Multi-location Report HCOM 2023

Multi-Location Visit Institutional Report

Instructions

Submit the completed report as a single PDF file to the peer reviewer assigned to conduct the visit and to
HLC at hlcommission.org/upload. Select “Visit Materials” from the list of submission options to ensure the
institution’s materials are sent to the correct HLC staff member. Brief evidentiary materials may be
included if they are necessary to support information provided in the report. The report is due 30 days
prior to the visit.

Overview Statement

1. Provide a brief overview statement about current additional locations, and about the institution’s
   general approach to off-campus instruction. List the current approved active additional locations.
   Be sure to include with each location the full address and all academic programs offered at the
   location.

The purpose of Ohio University's regional campuses and additional locations is to provide students throughout Ohio with access to the same quality of educational experience they would receive at the Athens campus. Five regional campuses and six additional locations help meet that mission. Students, traditional and non-traditional alike, choose to study at a regional campus or additional location for a variety of reasons. Many are working full- or part-time, some are single parents, some have limited economic means, others want to improve their job opportunities or want to advance within their current careers, while some simply want to live where they reside while earning an associate’s, bachelor’s, or more recently, a variety of advanced degrees. OHIO's regional campuses and additional location students experience a vibrant, student-centered learning environment characterized by small class sizes, highly qualified professors, and appropriate uses of instructional technologies. Because Ohio University has a single curriculum for all six campuses and six locations, the educational experience students receive is expected to be equivalent, and established learning outcomes are expected to be met, wherever the course is delivered and whatever mode of instruction is pursued.

• Cleveland, 4180 Warrensville Center Rd., Cleveland, OH 44122

  - Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

• Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue NA31, Cleveland Ohio 44195

  - Master of Science in Cardiac Perfusion

• Dublin, 6775 Bobcat Way, Dublin, OH 43016

  - Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

  - Master of Physician Assistant Practice (MPAP)

  - Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

  - Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

  - Master of Science and Dietetic Internship (MSDI)

  - Master of Science in Athletic Training Program (MSAT)

  - Master of Public Administration (MPA)

  - Master of Business Administration (MBA)

  - Master of Accountancy (MAcc)

• Fairfield County Workforce Center, 4465 Coonpath Road NW, Carroll, Ohio 49112

  - AAS in Engineering Technology

• Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, 191 West Union Street, Athens OH 45701

  - Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine

• Proctorville, 111 Private Drive 516, Proctorville, OH 45669

  - General education coursework provided

While the focus of this multi-location review are two of OHIO’s newer additional locations, the HCOM- Athens location was considered part of the Athens Main Campus until our last Financial Aid renewal when the Dept of ED required that we add it as an additional location. The two locations under review both serve as training sites for the medical school: 1) the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (HCOM) location in Athens, which is the main location for the medical school and 2) the medical school’s Cleveland location, which is one of two additional training locations for the
medical school. The medical school is fully accredited by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). The main medical school moved into its new building, at 191 West Union Street, Athens, OH, in August, 2021 (i.e., noted as the HCOM-Athens location for this visit). The COCA approved the Cleveland site as an additional location for the medical school in 2013 and the location welcomed its inaugural class of 50 students for the 2015-16 academic year. Both of these locations exclusively offer medical education training and correspondingly offer the requisite discipline-specific curriculum, assessments, and services, many of which must comply with COCA standards and are distinct from those offered to undergraduate and graduate students on the university’s main campus and its other locations. Per COCA accreditation standards, while HCOM-Athens is recognized as the university’s main medical school site; Cleveland is officially defined, and approved, as an “additional location.”

