MedEdPORTAL (Nov 2015)
Behaviorally Anchored Assessment for Resident Lectures
Abstract
Abstract Introduction This is a behaviorally-anchored assessment form used to evaluate resident-given lectures in a residency training program. The form was created following an extensive literature search using a consensus-building methodology by a working group of clinician educators who have a combined experience of 22 years in resident education, including 11 years of residency program directorship as well as formal training in medical education. Methods The form can be used in real time during a resident-given lecture. The form contains behaviorally anchored assessment scale organized into five domains of performance: goals and objectives/content relevance, content expertise, presentation design and structure, audience engagement, and lecturer presence. Within each of these domains, five different levels of performance, rooted in observable behaviors, are defined. Level one performance is reflective of a novice presenter, level three is adequate or expected level of performance, and level five reflects the performance of an expert-level presenter capable of giving national-level lectures. There is also an area provided for narrative feedback. Results This assessment has been utilized to assess 60 resident lecturers (PGY1-PGY4) in the emergency medicine department. The attitudes of the first 11 residents (who participated both as evaluators and as lecturers being evaluated) were surveyed using a series of questions with 1-5 Likert scale responses. Eighty-eight percent of residents found the form to offer an “adequate” or “more than expected” amount of feedback. All of the residents found the feedback provided by the form to be specific. When asked to rate the specificity of feedback they received, 37% rated it as 3 “somewhat specific”, and 63% rated it as a 4 or 5 “appropriately specific”. The overall quality of the feedback provided by the form was good, with 43% of residents rating it as “adequate” and 57% as “very good.” In rating the usability of the form, 78% of residents rated the usability as a 4 or 5. One-hundred percent of residents rated the quality of the feedback they were able to provide as adequate to excellent. Discussion The assessment has been utilized to assess a variety of lecture lengths and formats ranging from hour-long evidence-based didactics to short 15-minute “quick hit” talks to collaborative lectures between multiple residents. This assessment is widely applicable to a variety of teaching settings it is limited by its ability to assess skills in other domains of teaching such as bedside teaching and small group facilitation.
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