EA-3105 Evaluation of Program Outcomes

1.0      Purpose

Program evaluation at VTCSOM provides a systematic and rigorous approach to assessing the outcomes and effectiveness of the undergraduate medical education program. This policy defines the use of selected benchmarks and outcome measures to support continuous improvement of the curriculum.

2.0      Policy

The Office of Educational Affairs (OEA), through the Associate Dean for Assessment, Evaluation and Strategic Analytics and designated team members, is responsible for oversight of program evaluation for the undergraduate medical education program, including evaluation of the existing curriculum and proposed curricular changes and innovations. Program evaluation is conducted using multiple outcome measures to support continuous quality improvement and alignment with institutional priorities and LCME accreditation standards.

3.0      Procedures

The Office of Educational Affairs (OEA) is responsible for ensuring that program evaluation is conducted in a systematic, rigorous, and reproducible manner. This includes the design and oversight of the evaluation plan (including methodology and measures), administration of evaluation instruments, and the collection, analysis, reporting, and archiving of program-level data.

Program evaluation procedures are designed to:

• Provide the School of Medicine with data to guide curricular monitoring and decision-making
• Support continuous quality improvement of the curriculum
• Generate longitudinal and dynamic data on curriculum implementation and outcomes
• Respect student time and minimize evaluation burden
• Support institutional needs, including course and clerkship decision-making and faculty development, promotion, and tenure
• Ensure compliance with LCME accreditation standards for program evaluation

Program Outcome Measures

The following internal and external outcome measures are systematically collected and reviewed for program evaluation:

• Internal reports (e.g., accelerated pathway task force, competencies/outcomes, work hours analysis)
• Curricular Governance Course Reports, including course comprehensive summary report
• Required conditions and procedures review – appropriateness and % completion of each item
• Digital passport updates tracking student completion of required milestones 
• Alternative assignments for required conditions and procedures and their completion status 
• Reports from faculty workshops and education retreats
• Results of the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) and other national licensing examinations
• Internal measures of student performance, including on internally developed assessments
• NBME Comprehensive Basic Science Examination
• NBME Comprehensive Clinical Science Examination
• NBME Health Systems Science Examination
• NBME Subject Examinations
• Performance-based assessments of clinical skills (e.g., OSCEs)
• Student responses on the AAMC Year 2 Questionnaire
• Student responses on the AAMC Graduation Questionnaire
• Student advancement and graduation rates
• National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) match results
• Specialty choices of graduates
• AAMC Resident Readiness Survey (program director assessments of graduate performance)
• Internal measures of student perceptions of courses, faculty/residents, programs, and services

Program outcome data are reviewed longitudinally and used to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum, identify trends over time, and support continuous improvement efforts. Findings are integrated with curriculum monitoring data and reviewed on a regular schedule through curriculum governance committees (PIC 1, PIC 2-3, MCC) to support data-informed decision-making on a regular schedule consistent with Table 8.4-2 of the LCME Data Collection Instrument.

4.0      References

• Curriculum Monitoring EA-3102

5.0      Approval and Revisions

Approved by the Medical Curriculum Committee on May 21, 2026