Strategies for Assessment from the 1995 and 2002 COMSEP Curricula

The following sections, developed by COMSEP members, provide an overview of principles of evaluation as well as detailed information about specific assessment strategies.

Evaluation Strategies: There should be links to the topics listed below.

	Basic Principles of Evaluation: An Overview		Section A
		Harold G. Levine
	The Written Examination		Section B
		David Kalwinsky Omer Berger
	The Oral Examination		Section C
		Paul B. Kaplowitz Renee R. Jenkins Prasanna Nair
	Performance Based Evaluation of Clinical Competence: OSCE		Section D
		Linda Shaw
	Videotaping as an Evaluation Tool in the Clinical Setting		Section E
		Cynthia S. Samra
	Computer Teaching for Education and Evaluation		Section F
		Robert L. Janco
	Clinical Assessment of Medical Students		Section G
		Benjamin S. Siegel
	Curriculum Evaluation		Section H
		Raul Rudoy Joseph Lopreiato
	Evaluation of Faculty Teaching		Section I
		Mary Ellen Bozynsky

Additional Resources:

Assessing instruction and student competency are critical to provide both the program and students feedback on their performance. Assessment and competency are becoming very important at all levels of medical training. Though not specific for the COMSEP, curriculum at this time the following links provide excellent reviews of assessment tools.

Writing test items: National Board of Medical Examiners' (NBME) "Item Writing Manual". Download the manual by going to http://www.nbme.org and clicking on the word "Publications". Select "Item Writing Manual" and then choose to download the manual in PDF format by selecting "click here" in the second paragraph. On the page that opens, choose to download the "Entire Item Writing Guide" from the list of options. The guide will open with Adobe Acrobat Reader.

This is an outstanding resource for writing multiple choice questions with test content specific to medicine.

Assessing Outcomes at the GME level:The Outcome Project is a long-term initiative by which the ACGME is increasing emphasis on educational outcome assessment in the accreditation process. Expectations for increased emphasis on outcome assessment are reflected in changes to Program and Institutional.” This site provides an excellent overview of assessment tools and insight into the coming emphasis on outcomes.http://www.acgme.org/Outcome/

Internal Medicine Program Directors – OSCE and SP reviews: http://apdim.med.edu/ec/osce.htm Site contains literature review of articles to assessment with OSCE and SP in internal medicine.