The long term effectiveness of workshops in curriulum planning and design for teaching staff in Indonesian medical schools.

A programme of basic curriculum change was concurrently introduced into ten Indonesian faculties of medicine which constitute an established system of medical schools with 260 separate academic departments. The programme was based on a 2-week workshop in curriculum planning and a series of follow-up activities. Within a 3-year period almost three quarters of the academic departments involved have defined a more selective curriculum based on sets of instructional (i.e. behavioural) objectives, and are involved in its implementation. This paper describes the methods used to bring about these developments and the attempts which were made to develop a structure within each medical school which would localize and ensure continuity of the changes set in motion. Because of the context from which conclusions have been drawn they have direct significance for large scale educational change in systems of medical schools in developing countries. The conclusions are however also applicable to changes in medical education in developed countries.