Blueprint for an Intentionally Designed Educational System

Principles of Intentional Educational Design 

Each component of a learning module should have a clearly defined purpose. Components should not be included simply because they are familiar or easy to create. Instead, each should contribute meaningfully to learning, durable retention, or clinical reasoning.

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Every minute should have a purpose. Residency education occurs within significant time constraints for both residents and faculty. Educational activities should be designed to maximize the educational value of time invested. Time should be viewed as a limited educational resource and used intentionally.

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Educational modules should be designed as integrated learning experiences rather than collections of independent activities. Preparation, independent learning, in-person instruction, retrieval practice, assessment, and longitudinal reinforcement should work together to support meaningful, durable learning. Decisions made during the design of one component should complement and strengthen the others.

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Throughout this Blueprint, every component is accompanied by a brief explanation of the educational principles that support it. Understanding why a component is included in a learning module or designed in a particular way is as important as understanding how to design and implement the curriculum.

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The module designer assumes responsibility for the work of educational design. By designing educational modules before implementation, the module designer enables faculty to focus on teaching and coaching, and residents to focus on learning. Thoughtful educational design creates a more consistent, efficient, and effective educational experience for everyone involved.

 

 

The Learning Module 

The learning module is the educational unit within this methodology. Each module is intentionally designed around a specific topic or educational objective and integrates multiple educational components into one cohesive learning experience that is intentional, efficient, and evidence-informed.

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Each learning module progresses through three educational phases: Preparation, Application, and Reinforcement. These phases provide a consistent framework for educational design while allowing the specific learning activities and resources to be tailored to each topic.

• Preparation establishes foundational knowledge and prepares residents for active participation through intentional engagement with the assigned learning materials.

• Application uses faculty-guided discussion, clinical cases, and other learning activities to deepen understanding, develop clinical reasoning, and apply foundational knowledge.

• Reinforcement strengthens long-term retention through retrieval practice, spaced review, reflection, and other evidence-informed learning strategies.
   

Together, these components promote meaningful, durable learning.

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Every learning module follows the same overall framework. This consistency allows residents and faculty to develop clear expectations for how learning occurs while providing module designers with a standardized structure for educational design. Although the educational materials and learning activities vary according to the topic (tailored to the educational needs of each topic), the underlying framework remains consistent across all modules.

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The following chapters describe each component of the learning module, its educational purpose, the science supporting its inclusion, design considerations, and practical guidance for implementation.

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Using AI as a Curriculum Design Partner 

Designing a high-quality learning module requires thoughtful educational decisions, creativity, and significant time. While curriculum designers remain responsible for the educational vision, clinical accuracy, and final learning experience, artificial intelligence (AI) can substantially improve the efficiency of the design process.

Many aspects of instructional design are repetitive and time-consuming. Drafting learning objectives, organizing content, brainstorming educational activities, generating comparison tables, refining explanations, generating flashcards, and creating practice questions all require substantial effort. AI can accelerate many of these tasks, allowing designers to spend less time producing initial drafts and more time evaluating educational quality, ensuring clinical accuracy, and creating meaningful learning experiences.

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AI Use Disclaimer

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Do not upload or input copyrighted materials into AI platforms unless you have explicit permission from the copyright holder or your organization has a license that permits such use. This includes, but is not limited to, the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Basic and Clinical Science Course (BCSC), textbooks, journal articles, proprietary educational resources, and other protected content.

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Instead, use your own original content, publicly available resources, or materials that are licensed for your intended use. When discussing concepts from copyrighted works, summarize them in your own words rather than copying or uploading the original text.

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Only use the approved American Academy of Ophthalmology’s GPT when pulling information from the BCSC. 

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Learning Insights/Standardized Educational Explanations 

Every educational strategy included within a learning module should be accompanied by a brief explanation of its educational purpose. These standardized explanations help residents understand not only what they are being asked to do, but why the activity supports learning. By making the educational science visible, the methodology helps residents develop evidence-informed learning habits that extend beyond a single module.

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To ensure consistency across the curriculum, the standardized explanations below should be used verbatim whenever the corresponding educational strategy is incorporated into a learning module. Module designers should copy and paste these explanations rather than rewriting them. While the educational content of each module is unique, the learning science underlying these educational strategies remains the same.

 

Consistent explanations reinforce a shared educational philosophy, establish a common language for learning, and ensure that residents receive the same educational experience regardless of the topic or module designer.

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