The medical students’ first two years of medical education are primarily didactic (i.e., pre-clinical) and are
location bound to the training site to which they were assigned (i.e., at the Athens, Cleveland or Dublin). The last two years of medical education are clinically-based and take place at various hospitals and other types of health care facilities, throughout, and primarily in, the State of Ohio. OU-HCOM operates as one medical school, utilizing the same curriculum, assessments, etc., at all of its locations, including HCOM- Athens, Cleveland and Dublin. Correspondingly, distance education technology is embraced and plays a vital role in the medical school’s curriculum. Instructional faculty deliver coursework from all three campuses in a distributed fashion. The large group learning activities occur synchronously using a statewide high-bandwidth video conferencing network. Team teaching often occurs with faculty located at different campuses simultaneously. Videoconferencing can be scheduled and initiated from any location or “clinical campus” site to any other site(s). Any common video device (desktop or laptop computer, LCD projector, VCR, camcorder, endoscope, sigmoidoscope, etc.) can be attached to the system and
included in a videoconference or training exercise. A regular telephone call can be incorporated into the
videoconference to include individuals who may not have access to a videoconference room.

All OU-HCOM training locations (academic and clinical) are connected through video conferencing for delivery of curriculum and can be accessed remotely by students and/or faculty. The college’s Office of Medical Education Technology (OMET) oversees the configuration of classroom and conference room equipment and maintenance at all locations. Although the main OMET personnel and systems are managed at the main medical school location (HCOM-Athens), each location, including Cleveland, has its own IT staff to support on-site technology needs as appropriate.

2. What future growth does the institution anticipate (e.g., in the next six months, three years, 10-20
   years) for additional locations?

As Ohio University continues to address pandemic impacts, prepare for demographic shifts, respond to industry and workforce needs, and anticipate evolving learner preferences, the University’s primary enrollment objective has been and will continue to be stabilizing enrollment across its locations and online. Substantial pandemic-related enrollment declines have been followed by enrollment rebound and strengthened market position for the main campus location. Current long-term strategies aim to increase college-going in the state and region while also maintaining steady enrollment; growth will be in targeted academic areas and student populations that may offset otherwise anticipated demographic and population-based declines. Enrollment at regional campuses is expected to stabilize as well, bolstered by substantial efforts to align academic offerings to community workforce needs, as well as to continue to deliver coursework in times, locations, and modalities that align to students’ preferences and circumstances. Initiatives such as the Appalachian Semiconductor Education and Technical Ecosystem, which aims to provide the next generation of skilled technical professionals for Ohio’s emerging semiconductor industry, will provide opportunities for growth in academic disciplines aligned to industry needs statewide. Additionally, the University aims to leverage its well-established brand as a leading and expert
provider of health education.

Ohio University only establishes additional locations if it can provide the same quality instruction as it does at its
main campus. The University's Curriculum Council and academic colleges and departments oversee instruction at all locations. Graduate degree programs in which 50 percent or more of the curriculum are delivered at a physical location and the remainder of the program is delivered online are approved by the University Curriculum Committee and Graduate Council. They confirm the program's viability and approvals, including the location to be selected.

The medical school has completed its planned expansion to the Dublin and Cleveland additional locations and has no growth plans for additional locations at this time.

Institutional Planning

1. How does the institution ascertain that facilities at each location will meet the needs of the students and the curriculum?

Ohio University assesses the need for additional degree programs by analyzing a potential location's demographics in the central and surrounding counties, such as proportion of degree holders; the potential market, such as size of graduating classes and college going rates; and existing degree programs (if any) from other institutions. Our history has been to establish a temporary location utilizing an existing facility with appropriate furnishings (e.g., laboratory equipment). Once long-term viability is established, Ohio University seeks to establish a permanent location, such as we have done at Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Dublin, Proctorville, Cambridge, and most recently at Fairfield County Workforce Center. Again, HCOM-Athens has existed for many years on the Athens campus but was declared an Additional Location at the request of the Dept of ED. Each college or academic department or school with academic programs at this location works within the University’s processes and oversight to manage and maintain the facilities to meet the needs of their program’s curriculum and students with ultimate oversight of all academic programs resting with the Executive Vice President and Provost.

Additionally, OU-HCOM is accredited by the COCA, which has stringent standards in various areas (e.g., facilities, finances, faculty and staff, etc.) that are intended to ensure the facilities at all locations meet the needs of the students and the curriculum; see https://osteopathic.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/com-continuing-accreditation-standards.pdf. The medical school had its most recent comprehensive on-site accreditation visit on September 27 – October 1, 2021, which included an evaluation of the medical school’s compliance with all standards at all locations, including facilities. Corresponding to that visit, the COCA awarded OU-HCOM “accreditation with exceptional outcome” (see letter from the COCA in Appendix A). The COCA also approves medical school enrollment at its locations to ensure the facilities there meet the needs of the students and the curriculum.

