The School of Physical Therapy is in a rather unique position for outcomes assessment as we are currently in the second year of implementation of a three year entry level Master’s Degree in Physical Therapy (MPT). We are, therefore, continuously assessing what has been done with the first class to be graduated and determining if we need to make minor changes for the second and now third classes enrolled. As can be readily understood, the faculty are reluctant to make major changes to a curriculum which was just recently designed and is in the infancy stages of implementation. Rather, our focus has been on the articulation of the quarters and years, one with the other, to make sure that necessary content is covered and covered in the most effective and efficient way.

Full accreditation of the new MPT program by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) will be determined after an on-site visit in 1999; interim accreditation had been granted on May 3, 1995; however, there were some areas of the curriculum where it was unclear if the program was in full compliance with the standards; therefore additional documentation was requested by February, 1997. We did submit a progress report and are pleased to report that we received notification on May 16, 1997, that the program has met all of the requirements for compliance with the intent of the Evaluative Criteria for Accreditation of Education Programs for the Preparation of Physical Therapists and the commission voted to continue interim accreditation.

Because we are accredited by an external agency (and we will do self-assessment again in 1999), many of the activities we do relative to assessment are driven by that agency’s expectations. We look at assessment as what we are currently teaching and assessing in each one of our courses; the outcome of the program, especially in terms of its graduates; but also the process of the program, including the space, the equipment, the technology, and the program faculty. We will not discuss evaluation of faculty as this process is done across the university; however, when appropriate, there will be discussion of space and equipment.

The goals for the School of Physical Therapy were developed by the faculty prior to the new curriculum in Summer 1995. They were developed after much discussion among the faculty and also with consultants to the program, both internal and external. They have been re-affirmed this year after faculty discussion and some have been modified slightly and an additional objective has been added concerning supervision and management. The faculty believe that these goals strongly represent what we, as faculty, and the students, as learners, are trying to achieve. The end of program goals and objectives will be presented in the next sections and this year’s activities will be discussed as well as changes that have been made based on the information from the accrediting agency and input from our students, as well as our own self-assessment. Finally, suggestions for the future will be discussed in relation to our assessment activity. For a brief overview of the asssessment plan, please see Appendix A.

Accomplishments: As a result of our efforts on assessment in this arena, we were judged to be in full compliance with the standards of the accreditation agency as of April 30, 1997. Faculty have also reviewed the Ohio University Alumni Survey Five Year Educational Outcome. For the years 1986-87, 1988-89, and 1990-91 (collected in 1996), we had a return rate of 56%, 69%, and 64% respectively. We were pleased to note that, of those who responded, 100% of the graduates were employed either on a full or a part time basis in physical therapy. One hundred percent found their major courses helpful in the acquisition of job-related skills and practice. In addition, several had furthered their education to a master’s level degree. Eighty-two percent, 97% and 80% respectively were satisfied with the level of rigor and scholarship in the program.

With reference to Objective B, students have undertaken many leadership roles within the School of Physical Therapy. They have responsibilities as class officers, as members of working groups on projects, and as members of the professional association. We also have graduate assistants who assist with teaching laboratory classes and who assist faculty with research. One student this year organized her class in performing a postural screening by physical therapy students in conjunction with WellWorks. Approximately 10 students from the first and second year graduate classes attended the meeting of the Central District of the Ohio Physical Therapy Association this past May and almost 100% of the second year class attended the Ohio Physical Therapy Association state meeting in Columbus in March.

All of our students are currently progressing through the curriculum in an uneventful way. In the second year class, we did have one student leave the program; however, it was because he determined that the physical therapy profession was not for him. All students are currently passing their clinical assessment, which is performed by external clinical faculty. We did have one student who experienced difficulty in the clinic and we remediated with her and will assess her again with the Blue MACS (Mastery Assessment of Clinical Skills), our clinical assessment tool for the successful application of clinical skills. With regard to the second objective, students are evaluated in their part time and full time affiliations on their ability to delegate and supervise activities of PTAs and PT aides and, so far, no student has had difficulty with this skill. In addition the second year graduate students have just completed their management series in which this skill is emphasized.

Activities: Based on the CAPTE’s evaluation that they could not determine if the School of Physical Therapy was in compliance with standards which related to electrophysiological testing of muscles and nerves and endurance, fitness, and conditioning, the faculty held several meetings in which we discussed this curricular content. As a result of those discussions, and a review of the objectives and where that content should be enhanced, the faculty revised the objectives to clarify them and added that material to appropriate courses. In addition, since none of the present faculty felt comfortable in teaching electrodiagnosis, we brought in a visiting professor, Andrew Robinson, from Ithaca College to teach this content in an intense format over two days.

