A key finding was the need to improve the core syllabus by establishing objectives and devising a strategy to link the objectives with the assessment.
The more explicit the course curriculum or syllabus in terms of objectives, content, instructional resources and grading components is, the better it enables the processing of information gained in a learning situation and the students' final grade performances as well.
It offers proposals on syllabus design, assessment and objectives by reference to the authors' own teaching experience, and also seeks to serve as a resource for those considering the introduction of a course in this field.
The existing Guidelines define the course syllabus, defining for each subject objectives, scope and expected results, including the minimum teaching duration in hours assigned to them.
The implications of such an approach will be considered in relation to the setting of learning objectives, task and syllabus design, and the role of teachers and students as intercultural mediators.
The examination topics were chosen and the OSCE stations devised by a team of anaesthesiologists, emergency physicians, cardiologists, radiologists, paediatricians and students based on both learning objectives in the syllabus [ 13] and a needs analysis of the targeted learners [ 14].
The syllabus is based on the learning objectives specified by the German Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care [ 13].
Lastly, the authors reviewed objectives in the core syllabus to determine whether there was congruence and proportionality between the objectives and the examination.
All students were provided with the textbook "American Association of HIV Medicine Fundamentals of HIV Medicine" 2007 Edition and a course syllabus describing each session's learning objectives and assigned reading.
The objectives for the curriculum, as found in the core syllabus, had deficiencies with respect to format, organization and specific/measurable content.
