Redesigning the Learning Assessment Tools for Community-Based Training Program in the Undergraduate Medical Education at a University in Ethiopia

Shewatatek Gedamu; Bekalu Ferede; Solomon Belay; Tsedeke Asaminew; Tesfamichael Alaro Agago; Equlinet Misganaw; Tefera Tadesse

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18

Redesigning the Learning Assessment Tools for Community-Based Training Program in the Undergraduate Medical Education at a University in Ethiopia

Shewatatek Gedamu, Bekalu Ferede, Solomon Belay, Tsedeke Asaminew, Tesfamichael Alaro Agago, Equlinet Misganaw, Tefera Tadesse

Published in American Journal of Health Research (Volume 6, Issue 4)

Received: 9 October 2018 Accepted: 31 October 2018 Published: 29 November 2018

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Abstract

In Ethiopia, the undergraduate medical education is a six-year program, which has three major curricular components, including Pre-medical, preclinical and clinical years. Upon successful completion of every year pre-clinical and clinical courses, students are required to complete community-based training program (CBTP) courses that demand a field work in the nearby community settings. The main intent of these courses is to develop general competencies of the graduates so that they become more socially accountable at the same time ensuring opportunities for lifelong learning in the community through training and services. In a general sense, the learning assessment provides an opportunity for students to improve their skills, reduce anxiety over grading, and improve relationships between learners and teachers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the existing learning assessment tools applied in the CBTP courses and improve them so that they become aligned with the expected graduate competencies specified in the undergraduate medicine curriculum in the University studied. This study used a case study design for the in-depth analysis of the learning assessment tools of CBTP courses. Guided by this, first the study comprises an analysis of the existing assessment tools being practiced in a university studied. Then, three FGDs were held with instructors, department heads, and students who participated in CBTP course implementation of the undergraduate medicine program. This was followed by a consultative workshop with relevant experts in Community-based education (CBE), to identify essential items to be included in the redesigned assessment tools. As a result of this study, the study participants identified the learning domains that were aligned to the core competencies. The corresponding guidelines for each assessment methods were developed. The tools were piloted in the field and they were found very comprehensive and feasible for use in the university studied. The findings of this study were suggested that the redesigned assessment tools can address the basic problems of the existing assessment methods, which were found, fragmented and had higher degrees of subjectivity.

Published in	American Journal of Health Research (Volume 6, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18
Page(s)	103-111
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2018. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Learning Assessment, Community-Based Training Program, Undergraduate Medicine, Ethiopia

References

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APA Style

Shewatatek Gedamu, Bekalu Ferede, Solomon Belay, Tsedeke Asaminew, Tesfamichael Alaro Agago, et al. (2018). Redesigning the Learning Assessment Tools for Community-Based Training Program in the Undergraduate Medical Education at a University in Ethiopia. American Journal of Health Research, 6(4), 103-111. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18

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ACS Style

Shewatatek Gedamu; Bekalu Ferede; Solomon Belay; Tsedeke Asaminew; Tesfamichael Alaro Agago, et al. Redesigning the Learning Assessment Tools for Community-Based Training Program in the Undergraduate Medical Education at a University in Ethiopia. Am. J. Health Res. 2018, 6(4), 103-111. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18

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AMA Style

Shewatatek Gedamu, Bekalu Ferede, Solomon Belay, Tsedeke Asaminew, Tesfamichael Alaro Agago, et al. Redesigning the Learning Assessment Tools for Community-Based Training Program in the Undergraduate Medical Education at a University in Ethiopia. Am J Health Res. 2018;6(4):103-111. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18

