Curriculum evaluation from the trainees' perspective: application to the ALWP ATSM.
Curriculum evaluation is a way to assess the quality of a curriculum or an educational intervention. The Advanced Labour Ward Practice (ALWP) ATSM (Advanced Training Skills Module) is the module that most advanced trainees pursue in their final years of training. Competencies gained in the module equip trainees to function as future consultants providing 24-h presence on the delivery suite. Evaluation is a four stage process: planning, data collection, analysing information and reporting the results. In this paper, we propose ways to evaluate this educational intervention (the ATSM itself), using two well established models in medical education: the RUFDATA principles relate to framing of decisions and the Kirkpatrick model deals with programme evaluation at four levels: reaction, learning, behaviour and results. The barriers to successful evaluation and the ways to overcome them have been discussed. On an ethical perspective, we ask whether one would be content with surrogate measures of better clinical outcome in the highest level of evaluation. Curriculum evaluation helps in programme expansion, modification and validation.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK. drsujitmuk@yahoo.co.in
S
S
Mukhopadhyay
S
S
Smith
D003479:Curriculum; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000193:education*