Title: Expansion of Ability-Based Education Using an Assessment Center Approach with Pharmacists as Assessors
Abstract: 47907-1335 Schools of Pharmacy are making efforts to incorporate ability-based educational outcomes into curricula. This paper describes expansion of such a project at one university over the period of Spring 1994 to Spring 1997. The initial project focused on using an assessment center approach to assess thirty-two, volunteer, secondprofessional year students on four ability-based outcomes in Spring 1994. Expansion of this project the following year included gearing up to assess the entire class of second-professional year students on the same four outcomes: group interaction, problem-solving, and both written and interpersonal communication skills. A three-hour Integrated Abilities Seminar served as the format for assessment and included individual feedback for the students on their performances. To assess a large number of students during Spring semester 1995, volunteer pharmacists were recruited and trained to serve as assessors. Attitudinal data from students and volunteer pharmacist assessors demonstrated positive response to the Integrated Abilities Seminar experience. Expansion of the initial project also included reassessment of twenty-seven of the original thirty-two students in Fall 1995, during their fourth professional year. Reassessment mean scores on two exercises significantly improved from the students’ original scores. A version of the Integrated Abilities Seminar was a module for all first-professional year PharmD students in an Integrated Laboratory course during Spring 1997. This assessment approach may be of great value to supplement conventional evaluation techniques in helping students to develop professional outcome abilities. This project also demonstrates successful involvement of local pharmacists in academic-based activities. BACKGROUND Many schools of Pharmacy are revising their curricula to better prepare graduates to practice successfully in a changing profession. Curricular revisions are incorporating recommendations from the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy’s (AACP) Commission to Implement Change and guidelines from the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE)(1,2). More specifically, many schools are implementing ability-based curricula and assessment programs to help teach and evaluate, respectively, students’ development of the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to provide pharmaceutical care. This paper describes four developmental phases (to date) of a project, the Integrated Abilities Seminar, that operationalizes the concept of an assessment center. The purpose of this workshop-type seminar is to assess pharmacy students’ growth and achievement toward four abilitybased outcomes. The goal is for all classes of students to participate in the seminar at three points in their professional curriculum: entry into the program, midpoint (second or third professional year), and exit (final year). This plan would enable documentation of students’ development of ability-based outcomes as well as provide formative feedback to students regarding their strengths and weaknesses related to the four abilities. A previous paper thoroughly described the initial pilot project, (Phase I, Spring 1994) and provided a comprehensive literature review(3). This phase is summarized briefly in this paper as well to provide a context for the following phases. Phase II (Spring 1995) was the expansion and implementation of the seminar for an entire class of students and utilized local pharmacists as volunteer assessors. Phase III (Fall 1995) involved reassessing twenty-seven of the original thirty-two students from the pilot project. Phase IV (Spring 1997) was similar to Phase II except a modified version of the seminar was incorporated into a new core course for Doctor of Pharmacy students, the Integrated Laboratory.
Publication Year: 1997
Publication Date: 1997-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 14
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