AMEE Berlin 2002 Programme

3/4 Feedback and evaluation: essential
activities in the learning process
(helping students learn to seek
continuing improvement - as
students and career professionals)
Dr Charles D Puglia,
MCP Hahnemann School of Medicine, 2900 Queen Lane,
Philadelphia PA 19129, USA
Background
Fear, anxiety, and panic are common reactions to the
suggestion that an individual is to receive feedback or
evaluation of their work. Often, the perception that selfesteem
is about to be threatened elicits a defensive
barrier that interferes with communication of
information which is intended to improve performance.
This view of feedback, perceived as a painful process,
has developed because of injurious methods of delivery
of evaluative information beginning in childhood and
in many cases continuing throughout a student’s formal
educative experience. Feedback and evaluative
information must be recognized as essential for an
individual to succeed at self-directed learning. The
learner must be encouraged to seek evaluative comment
as a means of continuing intellectual growth and
thereby enhancing self-esteem.
Achievement of the objectives of all learning systems
such as medical school curricula is dependent upon
formative evaluation and feedback as well as summative
evaluation. Evaluative methods are especially important
in times when curricular change is introduced.
Feedback and evaluation is necessary to aid faculty as
well as students to clearly define the objectives of the
change in terms of the ultimate goal of the curriculum.
Aim of workshop
This workshop will identify attitudes and techniques
which faculty can adopt to enable feedback and
evaluation to be delivered in a constructive, esteembuilding
manner. Students will begin to actively seek
feedback as an opportunity to continually improve and
grow.
3/5 Best Evidence Medical Education
(BEME): progress report
Chairperson: Professor Ian Hart
BEME Collaboration (www.bemecollaboration.org)
Background
BEME is defined as: “The implementation by teachers
and educational bodies in their practice, of methods
and approaches to education based on the best evidence
available.” In the three years since the AMEE Prague
Conference, when the topic of BEME was raised, there
has been much activity, leading to the formation of the
BEME Collaboration in 1999. The Collaboration aims
to promote a culture of the use of best evidence in
medical and healthcare professions education, to carry
out systematic reviews of the evidence and to
dissemination information on best practice. A
systematic review is defined as “A review of the
evidence on a clearly formulated question that uses
systematic and explicit methods to identify, select and
Monday 3 September
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critically appraise relevant primary research, and to
extract and analyse data from the studies that are
included in the review. “ (NHS Centre for Reviews and
Dissemination 2001).
Several international Topic Review Groups have
recently been formed to carry out pilot studies, prior
to the commencement of systematic reviews of the
evidence, in the following areas:
1 The use of feedback in assessment;
2 The use of high fidelity simulators as an aid to
student learning
3 Faculty development
4 The use of computers in clinical education.
Content and structure
The workshop will be conducted in plenary. First there
will be a short introduction to familiarise participants
with the issues. Presentations from each of the Topic
Review Groups will follow, reporting on issues raised
in the early stages of the pilot studies. These involve
setting up the review groups, deciding on the research
question to be examined, finding and judging the
evidence and the format in which the evidence is to be
presented. Where appropriate, an insight will be given
by the group into the impressions of the data collected
to date in each of the areas. The session will finish
with an interactive discussion with the audience and it
is envisaged that methodological issues will form a
major part of the discussions.
Prospective participants might like to refer to the BEME
website to gain some insight into the project:
www.bemecollaboration.org
3/6 East European Task Force
Chairperson: Professor Ioan Bocsan
Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine & Pharmacy, 13 Emil
Isac St , RO-3400 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
A review of some of the issues facing medical education
in East and Central Europe, with contributions from
participants.
3/7 Making feedback during clerkships
meaningful and effective: a workshop
for students and teachers
Dr Paul Hemmer
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, 4301 Jones
Bridge Road, Bethesda MD 20814, USA
Background
Medical students have concerns that the feedback they
receive during clinical clerkships is sporadic, and that
it varies in quality. Teachers are not always comfortable
providing feedback, and may be uncertain of clerkship
goals and expectations.
Aims
Participants will a) gain familiarity with the RIME
descriptors, b) improve their ability to solicit and
provide feedback, and c) discuss the potential for
educational research.