Name
Integrated Strategies for Assessing Student Learning in Pre-Clinical
Curriculum
Date & Time
Tuesday, June 9, 2026, 10:00 AM - 10:15 AM
Location Name
Lamar A
Speakers
Authors
Louise S. Thai, Medical College of Georgia
Puttur D. Prasad, Medical College of Georgia
Henry Moon, Medical College of Georgia
Brittany Ange, Medical College of Georgia
Nicole R. Winston, Medical College of Georgia
Presentation Topic(s)
Assessment
Description
PURPOSE
A persistent challenge in pre-clinical education is bridging the divide
between students’ clinical-scientific understanding and their abilities to
apply it in real patient care. Grounded in case-based learning and clinical
competence frameworks, we redesigned a pre-clerkship medical curriculum
centered around actual patient cases, structured case-based learning (CBL),
and integrated assessment forms. While these strategies are often supported,
little is known about how different assessments, ranging from written tests
to direct faculty observations, work together to reflect students’ growth in
competence.
METHODS
We examined integrated assessment data from 607 pre-clerkship cohort
students across three consecutive academic years. Student competencies were
evaluated through three outcome measures: (a) knowledge-based exams (KBE)
that assessed clinical-scientific understanding, (b) problem-solving exams
(PSE) that assessed diagnostic and analytical reasoning skills, and (c)
faculty facilitator evaluations (FFE) that was based on direct observation of
performance during the CBL discussions. Our analysis focused on trends in
performance, relationships among assessment measures, differences across
cohorts, and emerging competency profiles among students.
RESULTS
The findings show consistent performance between KBE and PSE assessments,
with a slight downward trend over cohorts. Students who performed well on KBE
tended to excel in PSE. In contrast, FFE showed greater variability in scores
and appeared to capture additional competencies. The variation in FFE scores,
especially among students with otherwise similar performance, may reflect
evolving faculty assessment practices. Cluster analysis grouped three
distinct competency profiles, where the mean FFE score in the commendable
competency group was higher than in the advanced competency group.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings support the use of three methods as a comprehensive evaluation
strategy. Notably, faculty observational assessment captures competencies not
assessed by the other two methods. The variability observed in the FFE
performance also highlights the need to address potential subjectivity.
Future research should investigate how these strategies predict clerkship
performance.
A persistent challenge in pre-clinical education is bridging the divide
between students’ clinical-scientific understanding and their abilities to
apply it in real patient care. Grounded in case-based learning and clinical
competence frameworks, we redesigned a pre-clerkship medical curriculum
centered around actual patient cases, structured case-based learning (CBL),
and integrated assessment forms. While these strategies are often supported,
little is known about how different assessments, ranging from written tests
to direct faculty observations, work together to reflect students’ growth in
competence.
METHODS
We examined integrated assessment data from 607 pre-clerkship cohort
students across three consecutive academic years. Student competencies were
evaluated through three outcome measures: (a) knowledge-based exams (KBE)
that assessed clinical-scientific understanding, (b) problem-solving exams
(PSE) that assessed diagnostic and analytical reasoning skills, and (c)
faculty facilitator evaluations (FFE) that was based on direct observation of
performance during the CBL discussions. Our analysis focused on trends in
performance, relationships among assessment measures, differences across
cohorts, and emerging competency profiles among students.
RESULTS
The findings show consistent performance between KBE and PSE assessments,
with a slight downward trend over cohorts. Students who performed well on KBE
tended to excel in PSE. In contrast, FFE showed greater variability in scores
and appeared to capture additional competencies. The variation in FFE scores,
especially among students with otherwise similar performance, may reflect
evolving faculty assessment practices. Cluster analysis grouped three
distinct competency profiles, where the mean FFE score in the commendable
competency group was higher than in the advanced competency group.
CONCLUSIONS
Our findings support the use of three methods as a comprehensive evaluation
strategy. Notably, faculty observational assessment captures competencies not
assessed by the other two methods. The variability observed in the FFE
performance also highlights the need to address potential subjectivity.
Future research should investigate how these strategies predict clerkship
performance.