Composite Scores and Decision-Making in Undergraduate Medical Education

Composite scores are frequently used in medical education to reflect aggregate information about a student’s performance. Combining assessment scores into composites has been shown to be a successful practice in traditional medical education models and is normally driven by the educational system in...

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Main Author: Bahous, Sola Aoun (author)
Format: masterThesis
Published: 2017
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10725/10121
http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/thesis.php
https://indigo.uic.edu/handle/10027/22094
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author Bahous, Sola Aoun
author_facet Bahous, Sola Aoun
author_role author
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Bahous, Sola Aoun
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2017
2017-08
2019-03-01T12:48:26Z
2019-03-01T12:48:26Z
2019-03-01
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10725/10121
Bahous, S. A. (2017). Composite Scores and Decision-Making in Undergraduate Medical Education.
http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/thesis.php
https://indigo.uic.edu/handle/10027/22094
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv en
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv University of Illinois at Chicago
dc.rights.*.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Medical education.
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Composite Scores and Decision-Making in Undergraduate Medical Education
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv Thesis
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
info:eu-repo/semantics/masterThesis
description Composite scores are frequently used in medical education to reflect aggregate information about a student’s performance. Combining assessment scores into composites has been shown to be a successful practice in traditional medical education models and is normally driven by the educational system in place. The recent paradigm shift to competency-based medical education has been associated with many implications for assessment. A major challenge emerged about the procedure of combining assessment information in competency-based models, and the validity of decision-making based on composites. In this study, we examined validity evidence associated with traditional composite scores and consequential decision-making, and that associated with reformulated composites based on the competency framework. Furthermore, a third decision model about students’ academic progress was built from deliberations among education experts. All assessment data about third-year medical students were collected, in addition to scores on International exams and information about residency placement. Our results showed that the reliability of composite scores is adequate for the scope of their use, irrespective of the medical education system that drove their formulation. However, associations were more meaningful and interpretable in the decision model based on the competency framework, in comparison to the traditional model. The three models yielded an absolute agreement in 67.4% of cases, and a re-classification of students’ academic status in the rest. Correlations with external criteria (performance on International exams and residency placement) demonstrated that decisions ensuing from the three models are supported by consequential validity evidence, and that the second model, using competency-guided composite scores, provided a better classification accuracy, especially in the borderline spectrum of performance. Finally, our findings suggest that the use of composite scores is associated with defensible decisions about student advancement irrespective of the medical education model. However, decision models differ with their ability to address the challenge of identifying struggling students. Although the advancement of competency-based medical education had implications over assessment, formulating composite scores as measures of competencies is feasible and seems to yield better classification decisions.
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
format masterThesis
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identifier_str_mv Bahous, S. A. (2017). Composite Scores and Decision-Making in Undergraduate Medical Education.
language_invalid_str_mv en
network_acronym_str LAURepo
network_name_str Lebanese American University repository
oai_identifier_str oai:laur.lau.edu.lb:10725/10121
publishDate 2017
publisher.none.fl_str_mv University of Illinois at Chicago
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spelling Composite Scores and Decision-Making in Undergraduate Medical EducationBahous, Sola AounMedical education.Composite scores are frequently used in medical education to reflect aggregate information about a student’s performance. Combining assessment scores into composites has been shown to be a successful practice in traditional medical education models and is normally driven by the educational system in place. The recent paradigm shift to competency-based medical education has been associated with many implications for assessment. A major challenge emerged about the procedure of combining assessment information in competency-based models, and the validity of decision-making based on composites. In this study, we examined validity evidence associated with traditional composite scores and consequential decision-making, and that associated with reformulated composites based on the competency framework. Furthermore, a third decision model about students’ academic progress was built from deliberations among education experts. All assessment data about third-year medical students were collected, in addition to scores on International exams and information about residency placement. Our results showed that the reliability of composite scores is adequate for the scope of their use, irrespective of the medical education system that drove their formulation. However, associations were more meaningful and interpretable in the decision model based on the competency framework, in comparison to the traditional model. The three models yielded an absolute agreement in 67.4% of cases, and a re-classification of students’ academic status in the rest. Correlations with external criteria (performance on International exams and residency placement) demonstrated that decisions ensuing from the three models are supported by consequential validity evidence, and that the second model, using competency-guided composite scores, provided a better classification accuracy, especially in the borderline spectrum of performance. Finally, our findings suggest that the use of composite scores is associated with defensible decisions about student advancement irrespective of the medical education model. However, decision models differ with their ability to address the challenge of identifying struggling students. Although the advancement of competency-based medical education had implications over assessment, formulating composite scores as measures of competencies is feasible and seems to yield better classification decisions.N/AIncludes bibliographical referencesUniversity of Illinois at Chicago2019-03-01T12:48:26Z2019-03-01T12:48:26Z20172019-03-012017-08Thesisinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/masterThesishttp://hdl.handle.net/10725/10121Bahous, S. A. (2017). Composite Scores and Decision-Making in Undergraduate Medical Education.http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/thesis.phphttps://indigo.uic.edu/handle/10027/22094eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:laur.lau.edu.lb:10725/101212021-09-20T11:00:07Z
spellingShingle Composite Scores and Decision-Making in Undergraduate Medical Education
Bahous, Sola Aoun
Medical education.
status_str publishedVersion
title Composite Scores and Decision-Making in Undergraduate Medical Education
title_full Composite Scores and Decision-Making in Undergraduate Medical Education
title_fullStr Composite Scores and Decision-Making in Undergraduate Medical Education
title_full_unstemmed Composite Scores and Decision-Making in Undergraduate Medical Education
title_short Composite Scores and Decision-Making in Undergraduate Medical Education
title_sort Composite Scores and Decision-Making in Undergraduate Medical Education
topic Medical education.
url http://hdl.handle.net/10725/10121
http://libraries.lau.edu.lb/research/laur/terms-of-use/thesis.php
https://indigo.uic.edu/handle/10027/22094