A short report on curricular ‘School Competencies and Objectives Progress Exam’ (SCOPE) assessments

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46542/pe.2022.221.971973

Keywords:

Competency-based, ExamSoft, Progress exam, SCOPE

Abstract

Introduction: A private School of Pharmacy in the United States of America with a four-year programme began delivering a new curriculum in the autumn of 2021. To measure students’ performance in the curriculum, a comprehensive competency-based assessment was implemented in August 2022.

Methods: An ExamSoft question item bank was developed based on existing course questions, and questions were allocated to the assessment based on competencies, Bloom’s level, item difficulty level, and the count indicated on the exam blueprint.

Results: The reliability data for the assessment was good, but the results were lower than desired. Performance levels were modified to better reflect the status of first-time implementation.

Conclusion: The assessment was deemed reliable, but adjustments will likely be necessary over the next several years. The ‘School Competencies and Objectives Progress Exam’ (SCOPE) 1 workgroup will reconvene next summer to discuss any desired changes in question selection, weighting, and performance levels.

Author Biography

Elizabeth Sheaffer, Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy, Birmingham, Alabama, United States

Elizabeth A. Sheaffer, MBA, PhD is the Associate Dean for Assessment and Accreditation and an Associate Professor at Samford University McWhorter School of Pharmacy. Her diverse work history includes training, assessment, and evaluation positions with the U.S. Department of State, American College of Cardiology, and George Washington University. She received an MBA from Shenandoah University, a PhD in Education from George Mason University, and is pursuing a Master of Studies in Law (Higher Education Law and Compiance) from Samford University.

References

Castleberry, A.N., Schneider, E.F., Carle, M.H., & Stowe, C.D. (2016). Development of a Summative Examination with Subject Matter Expert Validation. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 80(2), 29. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe80229

Heale, R., & Twycross, A. (2015). Validity and reliability in quantitative studies. Evidence-based nursing, 18(3), 66–67. https://doi.org/10.1136/eb-2015-102129

National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) (2019). Test Blueprinting II: Creating a Test Blueprint (online). Available from: https://www.nbme.org/sites/default/files/2020-01/Test-Blueprinting-Lesson-2.pdf

Rowe, E.L., Pittman, J. M., & Hamilton, B.S. (2021). Use of an in-house comprehensive exam as a predictor for academic success. Currents in pharmacy teaching & learning, 13(6), 643–651. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2021.01.036

Rudolph, M.J., Gortney, J.S., Maerten-Rivera, J.L., Bray, B.S., Shah, S., Hein, B.E., Coyle, E.A., & Buring, S.M. (2019). A Study of the Relationship Between the PCOA and NAPLEX Using a Multi-institutional Sample. American journal of pharmaceutical education, 83(2), 6867. https://doi.org/10.5688/ajpe6867

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Published

17-12-2022

How to Cite

Sheaffer, E. (2022). A short report on curricular ‘School Competencies and Objectives Progress Exam’ (SCOPE) assessments. Pharmacy Education, 22(1), p. 971–973. https://doi.org/10.46542/pe.2022.221.971973

Issue

Vol. 22 No. 1 (2022)

Section

Short Report

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