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Assessment in Education. Patricia O’Sullivan Office of Educational Development UAMS. Last Month Dr. Allen described a situation about an individual asking her how to get to Freeway Medical Center. How would you determine how successful Dr. Allen was?. Objectives.
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Assessment in Education Patricia O’Sullivan Office of Educational Development UAMS
Last Month Dr. Allen described a situation about an individual asking her how to get to Freeway Medical Center. How would you determine how successful Dr. Allen was?
Objectives • Provide terminology and principles fundamental to assessment • Introduce various assessment approaches • Review tips for a common assessment: Multiple Choice Questions • Review elements for a less common assessment: Portfolio
What is Assessment? • Appraising performance through measurement to make an evaluation • For what purpose? • Formative • Summative
What Makes a Good Summative Assessment? • Fair and practical • Based on appropriate criteria that are shared with the learners • Valid • Reliable
Validity • Key to the interpretability and relevance of scores • Do the scores have a plausible meaning? • What are the implications of interpreting the scores? • What is the utility of the scores? • What are the actual social consequences?
Validity Evidence for Proposed Interpretation • Content/Construct Evidence • Content matches the objectives & teaching • Score is shown to be meaningful • Criterion/Predictor Evidence • Score relates to future outcomes
Reliability • Assessment data must be reproducible • Written tests • Internal consistency Cronbach’s alpha or KR-20 (values range 0-1) • Test-retest Correlation ranging from 0-1
Reliability (cont.) • Rater-based assessments • Interrater consistency or agreement (generally correlation coefficient or intraclass correlation) • OSCE & performance assessments • Generalizability Theory
Improve Validity • Match assessment with objectives • Increase the sample of objectives and content on the assessment • Review blueprint (or produce one) • Use test methods appropriate to objectives • Ensure test security
Improve Reliability • Clear questions • Appropriate time allotted • Simple, clear and unambiguous instructions • High quality scoring • Increase number of observations or questions
Norm or Criterion Referenced • Norm-referenced (relative standard) • Use the results of the assessment to set the standards (e.g. proportion to receive each grade); performance judged by comparison with others • Criterion-referenced (absolute standard) • Learners achieve some minimal standard of competency
Standard Setting Procedures • Judgments based on • Holistic impressions of the exam or item pool • Content of individual test items • Examinee’s test performance
Anghoff Standard Setting Procedure • Judges are instructed to think of a group of “minimally acceptable” persons • For each item estimate the proportion of this group that will answer item correctly • Sum up proportions to get the minimum passing score for a single judge • Average across judges
Assessment Methods • ACGME Toolbox • Additional methods • Other written assessments • Essay • Short answer and computation • Patient management problems • Modified essay questions • Create a game • Self-assessment
Matching Assessment Method and Objectives • Examine ACGME matrix
Alternative Testing Modes • Take-home tests • Open-book tests • Group exams • Paired testing
Reducing Test Anxiety • Make the first exam relatively easier • Give more than one exam • Give advice on how to study • Encourage study groups • Give a diagnostic test early
Reducing Test Anxiety • Before a test explain format • Provide sample items • Provide a pool of final items with syllabus
Technology and Assessment • Computer based testing • Use of images and video clips • Computer Adaptive Testing (CAT)
Multiple Choice Questions: Writing Tips • http://www.nbme.org/about/itemwriting.asp • Simple suggestions: • Design for one best answer • Place hand over stem. Can you guess the answer? • Use a template • Attend to Graveyard of Test Items
Template Examples • A (patient description) is unable to (functional disability). Which of the following is most likely to have been injured? • Following (procedure), a (patient description) develops (symptoms and signs). Laboratory findings show (findings). Which of the following is the most likely cause?
Graveyard • B-type: matching heading with words or phrases (can use heading more than once) • D-type: complex matching—two step process • K-type: stem with four options and choices are • A=1,2,3 only B=1,3 only C=2,4 only • D=4 only, E=all are correct
Case Records Conferences Evaluations Logs
Portfolios • Definition • A purposeful collection of student work that exhibits to the student (and/or other) the student’s efforts, progress, or achievement in (a) given area(s).
Reflection Criteria Selection • This collection must include student participation in • Selection of portfolio content • The criteria for selection • The criteria for judging merit • Evidence of student reflection
Learning Showing progress Showing effort Showing remediation Assessment Showing competence Portfolios
Presentations Logs Case Records Evaluations
Criteria ______ ______ ______
Portfolio Reflection • Why selected • How reflects skills and abilities
Using Portfolios the Learner Engages in Assessment • Making choices • Critically self-examining • Explaining what they are doing
Well-structured Portfolio • Menu • Selection criteria • Scoring rubric • Benchmarks • Trained raters
Determine Reliability and Validity • Reliability: Generalizability theory • Found needed 6 entries with 2 raters • Validity: number of studies • Resident performance across years • Resident performance in areas • Resident perception • Resident performance when program made an intervention • Correlation of portfolio performance and other areas
10-Step Approach • Define the purpose • Determine competencies to be assessed • Select portfolio materials • Develop an evaluation system • Select and train examiners
10-Step Approach • Plan the examination process • Orient learners • Develop guidelines for decisions • Establish reliability and validity evidence • Design evaluation procedures