Annual Assessment Report to the College 2008-2009
College: ____Health and Human Development____________________________
Department: __Physical Therapy__________________________
Program: _______________________________
Note: Please submit report to your department chair or program coordinator and to the Associate Dean of your College. You may submit a
separate report for each program which conducted assessment activities.
Liaison: ___Aimie Kachingwe_____________________________
1. Overview of Annual Assessment Project(s)
1a. Assessment Process Overview: Provide a brief overview of the intended plan to assess the program this year. Is assessment under the
oversight of one person or a committee?
The intended assessment plan for the Department of Physical Therapy focused on evaluating the department’s Student Learning Outcome
(SLO) #4: “Practice as a reflective and competent clinician whose clinical decision making skills are guided by ethical practice standards.”
Assessment was to be discussed at 2-3 faculty meetings throughout the academic year under facilitation of Aimie Kachingwe. Activities in these
meetings were to include:
•
•
•
Reviewing and discussing the language of SLO #4, making any changes to the SLO if applicable.
Determining how the faculty will measure if/when students meet this SLO
Discussion of any matrixes or rubrics being utilized by the faculty that can be shared among colleagues in order to measure SLO
outcomes
• Discussion of scholarship activities being currently conducted by any of the faculty pertaining to SLO #4.
The Department of Physical Therapy’s Assessment Plan was under the oversight of the assessment liaison, Aimie Kachingwe and the Department
Chair, Sheryl Low.
1
1b. Implementation and Modifications: Did the actual assessment process deviate from what was intended? If so, please describe any
modification to your assessment process and why it occurred.
The departmental assessment process went according to plan. Assessment was discussed regularly at faculty meetings, with all faculty
members discussing the SLO and contributing to the data gathered to measure this SLO.
At the college level, HHD decided to formulate a college SLO pertaining to ethics and professional standards. It was very beneficial that the
College Assessment Committee formulated a SLO that synchronized with our departmental SLO.
2. Student Learning Outcome Assessment Project: Answer questions according to the individual SLO assessed this year. If you assessed an
additional SLO, report in the next chart below.
2a. Which Student Learning Outcome was measured this year?
The department’s Student Learning Outcome (SLO) #4: “Practice as a reflective and competent clinician whose clinical decision making skills are
guided by ethical practice standards.”
2b. What assessment instrument(s) were used to measure this SLO?
This SLO was measured at multiple points in our curriculum: (1) During a first-year course (PT 300); (2) During a 3rd year course (601B), and (3)
during the students’ summer clinical internships. The SLO was measured accordingly as described below.
(1) During PT 300, the students read and discussed the APTA Guide for Professional Conduct which interprets the APTA Code of Ethics. The class
was divided into groups, and each group was given clinical scenarios depicting ethical dilemmas. The students discussed which ethical code of
professional conduct was being compromised. The students also completed an out-of-class assignment answering questions relating to an
article on ethics and liability. (See Appendix A)
(2) During PT 601B, a partially on-line administration class, the third year students were given three case scenarios pertaining to clinical ethical
dilemmas. The students discussed online how they would, or have, reacted, to similar circumstances or if they have witnessed other physical
therapist responding to ethical situations encountered during their clinical affiliations. (See Appendix B)
(3) Each student’s ability to practice according to ethical guidelines and professional standards was assessed during his/her clinical affiliation
each summer using a Clinical Performance Instrument (CPI) rubric. The student’s clinical instructor (CI) evaluates the student on the CPI
Performance Indicator #3: whether the student is “practicing in a manner consistent with established legal and professional standards and
ethical guidelines.”
2
2c. Describe the participants sampled to assess this SLO: discuss sample/participant and population size for this SLO. For example, what type
of students, which courses, how decisions were made to include certain participants.
The sampling summarized in (1) and (2) in Question 2b were 2 different groups of students: students in their first year of the physical therapy
program (n=40) and students in the third year (n=37). The sampling described in (3) is the same first and third year students assessed during
their clinical internships as well as an additional 40 students in their second year of study.
2d. Describe the assessment design methodology: For example, was this SLO assessed longitudinally (same students at different points) or
was a cross-sectional comparison used (comparing freshmen with seniors)? If so, describe the assessment points used.
(1) and (2) was a cross-sectional comparison between first and third year students. (3) is a longitudinal sample. This sampling is interesting
because it allows the faculty to assess this SLO at three distinct points in the curriculum. The faculty assesses how the student feels he/she
should respond and behave appropriately when provided a hypothetical ethical dilemma in the first year (PT 300). Later in the third year, the
student is allowed to describe the ethical dilemmas he/she has encountered and/or witnessed while in the clinical setting (PT 601B). Finally, the
student is assessed if how he/she actually performed ethically while out on his/her clinical internships.
2e. Assessment Results & Analysis of this SLO: Provide a summary of how the data were analyzed and highlight important findings from the
data collected. After evaluating this data, the faculty decided that our students not only have a good understanding of our professional
standards and ethical guidelines, but they are also practicing according to these standards. We have had no instances of students performing
unethically in the clinic for many years. We have had 1-2 instances of students behaving unethical in the classroom (cheating).
2f. Use of Assessment Results of this SLO: Think about all the different ways the results were or will be used. For example, to recommend
changes to course content/topics covered, course sequence, addition/deletion of courses in program, student support services, revisions to
program SLO’s, assessment instruments, academic programmatic changes, assessment plan changes, etc. Please provide a clear and detailed
description of how the assessment results were or will be used.
This data will be an important component of our department’s self- study needed for re-accreditation in 2 years. Also, our profession is
mandating that physical therapy programs be at the DPT level by 2015, which will necessitate some important curricular changes in the near
future. To help answer some curricular changes, Sheryl Low and I are working on updating the department’s exit surveys to obtain student
feedback on how courses and/or the curriculum should be changed and modified.
3
Some programs assess multiple SLOs each year. If your program assessed an additional SLO, report the process for that individual SLO below. If
you need additional SLO charts, please cut & paste the empty chart as many times as needed. If you did NOT assess another SLO, skip this
section.
2a. Which Student Learning Outcome was measured this year?
2b. What assessment instrument(s) were used to measure this SLO?
2c. Describe the participants sampled to assess this SLO: discuss sample/participant and population size for this SLO. For example, what type of
students, which courses, how decisions were made to include certain participants.
2d. Describe the assessment design methodology: Was this SLO assessed longitudinally (same students at different points) or was a crosssectional comparison used (comparing freshmen with seniors)? If so, describe the assessment points used.
2e. Assessment Results & Analysis of this SLO: Provide a summary of how the data were analyzed and highlight important findings from the
data collected.
2f. Use of Assessment Results of this SLO: Think about all the different ways the results were (or could be) used. For example, to recommend
changes to course content/topics covered, course sequence, addition/deletion of courses in program, student support services, revisions to
program SLO’s, assessment instruments, academic programmatic changes, assessment plan changes, etc. Please provide a clear and detailed
description of each.
4
3. How do your assessment activities connect with your department’s strategic plan?
As discussed previously, the assessment activities conducted this year are vital for our upcoming self-study and re-accreditation process. The
faculty will discuss and update the revised exit surveys at our annual faculty retreat in August, and may use this information to help make
curricular changes in the future when the department moves to a entry-level DPT program.
4. Overall, if your program assessment project evidence indicates that new resources are needed in order to support student learning,
please discuss here.
5. Other information, assessment or reflective activities not captured above.
6. Has someone in your program completed, submitted or published a manuscript which uses or describes assessment activities in your
program? Please provide citation or discuss.
5
6