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@article{10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18,
  author = {Shewatatek Gedamu and Bekalu Ferede and Solomon Belay and Tsedeke Asaminew and Tesfamichael Alaro Agago and Equlinet Misganaw and Tefera Tadesse},
  title = {Redesigning the Learning Assessment Tools for Community-Based Training Program in the Undergraduate Medical Education at a University in Ethiopia},
  journal = {American Journal of Health Research},
  volume = {6},
  number = {4},
  pages = {103-111},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajhr.20180604.18},
  abstract = {In Ethiopia, the undergraduate medical education is a six-year program, which has three major curricular components, including Pre-medical, preclinical and clinical years. Upon successful completion of every year pre-clinical and clinical courses, students are required to complete community-based training program (CBTP) courses that demand a field work in the nearby community settings. The main intent of these courses is to develop general competencies of the graduates so that they become more socially accountable at the same time ensuring opportunities for lifelong learning in the community through training and services. In a general sense, the learning assessment provides an opportunity for students to improve their skills, reduce anxiety over grading, and improve relationships between learners and teachers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the existing learning assessment tools applied in the CBTP courses and improve them so that they become aligned with the expected graduate competencies specified in the undergraduate medicine curriculum in the University studied. This study used a case study design for the in-depth analysis of the learning assessment tools of CBTP courses. Guided by this, first the study comprises an analysis of the existing assessment tools being practiced in a university studied. Then, three FGDs were held with instructors, department heads, and students who participated in CBTP course implementation of the undergraduate medicine program. This was followed by a consultative workshop with relevant experts in Community-based education (CBE), to identify essential items to be included in the redesigned assessment tools. As a result of this study, the study participants identified the learning domains that were aligned to the core competencies. The corresponding guidelines for each assessment methods were developed. The tools were piloted in the field and they were found very comprehensive and feasible for use in the university studied. The findings of this study were suggested that the redesigned assessment tools can address the basic problems of the existing assessment methods, which were found, fragmented and had higher degrees of subjectivity.},
 year = {2018}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Redesigning the Learning Assessment Tools for Community-Based Training Program in the Undergraduate Medical Education at a University in Ethiopia
AU  - Shewatatek Gedamu
AU  - Bekalu Ferede
AU  - Solomon Belay
AU  - Tsedeke Asaminew
AU  - Tesfamichael Alaro Agago
AU  - Equlinet Misganaw
AU  - Tefera Tadesse
Y1  - 2018/11/29
PY  - 2018
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18
T2  - American Journal of Health Research
JF  - American Journal of Health Research
JO  - American Journal of Health Research
SP  - 103
EP  - 111
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8796
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18
AB  - In Ethiopia, the undergraduate medical education is a six-year program, which has three major curricular components, including Pre-medical, preclinical and clinical years. Upon successful completion of every year pre-clinical and clinical courses, students are required to complete community-based training program (CBTP) courses that demand a field work in the nearby community settings. The main intent of these courses is to develop general competencies of the graduates so that they become more socially accountable at the same time ensuring opportunities for lifelong learning in the community through training and services. In a general sense, the learning assessment provides an opportunity for students to improve their skills, reduce anxiety over grading, and improve relationships between learners and teachers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the existing learning assessment tools applied in the CBTP courses and improve them so that they become aligned with the expected graduate competencies specified in the undergraduate medicine curriculum in the University studied. This study used a case study design for the in-depth analysis of the learning assessment tools of CBTP courses. Guided by this, first the study comprises an analysis of the existing assessment tools being practiced in a university studied. Then, three FGDs were held with instructors, department heads, and students who participated in CBTP course implementation of the undergraduate medicine program. This was followed by a consultative workshop with relevant experts in Community-based education (CBE), to identify essential items to be included in the redesigned assessment tools. As a result of this study, the study participants identified the learning domains that were aligned to the core competencies. The corresponding guidelines for each assessment methods were developed. The tools were piloted in the field and they were found very comprehensive and feasible for use in the university studied. The findings of this study were suggested that the redesigned assessment tools can address the basic problems of the existing assessment methods, which were found, fragmented and had higher degrees of subjectivity.
VL  - 6
IS  - 4
ER  -

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Author Information

Shewatatek Gedamu

Institute of Health Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
Bekalu Ferede

College of Education and Behavioural Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
Solomon Belay

College of Education and Behavioural Science, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tsedeke Asaminew

Institute of Health Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
Tesfamichael Alaro Agago

Institute of Health Sciences, Jimma University, Jimma, Ethiopia
Equlinet Misganaw

Clinton Health Accesses Initiative, Ethiopia Country Office, Human Resource for Health Project, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tefera Tadesse

College of Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, United States of America

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APA Style

Shewatatek Gedamu, Bekalu Ferede, Solomon Belay, Tsedeke Asaminew, Tesfamichael Alaro Agago, et al. (2018). Redesigning the Learning Assessment Tools for Community-Based Training Program in the Undergraduate Medical Education at a University in Ethiopia. American Journal of Health Research, 6(4), 103-111. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18

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ACS Style

Shewatatek Gedamu; Bekalu Ferede; Solomon Belay; Tsedeke Asaminew; Tesfamichael Alaro Agago, et al. Redesigning the Learning Assessment Tools for Community-Based Training Program in the Undergraduate Medical Education at a University in Ethiopia. Am. J. Health Res. 2018, 6(4), 103-111. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18