Classroom facilities and technologies at all locations (including Cleveland) are similar to those offered at HCOM-Athens, the main medical school location. Both HCOM-Athens and Cleveland specifically have design features corresponding to the curriculum’s usage of team-based learning. Relative to student feedback in this area, the annual American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) Graduating Senior Survey collects information from graduating seniors on facilities (e.g., library and computer resource center) and provides the results in location-specific reports (i.e., one report for HCOM-Athens and one for Cleveland), with national data for comparison. Additionally, the medical school’s Office of Institutional Assessment and Accreditation (OIAA) conducts an annual survey of the first- and second-year medical students and specifically asks students to rate a variety of items relative to the facilities at their training location (e.g., buildings, classrooms, teaching and learning labs, adequacy of learning resources, etcetera). These data are summarized by location and provided to the medical school’s leadership, which includes the deans at HCOM-Athens and Cleveland, to help with their assessment and planning needs.

2. What is the process through which the institution assesses and adjusts, as necessary, funding and staffing for locations?

Ohio University has a long history of providing quality off-campus academic offerings. Regional Higher Education at Ohio University has over 50 years of experience in managing undergraduate education at our additional locations. It has been a model of efficiency and effectiveness within the state of Ohio. It has been innovative in the use of instructional technology, delivering instruction through traditional and distance delivery including online asynchronous courses, technology enabled classroom-to-classroom courses, and online synchronous instruction via video conferencing, which enables course sharing across RHE and with the Athens campus. Course sharing furthers our instructional efficiency by providing expanded access to courses without increased instructional costs.

Regional Higher Education operations and budget staff track revenues and expenses at each site. Demand
analyses provide information on enrollment projections for each academic program. Tuition and state subsidy
revenues are estimated. Oftentimes new academic programs are not self-sustaining at the outset. These
programs are supported by RHE until they can be self-sustaining within a goal of about five years. However, RHE guarantees that programs that are established may be completed by all students who matriculate.

While undergraduate education operates under the centralized Regional Higher Education model (called One
OHIO), graduate level programs at additional locations have a similar yet decentralized model, where each
academic college or department delivering academic programs at the location manages operations. Each college or academic department provides budgeting and staffing oversight for the academic programs they are
responsible for delivering at each location.

At OU-HCOM, the budget is planned in accordance with university standards and the accreditation standards of
the COCA. OU-HCOM continually monitors and updates a five-year budget forecast for each of the three Heritage College locations, which includes HCOM-Athens and Cleveland. College budgets are created for each individual location. The financial projections include several revenue and expense scenarios. Current year budget forecasts are monitored on a monthly basis, and future year forecasts are reviewed on a regular basis by Ohio University and HCOM leadership. This budget model is a comprehensive, all-funds, transparent approach to budgeting and provides for a better understanding of future financial performance, long-term planning efforts, and the decision-making processes used by Ohio University and its academic planning units. In accordance with the university’s budget model approach, the college submits a five-year budget forecast annually. All budgets are approved by the University Board of Trustees.

• OU-HCOM’s discipline-specific accreditation standards require that all educational teaching sites,
  including affiliated sites, have sufficient faculty and clinical staff resources to achieve the program
  mission, including part time and adjunct faculty, and preceptors who are appropriately trained and
  credentialed. While the college works to replace vacancies in crucial positions as they occur, once annually, OU-HCOM puts out a call for anticipated faculty and staff needs for the next academic year,
  which includes any location-specific requests. These proposals go to the medical school’s leadership
  team, which includes the Deans at each location (i.e., in this case HCOM-Athens and Cleveland), for
  review, prioritization, and the allocation or reallocation of funding as appropriate.

