Evaluation, Center for Spirituality and Healing, Academic Health Center at the University of Minnesota

CAM Curriculum Evaluation Plan
Baseline Data
Curriculum Mapping Survey
Ongoing Evaluation 

An important aspect of the NIH CAM Curriculum grant process includes summative and formative evaluation. These efforts are described below.

CAM Curriculum Evaluation Plan Back to Top
Ilene Harris provides direction and oversight for evaluation of the NIH CAM Curriculum project, including formative and summative evaluation using a variety of evaluation instruments. Qualitative data from focus group interviews, individual interviews and open-ended survey questions will be analyzed using standard qualitative data analysis methods of coding and comparative analysis. Quantitative data from written surveys will be analyzed using standard descriptive and inferential statistics. Psychometric data from case-based multiple choice exams, essays scored using protocols, and OSCE stations will be analyzed using standard psychometric techniques to ensure validity and reliability.

Baseline Data Back to Top 
Attitude Assessment of Students and Faculty Toward CAM
To gain an understanding of learning needs as well as the status of CAM within existing Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy curricula, two baseline surveys were conducted in Spring 2001. Faculty and graduating students were asked about their current attitudes toward CAM in general and about the role they feel CAM topics should play in specific health sciences curricula. Results of these studies are summarized in articles submitted for publication. Data from the attitude survey is helping to prioritize the need for new CAM curricula and will be used as baseline data to compare changes in attitudes toward CAM in the future.

In August-September 2001, incoming students to the schools of Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy were surveyed to establish a baseline against which the attitudes of these same students will be compared upon graduation in three or four years.

Faculty Attitude Survey
Student Attitude Survey

Curriculum Mapping Survey Back to Top
In Spring 2001, NIH CAM Curriculum grant team members surveyed faculty in their academic units to develop "maps" identifying required and elective courses in which CAM is currently being taught, and to highlight perceived needs for additional CAM educational resources. Data from the Curriculum Mapping Survey will pinpoint gaps in existing curricula and identify development opportunities. These curriculum maps will also be used as a foundation to compare how CAM has been integrated into future curricula. (Summaries of the baseline content maps are included under links for each academic unit.)

Process Assessment of Effectiveness of Strategies for Integrating CAM into Pharmacy, Nursing, and Medical School Curricula

To document the personal and professional processes that are entailed in participating in an innovative, interdisciplinary project of this nature, all faculty on the NIH CAM Curriculum Grant Team were interviewed in Fall 2001. The interviews focused on the challenges, the motivations, individual learnings and the 'rewards' of participating in this project. Results are expected in Spring 2002.

Ongoing Evaluation Efforts Back to Top

• Formative and summative evaluations of interdisciplinary educational resources through written and electronic surveys using structured and open-ended questions will be developed and implemented to pilot and finalize all curriculum materials.

• Formative evaluations describing the process of interdisciplinary CAM curriculum will help to pinpoint key lessons learned.

• Knowledge, Skills and Competence Assessment for students and faculty will be implemented by means of baseline and follow-up in the form of case-based multiple-choice instruments, essay items with scoring protocols, and objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) stations.