Professor: Becker Course format: Lecture w/section Number of respondents: 29 Total Enrollment: 39 Class Composition: Froshs: 0 Sophs: 17 Jrs: 12 Srs: 9 Concs: 7 Non-Concs: 17 Don't Know: 2

Instructor Average: 1.36 Course Average: 1.60

There are no prerequisites for "Emergency Medical Systems." Students enrolled in this course learn about the ethical, economic, and cultural issues of emergency medicine. They explore various issues of American health care through the differing points of view of doctors, hospitals, and patients.

The reviewers enjoyed the interactive teaching style of the instructor. Bruce Becker involved all students in class discussions by asking them questions. He also kept the discussion at a simple, understandable level in order to ensure that all students comprehended the material. Respondents found that instructor's passion and enthusiasm for the material motivated them to study the curriculum. In addition, he shared personal stories with the class that fascinated them.

The reviewers devoted, on average, two to five hours per week to the course outside of class. The course workload consisted of one midterm paper, one final group presentation, weekly reading assignments, weekly one-page papers, and site visits to a hospital. The majority of students expended a moderate amount of effort, while others devoted a lot of effort and time to the assignments.

The reading assignments interested the enrollees, although several reviewers found them to be rather dry at times. The curriculum, as a whole, motivated the respondents, who found the topics to be relevant to real world issues. The instructor did not observe Reading Period, scheduling one class meeting with student presentations during that time.

This course provided the reviewers with unique opportunities, including a chance to shadow emergency room doctors. The material applied well to those concentrating in public health or medicine. For all students, however, the topics and opportunities forced them to ponder real-life situations and problems.

View BC/0152 in the Brown Online Course Announcement.