Facilities

1. How does the institution ensure that the facilities at each location meet the needs of students and the curriculum?

The University treats its additional locations as part of its comprehensive physical plant. Facilities Management
provides custodial and maintenance support. Ohio University complies with all state and federal laws regarding accessibility and safety. University Facilities Management works together with Regional Higher Education and the academic colleges and departments to ensure that educational facilities at additional locations are comparable to those of the main campus. Each college or academic department/school delivering academic programs at the HCOM-Athens or HCOM Cleveland locations work with Facilities Management to maintain the facilities to meet the student and curricular needs of their programs.

In addition, COCA Standard 4 on facilities requires that the “COM must have sufficient physical facilities, equipment, and resources for clinical, instructional, research, and technological functions of the COM. These resources must be readily available and accessible across all COM locations to meet its needs, the needs of the
students consistent with the approved class size, and to achieve its mission.” The medical school’s most recent
comprehensive accreditation visit (September 27 – October 1, 2021) included an evaluation of whether the
college met the facilities standards at all locations, and the COCA site visit team determined that standard was
met.

The HCOM-Athens location is the site of the main medical school; it includes the college’s new 121,000-gross-
square-foot medical education building, Heritage Hall, which opened in 2021. This medical school facility has
state-of-the-art academic technologies and design, as well as many student amenities. Concurrent with the
medical school’s move to its new HCOM-Athens location, the Medical Education Center building at 169 Union
Street, Athens, OH (directly across the street from the medical school) was renovated and houses several OU-HCOM service units, such as Communications, the medical school’s Office of Institutional Assessment &
Accreditation (OIAA) and Finance personnel. There are plans for a new Translational Research Facility (again,
across the street from the main medical school building at HCOM-Athens) that will be approximately 81,000 sq ft, and house Human Subject Research, Basic Science Research and Community Health Programs. The design phase of the new facility is anticipated to start in May of 2023, with construction slated to begin in July of 2024 and move-in is anticipated for November of 2025.

The OU-HCOM Cleveland location opened in 2015 and includes 60,000 gross square feet of administrative and
academic space and is structured to meet the needs of the students and curriculum; it is structured similarly to
the medical school’s main location, HCOM-Athens. For example, core academic facilities include three main
classrooms totaling 3,633 square feet, which accommodates a total of 160 students and includes the latest
technology for presentations, interaction with on-site students, and interaction with students and faculty via
videoconferencing and educational groupware (such as real-time analysis and display of all student responses to
questions in class); an anatomy lab that includes large-screen displays throughout the lab for detailed viewing of instructor demonstrations; an Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) Lab; a Learning Resource Center (LRC); seven (7) small group rooms that each hold up to 12 individuals, that when not scheduled for small group activities, serve as quiet study spaces; and the Clinical Training and Assessment Center (CTAC), which includes 13 fully equipped examination rooms are complemented by a meeting room, restroom facilities, storage, and space for administrative and technical support. The Emergency Room and Operating Room are dedicated to simulation activities. A clinical skills lab student briefing room, control room, simulated patient lounge and office are also part of the CTAC area. Further information on the Cleveland location’s facilities and resources is available at https://webcms.ohio.edu/medicine/about/campuses/cleveland/facilities-and-resources.

OU-HCOM utilizes a continuous facilities improvement process that includes ongoing review of all facility
resources needed to achieve the college’s mission and curriculum. This includes the Heritage College Space
Advisory Committee, which meets regularly to review space requests; complete long-range space planning; and monitor renovation and building projects. The committee is chaired by the medical school’s chief operating
officer and has representation from the HCOM-Athens and Cleveland locations and most Heritage College
departments. Additionally, the medical school has a full time Director of Facilities Management at the HCOM-
Athens site and a Facilities Coordinator at Cleveland, who are dedicated to overseeing maintenance, furnishings and the physical environment at the locations. The dean for each location and their administrative staff monitor any facilities needs, and take direct steps to address issues and/or needs as warranted. The medical school prides itself on utilizing cutting edge classroom technology and distance learning at all of its locations. Adequate classrooms, small group learning rooms, learning resource centers, anatomy and osteopathic manipulation laboratories, clinical training and assessment centers and study spaces are provided at all locations and designed to support the delivered curriculum. Additionally, other types of spaces exist at both locations to support the medical student experience, such as multipurpose rooms, cafes, dedicated study spaces, student lounges, and game rooms. Study nooks are created in common spaces to encourage communication and collaboration. The structure of the locations’ buildings specifically accommodates the medical schools’ curriculum and small group work. 

