SACME Virtual Journal Club July Session

Title: Basics of Evaluation Science as Applied to Health Professions Education

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Presenter: Thomas J. Van Hoof, MD, EdD, Associate Professor, University of Connecticut Schools of Nursing & Medicine

Description: The purpose of this session is to outline some basic principles and concepts of evaluation science that are critical to health professions education, including formative and summative evaluation and process and outcome evaluation. Through reflection and pre-reading, participants will be prepared to discuss some challenges that they face in planning and implementing educational activities and quality improvement programs and to consider how evaluation can be helpful to improving and to judging such efforts..

Reflective Questions (prior to reading): 

1. What is the distinction between formative evaluation and summative evaluation?
2. What is the difference between “assessment” and “evaluation”?
3. What are different ways in which one can use formative evaluation to plan and implement a program?
4. Why is a process evaluation critical to a summative evaluation?
5. Is evaluation always necessary and why is stakeholder perspective so important to evaluation efforts?

Recommended Readings (prior to session but after reflection): 

1. Weiss CH. “Purposes of Evaluation” (Chapter 2, pp. 10-23) in Evaluation. (2nd Ed.). 1998. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

2. Stetler CB, Legro MW, Wallace CM, et al. (2006). The role of formative evaluation in implementation research and the QUERI experience. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 21, S1-8. Download file. 

3. Moore DE, Green JS, Gallis HA. (2009). Achieving desired results and improved outcomes: Integrating planning and assessment throughout learning activities. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 29,1, 1-15. Download file.

Suggested Readings:

1. Morrison J. (2003). ABC of learning and teaching in medicine: evaluation. BMJ, 326, 385-387.

2. Wilkes M, Bligh J. (1999). Evaluating educational interventions. BMJ, 318, 1269-1272.

3. Kirkpatrick DL, Kirkpatrick JD. Chapters 3-8 (pp. 21-74) in Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels. (3rd Ed.). 2006. San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler.

4. Brookfield SD. “Evaluating Learning and Its Facilitation” (Chapter 11, pp. 261-282) in Understanding and Facilitating Adult Learning. 1986. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.