepen understanding and learning using Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory as a framework.
Kumar et al. (Wed,) studied this question.