Welcome!
from Bonnie Granat, Director, Program Evaluation and Assessment, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
The initial purpose of this website was to determine the feasibility of establishing a National Question Bank and to promote engagement among interested Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine. At the 2010 AACOM conference, a group gathered to discuss the benefits and concerns of using online examinations for student assessment. An offshoot of that discussion was the related topic of developing a National COM Question Bank. Many present expressed interest and I offered to explore the possibilities further. Since then we have met three times, and each discussion has moved us closer to implementation.
To that end, I have had several discussions with representatives from ExamSoft, a software company which specializes in high stakes exams, serves hundreds of schools, and administers the bar examination in 38 US states. ExamSoft is willing to work with our group of COMs to create customized software which will facilitate a secure, shared data base. They will support us throughout the process as we work to establish specific goals, objectives and procedures. In an effort to bring together a group of interested schools, I have established this website, which is currently public.
Currently, I serve as the Director of Program Evaluation and Assessment, but my initial role at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine was as Learning Specialist. In that capacity, it became clear to me that what a school chooses to assess and how that assessment is structured has a tremendous impact on how students study and work to learn material. It became increasingly clear that a well established, well written data base of high order examination questions, prepared to assess both broad and specific information, would encourage students to understand concepts and retain necessary details. Our current focus is to establish a database of questions which can be used in-house to effectively and efficiently assess students during their preclinical years.
As the Director of Program Evaluation and Assessment, my focus is on learning outcomes and creating cohesion between teaching, learning and the curriculum. Buy developing student assessments from a rich National Question Bank, with capabilities to track student performance related to the learner's achievements and success within core competencies, COMs will be able to develop curriculum maps and facilitate reporting and accountability for accreditation.
The website includes a summary of our recent meeting, contact information, a current status page, a blog for you to share ideas with each other, and links to the ExamSoft presentation at AACOM and their home page.
Many thanks,
Bonnie Granat, PhD.
To that end, I have had several discussions with representatives from ExamSoft, a software company which specializes in high stakes exams, serves hundreds of schools, and administers the bar examination in 38 US states. ExamSoft is willing to work with our group of COMs to create customized software which will facilitate a secure, shared data base. They will support us throughout the process as we work to establish specific goals, objectives and procedures. In an effort to bring together a group of interested schools, I have established this website, which is currently public.
Currently, I serve as the Director of Program Evaluation and Assessment, but my initial role at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine was as Learning Specialist. In that capacity, it became clear to me that what a school chooses to assess and how that assessment is structured has a tremendous impact on how students study and work to learn material. It became increasingly clear that a well established, well written data base of high order examination questions, prepared to assess both broad and specific information, would encourage students to understand concepts and retain necessary details. Our current focus is to establish a database of questions which can be used in-house to effectively and efficiently assess students during their preclinical years.
As the Director of Program Evaluation and Assessment, my focus is on learning outcomes and creating cohesion between teaching, learning and the curriculum. Buy developing student assessments from a rich National Question Bank, with capabilities to track student performance related to the learner's achievements and success within core competencies, COMs will be able to develop curriculum maps and facilitate reporting and accountability for accreditation.
The website includes a summary of our recent meeting, contact information, a current status page, a blog for you to share ideas with each other, and links to the ExamSoft presentation at AACOM and their home page.
Many thanks,
Bonnie Granat, PhD.
