Assessment System: Formative Assessment and Feedback

SOP #:
9.7A.3
Version #:
3
Implementation Date:
April 2018
Last Reviewed/Update Date
May 24, 2022
Approval by ECC
May 24, 2022

Rationale

Brody School of Medicine (BSOM) ensures that each medical learner is assessed and provided with formative feedback in every required course or clerkship four weeks or more in length early enough to allow sufficient time for effective remediation. A course or clerkship less than four weeks must provide alternate means (e.g., self-testing or faculty consultation) by which a medical learner can measure his or her progress in learning.

Scope

This Standard Operating Procedure applies to all learners, faculty members, course/clerkship directors, administrators, clerkship coordinators, or committees involved in required courses and clerkships at the BSOM.

Learners in M3 and M4 years

The Academic Achievement Program outlines a plan for providing feedback for all learners in the M3 and M4 years. Additionally, the program aims to help those learners who have academic difficulty as defined by exam or quiz scores below required thresholds or failure of USMLE Step 2CK. The program has a plan in place to provide support and resources to those learners.

Definitions

Formative Feedback: Information communicated to a learner in a timely manner that is intended to modify the learner’s thinking or behavior in order to improve his or her subsequent learning and performance in the medical curriculum. Quizzes that count minimally toward the final grade may be considered formative in nature.

Summative Assessment: A criterion-based determination, made as soon as possible after the conclusion of an exam block in a course and/or clerkship that can inform the learner regarding the mastery of learning objectives for that block, course and/or clerkship and can be used to guide future learning in the medical curriculum.

Procedures for Implementation and Review

The course or clerkship director will make learners aware of the formative and summative assessment procedures. Examples of formative feedback include but are not limited to quizzes, practice questions, mock exams, audience response system questions, narrative feedback, clinical practice exams, and others.

Formal Mid-Clerkship Feedback

  • Clerkship directors or their designee must meet with the learner by the mid-point of the clerkship to provide the learner with verbal and narrative feedback.
  • The clerkship coordinator is responsible for scheduling appropriate times for the clerkship director or designee to meet with learners.
  • The Curriculum Management Administrator will electronically distribute the mid-clerkship feedback forms to learners and clerkship directors or designees.
  • Prior to the mid-clerkship feedback session, the learner must complete the self- assessment reflection and submit electronically in Elentra.
  • The learner must print a copy of their required patient and procedure log and carry it with them to their mid-clerkship feedback session.
  • The clerkship director or designee should review aggregate feedback provided during the rotation and discuss strengths and opportunities for improvement with the learner.
  • The clerkship director or designee must also review the learner’s patient and procedure log and discuss any concerns related to professionalism, the learning environment supervision, and/or duty hours.
  • After meeting with the learner, the clerkship director or designee must submit the mid-clerkship feedback form electronically to Elentra.
  • A narrative description of the learner’s performance must be included as a component of the mid-clerkship feedback.
  • The clerkship director or designee must use the approved mid-clerkship feedback form.
  • As part of the routine end of clerkship survey, learners are asked whether they received mid-clerkship feedback. These surveys are reviewed by the Clerkship Directors, Clinical Curriculum Committee, and the Executive Curriculum Committee.
  • The Office of Medical Education, the Clinical Curriculum Committee, and the Executive Curriculum Committee monitor mid-clerkship feedback compliance.

Course Formative Feedback

  • Course directors are allowed to determine the format and timing for formative feedback. However, some components must be implemented by the mid-point of the course.
  • The format in which formative feedback will be provided must be described within the course syllabus.
  • Acceptable methods for formative feedback include, but are not limited to, quizzes, practice questions, mock exams, audience response system questions, narrative feedback, face-to-face meetings, clinical practice exams, and others.
  • Course Directors determine the most appropriate formative feedback method for the content they are delivering and are responsible for ensuring implementation.
  • Formative methods are reported to and monitored by the Executive Curriculum Committee and its subcommittees each year.
  • Courses that have recurrent small group teaching activities should include narrative feedback describing learners’ performance.
  • Separate from this procedure, learners with unacceptable academic performance will follow procedures identified in the Academic Achievement Policy.
  • The Office of Medical Education, Executive Curriculum Committee and its subcommittees monitor compliance with formative feedback.

Responsibilities

Student (Learner)

  • Prior to the mid-clerkship feedback session, learners must complete the self- assessment reflection and submit electronically in Elentra.
  • Learners must complete all assigned formative assessments.
  • Learners must print a copy of their required patient and procedure log and carry it with them to their mid-clerkship feedback session.

Faculty Member

Faculty members provide and implement formative feedback as determined by the course/clerkship director.

Clerkship Director

  • The course or clerkship director will make learners aware of the formative and summative assessment procedures.
  • Clerkship directors or their designee must meet with the learner by the mid-point of the clerkship to provide the learner with verbal and narrative feedback.
  • The clerkship coordinator is responsible for scheduling appropriate times for the clerkship director or designee to meet with learners.
  • The clerkship director or designee should review aggregate feedback provided during the rotation and discuss strengths and opportunities for improvement with the learner.
  • The clerkship director or designee must also review the learner’s patient and procedure log and discuss any concerns related to professionalism, the learning environment, supervision, and/or duty hours.
  • After meeting with the learner, the clerkship director or designee must submit the mid-clerkship feedback form electronically to Elentra.
  • A narrative description of the learner’s performance must be included as a component of the mid-clerkship feedback.
  • The clerkship director or designee must use the approved mid-clerkship feedback form.

Clerkship Coordinator

The clerkship coordinator is responsible for scheduling appropriate times for the clerkship director or designee to meet with learners.

Course Director

  • Course directors are allowed to determine the format and timing for formative feedback. However, some components must be implemented by the mid-point of the course.
  • The format in which formative feedback will be provided must be described within the course syllabus.
  • Acceptable methods for formative feedback include, but are not limited to quizzes, practice questions, mock exams, audience response system questions, narrative feedback, face-to-face meetings, clinical practice exams and others.
  • Each Course Director determines the most appropriate formative feedback method for the content he/she is delivering and is responsible for ensuring implementation.
  • Formative methods are reported to and monitored by the Curriculum Committee each year.
  • Courses that have recurrent small group teaching activities should include narrative feedback describing learners’ performance.

Curriculum Management Administrator

  • The Curriculum Management Administrator will electronically distribute the formative feedback forms to learners, course and clerkship directors, or designees.
  • They will compile and distribute formative feedback compliance reports to the Office of Medical Education, the Executive Curriculum Committee, and its Subcommittees.

Executive Curriculum Committee and Subcommittees

  • End of Clerkship surveys are reviewed by the Clerkship Directors, Clinical Curriculum Committee, and the Executive Curriculum Committee on a yearly basis.
  • The Office of Medical Education, the Clinical Curriculum Committee, and the Executive Curriculum Committee monitor formative feedback implementation and compliance.

Schedule for Review

The policy is reviewed and may be revised by the Executive Curriculum Committee as necessary, but at least every three years.

Related Policies

Narrative Assessment SOP
Academic Achievement Program SOP

Applicable Laws, Regulations & Standards

LCME 9.0 Teaching, Supervision, Assessment, and Student and Patient Safety
LCME 9.4 Assessment System
LCME 9.5 Narrative Assessment