Space planning on all college of medicine locations is assisted by the Ohio University Planning Office. New
building and renovation projects are managed by the Ohio University Design & Construction office, in conjunction with Heritage College project managers, location administrators, and the director of Heritage College academic facilities.

Maintenance of the HCOM-Athens location is performed and managed by the Ohio University Facilities Management department. In Cleveland, it is performed by the Cleveland Clinic maintenance staff. Outside
contracting firms are hired as necessary.

Instructional Oversight

1. How does the institution ensure that promotion, marketing and enrollment for the additional location stay in balance with the institution’s actual resources and technical capabilities?

As a result of our OneOHIO implementation, leaders and staff resources across the university work closely together to support decision making for all locations. For example, University Communications and Marketing
and the Division of Enrollment Management work with the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost and Regional Higher Education to monitor enrollments and to direct appropriate University infrastructure assets (such as market research capabilities, media buying service agreements, technology, creative and brand, analytics tools, etc.) to areas of greatest need. Instructional oversight, academic planning, and staffing assessment of regionally offered programs occurs through a collaboration between Regional Higher Education, the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost, and academic leadership. Additionally, the Executive Budget Group, comprised of the President, Executive Vice President and Provost, and Vice President for Finance and Administration, regularly reviews resource needs, planned investments, and key indicators of performance to ensure that campus locations are supported by adequate and appropriate resources.

At OU-HCOM, the Admissions and Student Affairs staff work closely with the medical school’s communication
staff and Office of External Relations to produce marketing communications plans and materials to assist with
promotion and marketing the college’s programming to potential students. All of the medical school’s marketing
and promotional materials are overseen by the medical school’s communication staff who check for accuracy and are sensitive to compliance with the college’s accreditation standards.

The COCA’s standards are designed to ensure that there are sufficient resources and technical capabilities at all
medical school locations. Correspondingly OU-HCOM’s enrollment at all locations (e.g., HCOM-Athens and
Cleveland) are approved by the COCA and any changes to enrollment at any location would require COCA
approval. OU-HCOM’s current COCA approved enrollment by location is listed below. COCA provides an
allowance to exceed the approved class size by 8% to allow for attrition and leaves of absence.

2. How does the institution effectively oversee instruction at an additional location?

Program and course learning outcomes are established by the academic department regardless of location.
Program outcomes assessments are aligned with the National Institute of Learning Outcomes Assessment
Transparency Framework, are housed centrally in the University’s Assessment Clearinghouse
(https://ohio.edu/iea/assessment) and are reported annually. All programs are evaluated through the University’s academic program review process every seven years, which incorporates assessment of student
learning outcomes. In addition, many of OHIO’s academic programs are accredited by disciplinary accrediting agencies and must adhere to regular reviews through those accreditors, and therefore, provide additional documentation of student academic performance. At all locations, oversight of instruction also occurs at the academic college or department level following the same procedures as the Athens campus.

For all OU-HCOM locations, oversight of the medical curriculum and its corresponding instruction is guided by a philosophy of “one college, three campuses.” An intentional structure of centralized governance and assessment of the curriculum with distributed faculty and student support has resulted in consistent instruction and outcomes at all locations. While there is a dean at both the HCOM-Athens and Cleveland locations who oversee the academic programming at their sites, the college has a Dean’s Council comprised of the Executive Dean, the location deans, and all associate deans that meets regularly with the official charge to promote and maintain consistency of the curriculum, the student experience, and communications across the three locations. The OU-HCOM’s Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education provides leadership for the college’s educational programming, and leads the curriculum leadership team of curriculum directors, instructors of record, and course teams who are distributed across all three locations and function as a unit. Similarly, the membership of the medical school’s Committee on Student Progress includes representation from all locations; that committee is responsible for the creation and implementation of academic policies and the adjudication of student progress issues in a consistent manner across all locations. Each location has representation on the Curriculum Committee. Furthermore, consistent with COCA requirements, outcomes, and performance data are regularly evaluated by location. The results of all student assessments are analyzed promptly and have demonstrated that student performance at all locations evidences no significant variation. The Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education, who provides overall oversight of the curriculum and its delivery at all locations, monitors and reviews student outcomes and instructional effectiveness and works with the location deans to address any observed location-specific issues as appropriate.