To determine if curricular content is current and if the courses are articulating well throughout the three years, faculty meet after each quarter and prior to the beginning of the next. This year, at Fall Faculty Retreat, the entire curriculum was reviewed for the new Director and new faculty and specific curricular content was identified in each course. Faculty discuss activities which went well, any changes which need to be made, and how those changes may affect the remainder of the curriculum. The faculty use input from their course evaluations, input from our clinical faculty, as well as the results from bi-annual meetings that the Director and faculty or Academic Coordinator of Clinical Education have with the students in each year of the program. At this rather informal meeting, students are asked how they feel their education is going and if we are meeting their needs. They are also asked, after having been on their clinical affiliations, if there is any re-ordering of curricular content which needs to be done in order for them to feel comfortable with their skills on those early clinical rotations. An example of a modification to the curriculum which we did this year in response to concerns of students, was that we added a two hour segment on the Intensive Care Unit to the course entitled General Medical Surgical Conditions because the students reported that they did not have any information on that in their first year of the curriculum and they were expected to perform in that environment on their first rotation which was in the summer after their first year sequence.

Implementation of Changes: Upon looking at our last year’s students scores on the national licensing examination, we were disturbed to discover that we had a 14% failure rate with our last group of undergraduate students. We found that, in speaking with faculty in other programs across the State of Ohio, they had experienced a similar trend with the move toward criterion referencing rather than normative referencing on the examination. Even though this curriculum no longer exists, we are already talking about ways to insure that our failure rate is below the national average for all Schools of Physical Therapy in the country and slightly better than this. We have discussed having several classes to review material in the curriculum and giving them a "mock" test to prepare students for this test. Dr. Kohn, Assistant Professor, is investigating this possibility as well as that of purchasing some computerized test instruments which assist in preparation for the examination.

As a result of faculty discussions, after the first quarter of Research Issues, faculty determined which content needed to be covered in each Research Issues course (there are 3) so that the student progresses in a timely manner toward finishing their research and professional paper. We are currently implementing these changes.

Having experienced two years of the program, and with input from our students, the faculty have changed some of the sequencing in the courses related to therapeutic considerations for the person with neurological deficits. Students were unable to fit a pediatric rotation into their schedules because schools are not in session in the summer months which was the time following their pediatrics coursework. Faculty have already met and sequenced the Sensorimotor Control Mechanisms in Adult Neurological Rehabilitation course so that it is the second in the sequence. This will allow students to choose a rehabilitation facility as a clinical assignment earlier in the program (during the third long term affiliation in the summer) and will free the students to take a pediatric affiliation during the Fall of the year when schools are in session.

Finally, we noted an inconsistency and redundancy in some of our introductory courses which occur in the first year, and a committee of those who teach in those courses was formed to determine specific content of each course. These changes will be implemented this year.

Future Plans: Since we have implemented a new curriculum and expect an accreditation site team in less than two years, the following activities are currently being discussed and will most probably be developed next year for implementation the following year when the first class graduates:

1. establish an advisory committee composed of clinicians and employers to guide us in curricular changes

Accomplishments: This is difficult to assess as an accomplishment; however, we can infer that this process will be complete upon student graduation based on several things. First, the curriculum is based on a problem solving format which means that, in each class, there is ample opportunity for the student to develop these skills. Second, the written and practical tests which they take are problem based. Finally, based on the exemplary projects which they have done in classes such as Advanced Medical Surgical Conditions, and Physical Therapy Management, we can assess that the students are developing these skills. In part time and full time clinical rotations, students have been performing well when assessed on this criteria (Blue MACS).

Activities: Faculty have regularly assessed the appropriateness of admissions criteria and the admissions process to determine the adequacy of each for selecting students who can successfully complete the program and who reflect the mission of the program and practice expectations as defined by CAPTE. This year, Stephanie Carter, Assistant Professor, has begun to put all of the information which we have about admissions into a data base so that we can begin to study our process. We are currently selecting variables which we feel indicate success in the program and trying to quantify them. We will compare these selected variables against our composite score for admission and each separate score for GPA, essay, interview, and references. We are currently looking at the past 10 years, but we will look at the present classes when that is completed. We have also reviewed our prerequisites for the program after a meeting with pre-physical therapy student advisors in the Fall quarter. After discussing their input, we decided that our prerequisites are suitable for the student we want in the program.

