Asano-Gonnella Center for Research in Medical Education & Health Care

Development in this area has been a result of collaboration with the preclinical course directors. Center staff provided support for exams in Foundations of Clinical Medicine and Physical Diagnosis. Tests in Physical Diagnosis used audio and video files to measure diagnostic proficiency. Test questions were classified by body systems, and this has served as the basis for the new classification system for JeffMD. 

Center staff continued to provide support ser­vices for the testing and examination needs of University faculty. We scanned, key-validated, scored and analyzed 253 written examinations and evaluations during this academic year and calculated final grades for seven pre-clinical courses. We routinely sent e-mail reports to students with their examination scores and specific incorrect responses. We provided service to faculty members in the collection and analysis of students' evaluations of preclinical courses and faculty members. We worked closely with the Associate Dean for Professionalism to develop methods of detecting irregular behavior during the administration of student examinations.

The Center's staff manage a database of students’ scores on the National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) Subject Examinations used in third-year clerkships, and the related system that converts scores to grades on the Thomas Jefferson University grading scale and provides grade reports to students. The system provides annual summary reports on test performance to the Dean’s Office, clinical departments and affiliated hospitals. We provided psychometric consultation and support in the determination of passing scores when NBME scales changed, and worked with faculty to monitor the impact of the changes.

Center staff provided service to faculty at the Medical College and other Jefferson organizations to collect data using optical scanning forms and web-based surveys. These included course evaluations and patient satisfaction surveys. In an ongoing study for over a decade, the Department of Medicine has been measuring patient satisfaction with their residents' clinical performance.