Institutional Staffing and Faculty Support

1. What evidence demonstrates that the institution has appropriately qualified and sufficient staff and faculty in place for the location?

Academic programs offered at Ohio University's additional locations are managed by the academic colleges and departments that deliver programs at these locations. Academically, the staffing plans and qualifications are the same as those used at the main campus and abide by both the Ohio Department of Higher Education and Higher Learning Commission’s faculty qualification guidelines. The same guidelines for the use of full- and part-time faculty are used. In addition to institutional processes for ensuring appropriately qualified staffing, each academic college has their own policies and processes. All Ohio University faculty must meet at least the minimum faculty qualifications set forth in University Policy 18.001.

COCA’s 7.1 element, on faculty and staff resources and qualifications, requires that “at all educational teaching
sites, including affiliated sites, a COM must have sufficient faculty and clinical staff resources to achieve the
program mission, including part time and adjunct faculty, and preceptors who are appropriately trained and
credentialed. The physician faculty, in the patient care environment, must hold current medical licensure and AOA or ABMS board certification/board eligibility. All non-physician faculty must have demonstrated, appropriate qualifications in his/her disciplinary field.” OU-HCOM met this standard during its most recent accreditation visit, in 2021 and is required to report annually on its faculty and staff resources, roles, and qualifications on the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) Annual Osteopathic Medical School
Questionnaire and the COCA’s Annual Supplemental Report.

The qualifications of OU-HCOM faculty and staff candidates are reviewed by the hiring supervisor, University
Human Resources representative, and search committee conducting the search. Search committees for faculty
positions consist of appropriately trained and qualified faculty, as well as the chair of the academic department.
The expertise of such a search committee ensures that only qualified faculty are hired to train and mentor our
students. Additionally, the credentials of all clinical faculty (paid and volunteer) are confirmed through primary
source verification, to ensure that the faculty who teach our students in a clinical setting are appropriately
qualified. Faculty adequacy is reviewed from the perspective of teaching needs; overall and by location; research initiatives; and clinical education needs. Faculty numbers are adjusted accordingly.

Qualifications of staff candidates are reviewed carefully by University Human Resources, as well as the search
committee conducting the search. Members of these search committees include subject-matter-experts in the related field, who have knowledge of the skills, abilities, and other qualifications needed for success in the
position. Additionally, positions are reviewed, mapped, and graded by our University Compensation team, to
ensure that they are aligned with industry benchmarks. Staff adequacy is reviewed from the perspective of
departmental, college, and location needs (e.g., HCOM-Athens and Cleveland), adjusting for changes in processes and programs as appropriate.

2. What evidence demonstrates the institution supports and evaluates personnel at off-campus locations? Consider the processes in place for selecting, training and orienting faculty at the location.

Degree programs offered at any of Ohio University's additional locations are initiated and administered by full-
time faculty. New faculty orientations, instructional support, and professional development are available. Part-
time faculty at additional locations are selected, trained, and oriented as they would be at the main campus. All
University class sections are evaluated by students, and all instructors are evaluated by their academic
departments. All University staff participate in the institutional performance management process through
University Human Resources. In addition to these institutional processes for supporting and evaluating personnel, some academic colleges have additional processes in place for personnel support and management.

All medical school personnel, including those at HCOM-Athens and Cleveland locations, are included in the
university’s systems for evaluating faculty and staff and have access to its offerings for professional development. Each medical school department chair hires, evaluates and mentors the faculty hired in his/her department whether they are stationed on the HCOM-Athens or Cleveland location. Students evaluate faculty teaching at all locations using the same systems and instruments. The medical school recently established an Office of Faculty Learning, Development, and Scholarship that offers a variety of services to faculty, including support for
onboarding and orientation, as well as faculty development programming and resources at all locations.

