ERIC Number: EJ930587
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Aug
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1874-8597
EISSN: N/A
Curricular Innovation in an Undergraduate Medical Program: What Is "Appropriate" Assessment?
Ruhe, Valerie; Boudreau, J. Donald
Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, v23 n3 p187-200 Aug 2011
In post-secondary education, there is a widely-held belief in a "gold standard" for evaluative studies of curricular innovations. In this context, "appropriate" assessment is understood to refer to experimental designs and statistically significant differences in group outcomes. Yet in our evaluative study of a medical undergraduate program, we did not find these concepts to be particularly applicable. Based on our experience, we now feel that it is appropriate to assemble an eclectic mix of scientific findings, show how they have been used for program improvement, and articulate the program's theoretical rationale and social significance. In the absence of statistically significant differences, this comprehensive argument can be used to justify the deployment of curricular innovations. The same may be true of other educational programs that target hard-to-measure changes in affective domains.
Descriptors: Curriculum Development, Program Improvement, Medical Schools, Innovation, Health Education, Outcomes of Education, Undergraduate Study, Research Design, Postsecondary Education, Statistical Significance, Evaluation
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A