Lastly, we have reviewed an instrument called the Generic Abilities Assessment for use with evaluating some of the more cognitive and affective skills. In addition, we have invited the developer of this form to come and speak with us in the Fall about the form and how to incorporate it into our courses and clinical assessments of the students.

Future Plans: We will continue to evaluate the admissions process and a report will be included next year. We will continue to evaluate the appropriateness of the Generic Abilities Assessment for use in our courses and will meet with the developer of the instrument as a consultant.

Accomplishments: Students have done an exceptional job of reviewing the literature in each of their classes, but especially in the Research Issues classes. Oral presentations have been exemplary and indicate good skills in this area. Because the students have not yet completed their third year, it is difficult to assess their research skills at this time.

Activities: Faculty have continuously been upgrading the way material is presented to students and have effected many changes which we think will enhance problem solving and critical inquiry and research. We have also evaluated the equipment which we currently have in the school and have made a 5 year plan for acquisition which will improve our capabilities for the students’ participation in research. To that end, this year, with House Bill money, we have purchased an EMG system which allows us to perform EMG, electrogoniometry, and analysis of foot placement and center of pressure. Three student groups are currently using this equipment for their research with faculty members. We have also been able to incorporate this technology into the classroom by providing demonstrations of movement which can be viewed by the entire class with our purchase of technology which allows us to project the images from the computer directly onto a large screen. We plan to continue to implement this in our courses. We also identified the need for new isokinetic equipment to study muscle function, power, and stiffness. Our present equipment was over 12 years old. We are purchasing the isokinetic equipment this year and it will be available for student use in the classroom and labs so that they can test their hypotheses about movement and what happens when there is a deficit or deformity.

Future Plans: We will continue to evaluate technology for what it can bring to the program in terms of clinical inquiry and research. We will also assess this skill acquisition through the survey to alumni concerning research or presentations they have done.

Accomplishments: One hundred percent of the Grad I class and 92% of the Grad II class are members of our professional association and receive all of the publications from the organization. Both classes are quite active raising money for professional issues, like the Marquette Challenge which raises money for physical therapy research. Almost 100% of the second year graduate class attended the Ohio Physical Therapy State Conference this year where they were introduced to the professional organization. We have 23 students signed up for National Student Conclave of the American Physical Therapy Association in October of this year.

Activities: Faculty have worked with students to develop professionalism and model professional behavior by attending professional meetings and being involved. We are assisting them in raising money to attend the National Student Conclave. Our success, we think, is indicated by the above statements on student participation.

Future Plans: We can evaluate lifelong learning activities through the exit interview with graduating students as well as the alumni survey 6-12 months after graduation. For assessment of our student’s ability to assess his/her own thinking, we are investigating the Generic Abilities Assessment mentioned above.

Accomplishments: The students have effectively delivered oral presentations in several of their classes including Teaching/Learning, Orthopedics, Advanced Medical Surgical Conditions, and Management of a Physical Therapy Service. They have also written many excellent papers in their classes and have received feedback on them. In addition, most faculty included some essay questions on their examinations to develop writing skills. Students have been assessed on the clinical assessment tool for their interaction with patients and their families and/or caregivers and with their clinical supervisors and they have been performing well.

Activities: Students are being prepared to write and present their professional papers in the Winter quarter of next year. Their paper and their presentations will be critiqued by their faculty advisors as well as by their peers. Students will be encouraged to submit their work for state conference or national conference and for publication, if appropriate. Students are also given a course on documentation in the curriculum and are regularly assessed on this skill during part time and full time clinical rotations. Students are also expected to give in-service classes to other physical therapists during their clinical rotations.

Future Plans: Two other tools for assessment in physical therapy curricula will be the Consensus on Postbaccalaureate Physical Therapy Education and the Guide to Physical Therapist Practice, Volumes I and II. These will be used in the near future in conjunction with the Evaluative Criteria for Accreditation Programs for the Preparation of Physical Therapists.

We have implemented several strategies for assessing the curriculum and the final outcome of the curriculum, a graduate capable of taking and passing the licensing exam to become a practicing physical therapist and a person who has the ability for critical inquiry, self-assessment, communication, and lifelong learning. Already our assessment strategies have resulted in several positive changes with respect to the developing curriculum and we look forward to continuing the processes we have started into the coming years.