Alignment of pharmacotherapy course assessments with course objectives.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether instructor-prepared classroom examinations for pharmacotherapy courses were aligned with course goals and objectives.


METHODS
Assessment items from examinations in 2 pharmacotherapy courses were evaluated. Four categories of alignment (depth of knowledge, categorical concurrence, range of knowledge, and balance of representation) were used to match course assessments with objectives.


RESULTS
While assessments met the criteria for acceptable alignment, there were areas for improvement. Goals and objectives were unevenly assessed, with 1 goal aligning with 45% of all assessment items. The assessments covered all content categories and the range of knowledge established by the objectives, but objectives under specific goals were not evenly assessed.


CONCLUSIONS
This alignment study provided quantitative data useful for review and revision of pharmacotherapy course objectives and assessments and demonstrated the usefulness of alignment assessment as a tool for continuous quality improvement.
Wittstrom
Kristina
K
University of New Mexico College of Pharmacy, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA. kwittstrom@salud.unm.edu
Cone
Catherine
C
Salazar
Krista
K
Bond
Rucha
R
Dominguez
Karen
K
D003479:Curriculum; D004358:Drug Therapy; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000592:standards*; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006040:Goals; D058996:Quality Improvement; D013663:Teaching / Q000592:standards*
Biometrics. 1977 Mar;33(1):159-74
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