Clinical Teaching Evaluation Inventory

Abstract

Abstract Introduction This evaluation tool measures trainees' perceptions of their clinical teachers. This standard clinical teaching instrument can be used across several clinical departments. The instrument contains 16 characteristics of effective clinical teaching, derived from a comprehensive review of the literature. Methods Question items are rated using a 5-point Likert scale where 1 = Major Strength. Question items address faculty interaction with students/residents and their ability to communicate, as well as a global rating of overall teaching effectiveness. Results from this evaluation tool are used for tracking teacher competence across time, decisions for teaching awards, and evidence of clinical teaching competence for promotion. The form may be automated by placing it online and embedding it into an evaluation system. It can also be used as a scanned form. Results Since 1992, third-year medical students have evaluated approximately 556 full-time clinical teachers in pediatrics, internal medicine, family medicine, anesthesiology, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, neurology, and urology. The form is highly reliable and ratings are stable over time. Using a longitudinal database of 40,656 evaluations of clinical teachers by third-year medical students, the 16-item clinical teaching instrument was analyzed for internal consistency. The form was found to be highly reliable with a Cronbach's Alpha of .96. Discussion This form is equally effective for short-term teacher feedback and answering long-term institutionally-related questions if the data are compiled in a database. Departments and individual faculty use results to compare their teaching skills to others within the department and seek remediation when necessary.

Keywords

• Education
• Literature
• Qualitative Skills
• Educational Instrument