Aligning Pathology Assessment in a Learner-Centered Undergraduate Medical Curriculum

Introduction: The Bond Medical Program delivers pathology in the preclinical years through interactive learning. Assessment for learning demands fit-for-purpose assessment that aligns with the curriculum. In Year 2 of the medical curriculum, clinical pathology is assessed through a series of written and an integrated practical assessment (IPA) examination. The IPA is a practical examination held in a laboratory which permits the use of multi-media. The traditional written paper examines the theoretical aspect of pathology while the IPA assesses the observational skill and three dimensional application of pathophysiology to disease processes. Objectives: To determine whether a difference exists in student performance on pathology questions between the IPA and a written examination. Methods: Year 2 undergraduate medical students write a 50-station IPA, followed by a 50-question written paper. A comparison of performance between the written assessment and the IPA is undertaken and correlated using Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: A positive Pearson’s correlation coefficient of percentage scores (r=0.68, significant at > 0.01) between the written and IPA suggests a strong association between the two assessment methods. Conclusion: Students’ scores in the IPA and the written assessment correlate well which suggest either could be used to predict students’ performance in pathology. The IPA enables students to connect the basic sciences with clinical sciences, thus aligning our learner centred pathology curriculum with the assessment tools. Keywords: Assessment; Clinico-pathological correlation; Integrated; Pathology; Performance