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AMA Style

Shewatatek Gedamu, Bekalu Ferede, Solomon Belay, Tsedeke Asaminew, Tesfamichael Alaro Agago, et al. Redesigning the Learning Assessment Tools for Community-Based Training Program in the Undergraduate Medical Education at a University in Ethiopia. Am J Health Res. 2018;6(4):103-111. doi: 10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18,
  author = {Shewatatek Gedamu and Bekalu Ferede and Solomon Belay and Tsedeke Asaminew and Tesfamichael Alaro Agago and Equlinet Misganaw and Tefera Tadesse},
  title = {Redesigning the Learning Assessment Tools for Community-Based Training Program in the Undergraduate Medical Education at a University in Ethiopia},
  journal = {American Journal of Health Research},
  volume = {6},
  number = {4},
  pages = {103-111},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajhr.20180604.18},
  abstract = {In Ethiopia, the undergraduate medical education is a six-year program, which has three major curricular components, including Pre-medical, preclinical and clinical years. Upon successful completion of every year pre-clinical and clinical courses, students are required to complete community-based training program (CBTP) courses that demand a field work in the nearby community settings. The main intent of these courses is to develop general competencies of the graduates so that they become more socially accountable at the same time ensuring opportunities for lifelong learning in the community through training and services. In a general sense, the learning assessment provides an opportunity for students to improve their skills, reduce anxiety over grading, and improve relationships between learners and teachers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the existing learning assessment tools applied in the CBTP courses and improve them so that they become aligned with the expected graduate competencies specified in the undergraduate medicine curriculum in the University studied. This study used a case study design for the in-depth analysis of the learning assessment tools of CBTP courses. Guided by this, first the study comprises an analysis of the existing assessment tools being practiced in a university studied. Then, three FGDs were held with instructors, department heads, and students who participated in CBTP course implementation of the undergraduate medicine program. This was followed by a consultative workshop with relevant experts in Community-based education (CBE), to identify essential items to be included in the redesigned assessment tools. As a result of this study, the study participants identified the learning domains that were aligned to the core competencies. The corresponding guidelines for each assessment methods were developed. The tools were piloted in the field and they were found very comprehensive and feasible for use in the university studied. The findings of this study were suggested that the redesigned assessment tools can address the basic problems of the existing assessment methods, which were found, fragmented and had higher degrees of subjectivity.},
 year = {2018}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Redesigning the Learning Assessment Tools for Community-Based Training Program in the Undergraduate Medical Education at a University in Ethiopia
AU  - Shewatatek Gedamu
AU  - Bekalu Ferede
AU  - Solomon Belay
AU  - Tsedeke Asaminew
AU  - Tesfamichael Alaro Agago
AU  - Equlinet Misganaw
AU  - Tefera Tadesse
Y1  - 2018/11/29
PY  - 2018
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18
T2  - American Journal of Health Research
JF  - American Journal of Health Research
JO  - American Journal of Health Research
SP  - 103
EP  - 111
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2330-8796
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajhr.20180604.18
AB  - In Ethiopia, the undergraduate medical education is a six-year program, which has three major curricular components, including Pre-medical, preclinical and clinical years. Upon successful completion of every year pre-clinical and clinical courses, students are required to complete community-based training program (CBTP) courses that demand a field work in the nearby community settings. The main intent of these courses is to develop general competencies of the graduates so that they become more socially accountable at the same time ensuring opportunities for lifelong learning in the community through training and services. In a general sense, the learning assessment provides an opportunity for students to improve their skills, reduce anxiety over grading, and improve relationships between learners and teachers. The aim of this study was to evaluate the existing learning assessment tools applied in the CBTP courses and improve them so that they become aligned with the expected graduate competencies specified in the undergraduate medicine curriculum in the University studied. This study used a case study design for the in-depth analysis of the learning assessment tools of CBTP courses. Guided by this, first the study comprises an analysis of the existing assessment tools being practiced in a university studied. Then, three FGDs were held with instructors, department heads, and students who participated in CBTP course implementation of the undergraduate medicine program. This was followed by a consultative workshop with relevant experts in Community-based education (CBE), to identify essential items to be included in the redesigned assessment tools. As a result of this study, the study participants identified the learning domains that were aligned to the core competencies. The corresponding guidelines for each assessment methods were developed. The tools were piloted in the field and they were found very comprehensive and feasible for use in the university studied. The findings of this study were suggested that the redesigned assessment tools can address the basic problems of the existing assessment methods, which were found, fragmented and had higher degrees of subjectivity.
VL  - 6
IS  - 4
ER  -

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