Assessing Courses
Grading
M1 and M2 courses are pass/fail. Please see the individual course rubrics and the Policies and Procedures for the Committee on Student Evaluation and Promotion (COSEP) and the Committee on Curriculum and Evaluation (CCE) for information regarding how M1 and M2 grades are determined.
M3 and M4 students are awarded grades of H (Honors), HP (High Pass), P (Pass) and F (Fail). Please see the Common Core Syllabus, the CCE Policies and Procedures, and the COSEP Policies and Procedures for information regarding determination of M3 and M4 grades, adjustments, and timeline for release of grades.
Review and Challenge Policy for M1 and M2 Knowledge Assessments
This policy addresses the timeframe within which students may review their knowledge-based assessments (e.g., those that have multiple choice, essay, fill-in-the blank items) as well as the process for submitting grading challenges during the M1 and M2 years.
Reviewing Assessments
The Office of Medical Student Programs (OMSP) will schedule an Assessment Debrief session within two weeks of a written assessment. During this session, the OMSP hands back or digitally delivers a performance profile that includes the content of the exam, the answer key, the student’s response and performance on each item, overall performance on the assessment, adjustments to the grading scheme (e.g., if items were thrown out), and information about how well the entire class performed on individual items and the assessment as a whole. During each Assessment Debrief session, relevant course faculty review frequently missed items and provide additional resources or lecture material as needed to reinforce learning. Finally, students have an opportunity to approach faculty individually to address any remaining questions. If no Assessment Debrief is offered for the entire class, the OMSP accommodates individual requests to review written assessments.
Although these sessions are not mandatory, students are strongly encouraged to review their results on all assessments in order to 1) seek feedback about their areas of strength and opportunities for improvement, and 2) verify scoring accuracy. Because Assessment Debrief sessions allow students to review secure exam materials, they are not recorded and are staffed by proctors who will follow the same protocols as followed on an exam day (e.g., no electronic devices, leave personal belongings at the door). However, unlike exam day, no writing instruments or note-taking is permitted during Assessment Debrief sessions. Under no circumstances are students allowed to exit the session with any portion of an assessment.
Scheduled Assessment Debrief sessions are the only opportunity students have to access the entire content of the assessment. Students will not be permitted to see assessment items after the session with the exception of excused absence accommodations per the Attendance Policy.
Submitting Assessment Challenges
Although course faculty and the OMSP staff carefully review assessments before and after each administration, there may be circumstances where errors occur. Assessments can be challenged on two conditions: grading errors and rubric errors. A grading error is defined as the misapplication of an existing rubric. A rubric error is defined as an incorrect or deficient list of scoring criteria.
In order to challenge an assessment based on a grading or rubric error, students need to make an appointment with the Director of Assessment or Course Coordinator. Assessment challenges will only be accepted within one week of the Assessment Debrief. During this appointment, the student fills out a form that asks the student to identify:
- The specific item number(s) being challenged (students may not request a re-grade of the entire assessment)
- The student response on the item(s) (the OMSP will provide this information)
- A narrative description of the reason for the challenge(s)
- For rubric errors: the student must submit references to written resources that justify a change in the rubric (e.g., textbook, journal article, lecture notes)
Processing Assessment Challenges
- After the challenge is submitted, the Director of Assessment assigns the review to the Course Director(s), the item writer, and/or any faculty with appropriate expertise in the item content. No identifying information about the student is provided to these reviewers.
- The review team evaluates the challenge and makes a recommendation to the Director of Assessment and the relevant Dean.
- The student submitting the challenge is contacted by the Director of Assessment within two weeks regarding the outcome of the review, which includes information about any scoring changes as well a rationale for any changes that were denied by the review team.
- Any rubric changes are applied to all students who took that assessment.
- If the scoring change affects the course grade, the OMSP submits a request for a grade change with the Office of the Registrar to adjust the official student transcript.
- If the student disagrees with the decision of the challenge review committee, he or she may submit an appeal directly to the COSEP.
Remediation
The COSEP establishes requirements for remedial work for students with outstanding course failures. Please see the COSEP Policies and Procedures for details.
Student Evaluations
M1/M2 Narrative Evaluations
The purpose of feedback is to help students develop awareness of their strengths and areas of improvement so that knowledge, skills, and attitudes can be developed and improved. While knowledge and skills are assessed in traditional ways (e.g., multiple-choice tests), narrative evaluations are designed to help students improve other attributes and qualities.
Critical to the effectiveness of physicians and central to the doctor-patient relationship are behavioral attributes such as reliability, collegiality, promptness and respect for others that may be difficult to assess through traditional exams and assignments; these are assessed through narrative evaluations completed by faculty with whom students have worked in small group or lab settings. These evaluations are available to the students to view after the end of each semester in the M1 and M2 year.
M3/M4 Student Performance Evaluations
Evaluations of student clinical performance in the core clerkships are completed in OASIS by supervising physicians and are available for students to review. Reviewing evaluations is an important part of developing a plan to improve future performance. Most evaluations provide positive feedback based on the significant efforts students invest in clinical rotations. Some evaluations will include formative feedback and constructive criticism. Factors assessed by evaluators include clinical skills, knowledge base, participation, interactions with patients and teams, and professionalism. For more information, please see the Common Core Syllabus and Elective Common Syllabus.
Course and Faculty Evaluations
RMC and its faculty are dedicated to providing the best possible educational experience for our students. An important part of achieving this goal is to receive regular feedback from students on the courses that are taught and the faculty that teach the courses. Students are expected to fill out evaluations for each course taken and on the faculty who teach those courses. The evaluation of faculty opens the first day of the course, while the course evaluation is available beginning one week before the end of the course. Both stay open for student input for two weeks after the end of the course. All feedback is completely confidential. All student evaluations are carefully reviewed by both faculty and student committee members as part of our regular course review process through the Committee on Curriculum and Evaluation (CCE). The evaluation results frequently are the impetus for important improvements in the curriculum.
United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) Preparation
See http://www.usmle.org.
RMC recognizes the importance of the Step exams and therefore provides a variety of curricular and cocurricular opportunities designed to help students prepare for and excel on the exams. Some resources include exam preparation sessions, National Board of Medical Examiners practice exams, and question banks. The most successful students are those who begin preparation well in advance. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the testing formats and content guides provided by the USMLE on their website.
Accommodations for USMLE
In order to provide equal access to the USMLE testing program, the USMLE provides reasonable and appropriate accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act for individuals with documented disabilities who demonstrate a need for accommodation. Examinees must request accommodations for any USMLE program test directly through the USMLE. The process is not related to accommodations that might be granted through the medical college. The USMLE process takes significant time to complete and receiving a decision from USMLE may take months to occur. It is therefore crucial that you start early in your USMLE request for accommodations. Please see http://www.usmle.org/testaccommodations/ for guidelines, forms, and FAQs.
Request for USMLE Step Delays
Refer to Appendix B - Request for USMLE Step Delays .
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