And if the early reaction of both students and faculty is any indication, then it may be just a matter of time before the New Pathway becomes the route for all medical students at Harvard.

"The curriculum does seem to be working, and students are learning at a good clip. There's a sense of challenge and creative effort," said Dr. Gordon T. Moore, who chairs the New Pathway curriculum committee and oversees the program's daily operation.

Still, he says, the program has been far from flawless during its first weeks.

"There have been difficulties with faculty and students on how to make tutorials work. It's really hard to find proper materials," Moore said. In addition, he said, "the intensity and number of cases are too much."

"From the point of view of excitement and enthusiasm, it seems to be wonderful," said Professor of Anatomy Dr. Daniel A. Goodenough '66, one of five tutorial leaders.

"But whether this is going to be a substitute for the conventional way of teaching, it's hard to tell," Goodenough said.

Several students interviewed recently offered praise for the program, interspersed with moderate disdain for the traditional route that none of them had experienced but that they seemed glad to have passed up.

Student Mark Silver said the Pathway "is working like a dream." He believes he "definitely gets more out of" the tutorials than he would have from a schedule full of lectures which "go in one ear and out the other."

"It seems to be working very well right now," said student Kenneth D. Mandl. "At first there was a lot of skepticism because we do a lot of clinical work, but now people realize that this is knowledge we're going to be building on."

"In terms of details and facts, we're getting less," said student John K. Parks. Added Silver: "We're not being held responsible for every single detail."

Silver lauded the flexibility of the unconventional program, saying it allowed him to take a course on AIDS and immunology that he could not have taken if he were not a Pathway participant.

Effectiveness

While observers of the New Pathway have applauded Harvard's efforts at reform, some have charged that the program's decreased emphasis on information-gathering will leave students inadequately prepared to tackle the critical end-of-school licensing exams.

Though Tosteson said "they will certainly be ready," not everyone is so sure.

"We don't even know that we're doing things right yet," said Dr. Elio Raviola, one of the tutors. "I have a pretty good feeling, but it's a bit too soon to say anything."