A medical student logbook that was developed by the Department of Surgery at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine to improve the clerkship is described. Specific objectives of the logbook were: (1) to reinforce student habits to systematically record relevant data concerning patients for purposes of future recall and reference; (2) to serve as a stimulus for discussion in lecture rounds and in sessions between the student and his preceptor; and (3) provide a medium for collecting data on the students and their daily activities. Students routinely record their daily activities on preprinted pages. Quality control is maintained through weekly reviews by designated faculty and students' preceptors. Once reviewed, the data are entered into a computer in time for midterm and final student evaluations. Output reports indicate availability and frequency of student participation in activities, both individually and as a group. This information is especially useful at mid-evaluation, since it highlights student experience voids in time to resolve them within the second half of the clerkship. Scheduling during the clerkship is planned to provide a sufficient number and variety of patient management experiences. A continual assessment of student activities is crucial to measuring curriculum goal attainment. The logbook provides quantitative data on the activities of students and the type of clinical skills that each student observes, performs, or assists with during the clerkship. It also indicates the number of patients worked up and followed through to surgery and whether each student has had adequate experience in conducting histories and physicals and in making oral or written case presentations. (SW)