This important volume is designed to help medical educators working in today's changing and challenging circumstances by giving an overview of best practices and research in medical education around the world.

Khalid A. Bin Abdulrahman, MD, Professor of Family Medicine & Medical Education; Vice Rector for Planning, Development and Quality; Professor Chair, Dr AlKholi Chair for Developing Medical Education in Saudi Arabia, Al Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Saudi Arabia.

Stewart Mennin, BS, MS, PhD, Principal, Mennin Consulting & Associates; Professor Emeritus, Department of Cell Biology and Physiology; Assistant Dean Emeritus, Educational Development and Research, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.

Ronald Harden, OBE, MD, FRCP (GLAS.), FRCS (ED.), FRCPC, General Secretary Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE), United Kingdom.

Catherine Kennedy, MA(Hons), MSc, PhD, Education Officer, AMEE, Dundee, UK.

Part 1. The mission of the medical school. 1. Rethinking the mission of the medical school Trevor Gibbs 2. The role of the doctor and the competencies expected from the doctor of the future Stefan Lindgren and David Gordon 3. Why outcome-based education (OBE) is an important development in medical education Ronald M. Harden 4. How many medical students? Matching the number and types of students to a country's needs Victor Lim, Abu Bakar Suleiman and Mei Ling Young Part 2. The student. 5. Should students be admitted to medical school directly from high school or as university graduates? Trudie Roberts and Tadahiko Kozu 6. How do we select students with the necessary abilities? Jon Dowell 7. The secret ingredient: the student's role and how they can be engaged with the curriculum Khalid A. Bin Abdulrahman and Catherine Kennedy 8. Student mobility: a problem and an opportunity Athol Kent and Chivaugn Gordon Part 3. The curriculum. 9. Curriculum planning in the 21st century Ronald M Harden 10. Authentic learning in health professions education: problem-based learning, team-based learning, task-based learning, case-based learning and the blend Hossam Hamdy 11. Introducing early clinical experience in the curriculum Ruy Souza and Antonio Sansevero 12. Benefits and challenges associated with introducing, managing, integrating, and sustaining community-based medical education Regina Helena Petroni Mennin 13. Integration of the sciences basic to medicine and the whole of the curriculum Stewart Mennin 14. Implementing interprofessional education: what have we learning from experience? Dawn Forman and Betsy VanLeit Part 4. Teaching and learning. 15. How can learning be made more effective in medical education? Stewart Mennin 16. New technologies can contribute to a successful educational programme John Sandars Part 5. Assessment. 17. How to implement a meaningful assessment programme Lambert Schuwirth 18. Written and computer-based approaches are valuable tools to assess a learner's competence Reg Dennick 19. More attention is now paid to assessment of clinical competence and on-the-job assessment Vanessa C. Burch Part 6. The medical school. 20. International and transnational models for delivering medical education: the future for medical education John Hamilton and Shajahan Yasin 21. Creating and sustaining medical schools for the 21st century David Wilkinson 22. Recognising leadership and management within the medical school Khalid A. Bin Abdulrahman and Trevor Gibbs 23. How teaching expertise and scholarship can be developed, recognised and rewarded Deborah Simpson, Maryellen E. Gusic and M. Brownell Anderson 24. Accreditation and programme evaluation: ensuring the quality of educational programmes Dan Hunt, Ducksun Ahn, Barbara Barzansky and Donna Waechter Part 7. The future of medical education. 25. Looking toward the future of medical education: fit for purpose Stewart Mennin