Relative to the medical school’s physician faculty, physicians who teach and mentor third- and fourth-year
students are chosen by the college’s physician administrators in the geographic area of the practice (or are
suggested by students interested in a rotation with that physician). In either case, the physician’s credentials
(e.g., board certification and licensure), employment and standing are verified by OU-HCOM. All preceptors are
made aware of the university and college compliance and regulatory requirements. Faculty development
programming and resources are also available to the clinical faculty and preceptors who teach students at the
clinical teaching sites. Following the completion of each students’ rotation, the preceptor is required to complete an evaluation of that student’s performance and the student is required to complete an evaluation that assesses
the site, rotation, and preceptor. Those evaluations are monitored by the clinical education staff in the local area
of the rotation as well as centrally within the OU-HCOM main campus clinical education unit and Office of Medical Education.

Student Support

1. What evidence demonstrates that the institution effectively delivers, supports and manages necessary academic and student services at off-campus locations?

All university services are available to all students, regardless of location. Student support services are
traditionally accessed at the student’s affiliated branch campus, but additional resources and expertise are
available to students through the Athens Campus as well. In addition to university services, OU-HCOM has
administrative staff at HCOM-Athens and Cleveland locations to provide direct student services support, manage location activities, and collaborate with their affiliated campus to provide appropriate and relevant academic programming. Students can also receive professional academic advising from location staff.

For OU-HCOM locations, COCA Standard 9, on students, requires that the medical school “develop and implement policies and procedures as well as provide the human and physical resources required to support and promote health and wellness in order to meet and advance the physical, emotional, mental, career, academic and professional needs of its students, faculty, and staff. All osteopathic medical students of the COM have the same rights to and must receive comparable services.” Correspondingly, OU-HCOM has a full complement of staff at each of its locations to ensure the availability of requisite student services and support. There are student affairs personnel employed at each medical school location (e.g., HCOM-Athens and Cleveland) to help students access resources and services in a variety of areas (e.g., academic advising, health care, mental health resources, student organizations, extra-curricular and co-curricular activities, financial aid, etc.). Students’ satisfaction with academic and student services is collected via confidential annual surveys; the results are provided by location.

OU-HCOM employs four highly trained learning specialists with expertise in learning theory, higher education, and teaching and instruction as assistant directors of learning services, who also provide academic counseling services. Two assistant directors are located at the HCOM-Athens, main campus location, with one assistant director at each of the additional locations, including HCOM-Cleveland. The learning services team offers a variety of services that are available at all locations: 1) individual academic counseling sessions to assist students on a variety of issues, including but not limited to, study skills, learning styles, time management plans, exam review, and COMLEX board preparation study plans; 2) group study sessions and workshops on a variety of subjects, such as test-taking skills, time management skills, medical school study skills, test anxiety, and medical school communication skills; and 3) access to tutors at all locations (e.g., HCOM-Athens and Cleveland). The OU-HCOM Student Affairs website is available at: https://www.ohio.edu/medicine/med-education/academic-resources/team/learning-specialist-team. 

OU-HCOM employs a three-person team to provide career counseling, helping students to successfully navigate the national match process that “matches” individuals with a graduate medical education (GME) program to finish their medical training. OU-HCOM’s Residency Services team provides students with career guidance and support for all four years of medical school at all locations, including HCOM-Athens and Cleveland. For additional information on residency preparation and advising services, please see https://www.ohio.edu/medicine/med-education/osteopathic-medicine/residency-preparation.

Student health and mental health services are available at all medical school locations. Information on student
wellness resources and information for students, with links for the separate locations (e.g., HCOM-Athens and
Cleveland) is available at https://www.ohio.edu/medicine/about/offices/student-affairs/student-wellness. As needed, students at HCOM-Athens and Cleveland have access to Ohio University’s Counseling and Psychological crisis services; see https://www.ohio.edu/student-affairs/counseling/crisis/emergency. Additionally, the university recently launched WellTrack, a self-guided interactive online therapy program which is free and confidential for all Ohio University students.

