Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, 22110, Jordan.
BMC Med Educ. 2017 Aug 4;17(1):129. doi: 10.1186/s12909-017-0968-2.
Improvement of medical content in Biomedical Engineering curricula based on a qualitative assessment process or on a comparison with another high-standard program has been approached by a number of studies. However, the quantitative assessment tools have not been emphasized. The quantitative assessment tools can be more accurate and robust in cases of challenging multidisciplinary fields like that of Biomedical Engineering which includes biomedicine elements mixed with technology aspects. The major limitations of the previous research are the high dependence on surveys or pure qualitative approaches as well as the absence of strong focus on medical outcomes without implicit confusion with the technical ones. The proposed work presents the development and evaluation of an accurate/robust quantitative approach to the improvement of the medical content in the challenging multidisciplinary BME curriculum.
The work presents quantitative assessment tools and subsequent improvement of curriculum medical content applied, as example for explanation, to the ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, USA) accredited biomedical engineering BME department at Jordan University of Science and Technology. The quantitative results of assessment of curriculum/course, capstone, exit exam, course assessment by student (CAS) as well as of surveys filled by alumni, seniors, employers and training supervisors were, first, mapped to the expected students' outcomes related to the medical field (SOsM). The collected data were then analyzed and discussed to find curriculum weakness points by tracking shortcomings in every outcome degree of achievement. Finally, actions were taken to fill in the gaps of the curriculum. Actions were also mapped to the students' medical outcomes (SOsM).
Weighted averages of obtained quantitative values, mapped to SOsM, indicated accurately the achievement levels of all outcomes as well as the necessary improvements to be performed in curriculum. Mapping the improvements to SOsM also helps in the assessment of the following cycle.
The suggested assessment tools can be generalized and extended to any other BME department. Robust improvement of medical content in BME curriculum can subsequently be achieved.
许多研究都采用定性评估过程或与另一高标准课程进行比较来改进生物医学工程课程中的医学内容。然而，定量评估工具尚未得到重视。在像生物医学工程这样具有挑战性的多学科领域，定量评估工具可以更准确、更稳健，其中包括与技术方面混合的生物医学元素。以前研究的主要局限性在于高度依赖调查或纯粹的定性方法，以及缺乏对医疗结果的强烈关注，而没有与技术结果混淆。拟议的工作提出了一种准确/稳健的定量方法来改进具有挑战性的多学科 BME 课程中的医学内容，并进行了开发和评估。
该工作提出了定量评估工具，并随后应用于课程医学内容的改进，作为解释的示例，应用于约旦科技大学经 ABET（美国工程和技术认证委员会）认证的生物医学工程 BME 系。课程/课程、顶点课程、毕业考试、学生课程评估 (CAS) 以及校友、高年级学生、雇主和培训主管填写的调查的定量评估结果首先映射到与医学领域相关的预期学生成果 (SOsM)。然后分析和讨论收集的数据，通过跟踪每个成果达成度的缺点来找到课程的弱点。最后，采取行动填补课程的空白。行动也映射到学生的医疗成果 (SOsM)。
映射到 SOsM 的获得的定量值的加权平均值准确地指示了所有成果的达成水平以及课程中需要进行的改进。将改进映射到 SOsM 还有助于评估下一个周期。
建议的评估工具可以推广和扩展到任何其他 BME 部门。随后可以在 BME 课程中稳健地改进医学内容。
