Evaluation of the Medical Curriculum

The primary mission of the COM is to educate medical students in humanistic, scientific and practical principles of medicine in keeping with the emerging needs of society. Therefore, an effective, dynamic curriculum that serves its students and supports its teaching faculty must be continually reviewed to determine its quality and how students perform within it.

The following are the general goals of the curriculum evaluation system:

  1. Ensure the curriculum is appropriate for the education and development of competent physicians.
  2. Assess whether the measurement tools are appropriate to gather data about the effectiveness of the programs.
  3. Update deans, teaching faculty, and students as to the effectiveness of the educational program.

Curriculum planning at the UF COM is guided by a set 14 principles. UFCOM evaluation plan is designed to assess the degree of accomplishment of these principles.

A formal comprehensive review of the curriculum takes place approximately every four years. The last occurred in February 2019. These reviews provide opportunities to review outcomes, educational practices, medical science discoveries, and changes in the healthcare environment. The Curriculum Committee, with support of the sub-committees and input from the Office of Education Quality Improvement and Accreditation (OEQIA), evaluates and ensures effective horizontal and vertical integration with appropriate linkage of content, learning activities, and assessments to course/clerkship and institutional learning objectives. The Curriculum Committee in consultation with the OEQIA provides oversight to the evaluation process and acts on gaps, redundancies, and placement in the curriculum.

The curriculum also is reviewed as part of a continuous curriculum improvement process in the following ways course and clerkship are evaluated by students via surveys and debriefings annually. 

  • The Committee on Program Evaluation and Student Assessment (CPESA) conducts detailed course and clerkship reviews at least every three years (more frequently if major changes or needs for additional monitoring identified).
  • CPESA meets monthly and reviews all aspects of the assessment program. Summative data and suggestions for improvement are presented to the Curriculum Committee. Reports are provided to the Office of Education Quality Improvement and Accreditation (OEQIA).
  • Course and clerkship directors discuss curricular placement, content, and outcomes at monthly meetings and annual retreats.
  • A formal comprehensive review of the curriculum (Phases 1, 2, and 3) takes place approximately every four years and includes separate overviews of each phase.
  • The Senior Associate Dean of Educational Affairs (SADEA) presents a curriculum update annually to the UF COM Executive Committee, Faculty Council, and dean.

The areas and outcomes that are evaluated include:

  • Internal examinations
  • USMLE scores
  • NBME scores
  • Identification of curricular gaps and redundancies
  • AAMC surveys (e.g., AAMC Y2Q, AAMC GQ, AAMC RRS)
  • Review of AAMC CIR
  • Internal student surveys
  • Residency placement of graduates
  • Trends in healthcare and societal needs

Administrative support is provided through the Office of Medical Education, including the Director of Program Evaluation and Student Assessment.

Student Evaluation in Courses and Clerkships

A set of graduation learning outcomes and institutional learning objectives (ILOs) that define the general professional education are adopted to guide the UFCOM curriculum. Course, clerkships, threads, educational activities objectives and evaluation systems are aligned with the ILOs. This process will allow us to be in compliance with LCME standards and prepare us for our upcoming LCME site visit in the year 2023.

The Curriculum Committee oversees all aspects of the curriculum: delivery and assessment.  It defines the ILOs and sets graduation criteria. With input from course and clerkship directors, it approves course and clerkship learning objectives and assessments. The committee with input from CPESA, oversees student assessments to ensure methods are reliable, valid, and appropriately mapped. 

Alignment of course/clerkship syllabi with the competency-based system

  • Each course director write specific learning objectives, which their course is capable of teaching and assessing
  • Learning objectives that are contained in the course syllabus are written in the following format:
    • Measurable course-level learning objectives
    • Institutional learning objectives associated with each course-level learning objectives
    • Learning activity associated with course-level learning objective
    • Method of assessment