Course-embedded Assessment at a New School of Pharmacy: a Pilot Project

Objectives: This study evaluates the pilot implementation of a course-embedded method of assessment, in which student achievement of course outcomes are measured by required student coursework. Method: This method was piloted in six courses over one academic year at a new school of pharmacy. For each course, at the beginning of the semester, instructors selected several of the course\u27s stated learning outcomes to be evaluated. For each course outcome, instructors then chose several assessment points from among the required work in the course by which student achievement of the outcome could be measured. These assessment points included homework, projects, papers, and exam questions. By examining aggregate data from student performance on each of these assessment points, the instructors were able to measure overall student achievement of course outcomes. The instructors also documented the time needed to perform this assessment. Results: Results from three courses are completed to date, and data from all six courses will be presented at the meeting. With few exceptions, students performed well on all course outcomes. Instructors identified areas for improvement in their teaching for outcomes where students did poorer than expected. While the process of identifying outcomes and corresponding assessment points was not burdensome, data gathering and analysis was time-consuming. All instructors indicated that the results were useful in improving their teaching. Implications: Course-embedded assessment can be a useful tool to identify whether students are achieving course outcomes, and modify instruction accordingly. Additional logistics need to be worked out before expanding this assessment method to a larger scale