Outcomes Assessment
The final step in investigating a case involves the group as a whole reviewing the material that has been covered. This period of reflection is critical for the final integration of knowledge since the students may not realize just what has been covered and how the topics are all related. Linking the different topics together can be accomplished through the use of a concept map that provides an additional frame of reference for the interrelatedness of the different topics. This final reflection on the case also allows the group to identify “Lingering Questions and Unresolved Issues” they have about the case and topics they would like to see an expert address at a Resource Session. The students also evaluate the effectiveness of the case in achieving learning outcomes important to their career.
How it is done:
At the conclusion of the case the facilitator receives a “Closing Packet” that contains several different items required for finishing a case. Two specific items included in the Closing Packet are intended to assist the group in analyzing their progress. The Major and Minor Learning Needs Inventory and the Lingering Questions/Unresolved Issues forms are central to this phase of PBL. The group is asked to reflect on the learning topics that were researched and to assign them to either the “Major” category or the “Minor” category. This list is collected by the facilitator and returned to the Office of Academic Affairs for entry into a database on case learning outcomes. This data may be used to evaluate the information coverage of the curriculum, or for comparison of the accomplishments of all the groups that have just completed the same case. The Learning Needs Inventory also asks students to rate the case on raising learning needs relevant to the students’ future careers. This information can lead to case revision or preparation of new cases to be added to the curriculum.
The Lingering Questions are generated by the students when they identify potential gaps in knowledge and topic areas that might be best addressed by a content expert. This form is similarly returned to the Office of Academic Affairs for collection of the input from all the groups and subsequent forwarding to one or more faculty experts who can use it to prepare for a Resource Session. A Concept Map may also be developed by the group during the outcomes phase of the case. This activity helps the students to link the different elements of the case with sets of content facts so as to explain the interrelatedness of the elements of the Problem.
Why it is done:
The goals of the Outcomes Analysis phase of the investigation of the problem are to review the learning and link all the topics covered to the actual problem through group discussion, as well as to evaluate the entire case as it relates to important content areas in dental education. In this respect, the inventory of topics addressed by the students will look like a list of subjects covered in more traditional courses. In our example from earlier, the students may have covered relevant topics such as; physiology of coagulation, problems with coagulation, oral manifestations of coagulation problems.
The analysis of learning is an important element in assisting the students to evaluate the progress of their learning, and the extent of the work that still lies ahead. This activity is also related to meta-cognition in that it helps establish the habit of pausing at intervals to assess one’s progress towards reaching specific learning goals. Periodically reviewing the accomplishments of one’s learning thus serves both to reinforce the progress that has been made and to develop a structure for reflection on one’s own learning process. In addition, reflection upon outcomes helps students learn to see how the things they have learned fit into a relevant context, in this case the ever-changing body of knowledge they will need to draw upon as dental health care professionals.
More Guidance on [link to page on major/minor categories (4.6.1), concept mapping
