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Fundamental of Assessment in Medical Education (FAME)
$ - Day One
The Fundamentals of Assessment in Medical Education
(FAME) course is offered by the National Board of Medical Examiners
(NBME) and the Foundation for Advancement of International Medical
Education and Research (FAIMER), Philadelphia, USA, in collaboration
with the GEA. The course faculty are internationally-recognized
experts drawn from the sponsoring organizations and from around
the world. FAME is directed at those with responsibility for assessing
undergraduate medical students, graduate trainees, and practicing
doctors. Instruction will concentrate on the application of assessment
principles to specific assessment problems.
Course Design
FAME is designed around four assessment themes and four
assessment frames:
Themes: All Themes will be discussed during the 2008
program
Test Material Development is addressed
in two segments. The first concentrates on establishing the purpose(s)
of the assessment and defining the content that should be included
in the evaluation. The second segment addresses assessment formats
including multiple choice items, constructed responses and simulation
based methods. Matching methods to assessment needs is emphasized
in these segments.
Scoring, Analysis and Reporting addresses
the processes used to summarize and disseminate assessment data.
Methods for generating individual test scores, aggregating performance
data, equating scores, and providing meaningful feedback to examinees
will be highlighted.
Standard Setting describes the processes
used to establish cut-scores for an assessment. Both test-centered
and examinee-centered approaches will be discussed. For norm referenced
evaluations, techniques for identifying poorly performing individuals
will be identified.
Test Score Validation highlights
the activities that can be undertaken to provide evidence that the
test scores and associated interpretations are justifiable and fair.
Techniques that can be used to discover potential threats to the
validity of assessment scores will be identified.
Frames: The 2008 program will highlight
two assessment frames: assessment of skills and workplace performance.
Assessment of Knowledge and Reasoning
usually involves classroom testing of student learning. Often, these
assessments are associated with assigning marks or course grades.
Paper and computer-based testing are the method of convenience,
with heavy reliance on multiple choice questions (MCQ) formats.
Assessment of Skills concerns selected
aspects of clinical performance, some of which may be related to
physical examination manoeuvres, therapeutic procedures, or interpersonal
skills. Usually these assessments require higher-fidelity simulations
associated with Objective Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE), standardized
patients (SP), computer-based simulation, or mechanical devices
and mannequins. Oral examinations with short or long cases may also
be considered to fall within this frame as well. Checklists and
ratings scales are almost always required, and administration of
these assessments often occurs in special settings.
Assessment of Workplace Performance
is more often invoked for issues involving graduate doctors and
practitioners where naturalistic observation may be needed. Assessment
instruments will more likely relate to collecting observational
data, but this may be augmented with systematic data-gathering from
indirect measures, such as, chart audits. It is likely that multiple
assessments may be more frequent in this frame.
Assessment of Programs occurs most
commonly when curriculum changes of any dimension are contemplated,
or have been implemented, and there is a need to document the outcomes.
The scale of the assessment is conceivably very large, involving
multiple measures of different facets of the institutional environment,
possibly undertaken over an extended period of time.
Participants of the 2008 course will be
asked to select either Assessment of Skills or Workplace
Performance as an area for more in-depth discussion. For more
information on the 2008 Course content please visit the FAME website
www.famecourse.org/index.html.
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