Financial aid and debt management counseling is available to all students, regardless of their assigned location
(i.e., HCOM-Athens or Cleveland), with targeted programming every year during their matriculation. Assistance is readily available via internet, phone, Zoom, MS Teams and similar technologies.

2. What evidence demonstrates that the institution provides students with sufficient access (in
   person, by computer, by phone, etc.) to admissions, registration/student records, financial aid and
   job placement services?

Students enrolled at an OHIO location can access university library services through their affiliated regional
campus or through the Athens campus: online and in person. Other student services (career services, counseling, etc.) are also available to students through their affiliated regional campus or through the Athens campus. In addition to institutional level student support services, each college also provides services at each location. All students’ academic records at any location are maintained in the student information system (PeopleSoft) under the direction of the Office of the University Registrar. Students accessing financial aid are served by staff at their respective location and through the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships in Athens. Depending on the office, students can access services in multiple ways in person, online, or by phone. Enrollment services such as admissions and financial aid are handled through the student’s affiliated campus at the undergraduate level and centrally through the Athens campus at the graduate level except for the medical students who are handled as below.

The medical school manages its own profession-specific admissions process, some of which is coordinated for all
medical schools nationally. While OU-HCOM’s main admissions office is located at HCOM-Athens, the medical
school has admissions personnel on each of the locations that are available via in person visits, via telephone
consult, or online/e-mail access, to assist with questions, the admissions process, and various aspects of the HCOM experience. When applying to OU-HCOM, students can state a location preference (e.g., HCOM-Athens or Cleveland). HCOM-Athens and Cleveland students’ academic records are maintained in the student information system in the same manner as all other Ohio University students, under the direction of the university’s Office of the University Registrar. HCOM-Athens and Cleveland staff can access student records in order to assist students with questions related to their academic record: registration, academic standing, portal navigation, etc.

The OU-HCOM financial aid office is physically located at the main medical school location (i.e., HCOM-Athens)
but provides many services via on-line access and is accessible to all students at all locations via telephone, e-
mail/computer correspondence, video conferencing, and in person visits if at the HCOM-Athens location. While
medical students do not pursue “jobs” immediately after medical school, OU-HCOM personnel support and guide
students in their efforts to match to a residency program at which they can continue their medical training in their
desired specialty (e.g., family medicine or surgery); see https://www.ohio.edu/medicine/med-
education/osteopathic-medicine/residency-preparation.

3. What evidence demonstrates that student concerns are addressed?

Students attending the HCOM-Athens and Cleveland centers have the same opportunities to express concerns as students who attend any Ohio University campus. Administrative concerns begin with the location program administrator and then escalate, as appropriate, to the affiliated campus associate dean and dean. Academic concerns are first addressed with the course instructor, then to the appropriate division coordinator at the affiliated campus, then to the associate dean, and finally to the dean. Concerns that cannot be resolved are then escalated to the Executive Vice President and Provost. Concerns raised by HCOM-Athens and HCOM Cleveland students in their course and instructor evaluations receive the same attention that is afforded concerns raised by students at the campuses, and students have recourse to the appeal processes, delineated in the Student Handbook, that have been enacted to protect students’ rights.

For concerns with services that originate out of the Athens campus, students are assisted in contacting the
appropriate office and/or individual. In addition to institutional level processes for addressing student concerns, each academic college may also have additional processes in place. Further, the Office of the Ombudsperson is a confidential service open to all students, employees, alumni, parents and community members at Ohio University. The overarching mission of the Office of the Ombudsperson is twofold: to ensure that every member of the university community receives equitable and fair treatment and due process, and to support and facilitate a positive working and learning environment.

The medical school leadership and location deans provide numerous opportunities for students to meet with
them and express their concerns. For example, the Executive Dean of the medical school meets quarterly with the Student Government Association (SGA) presidents and the SGA leadership at all locations, including HCOM-Athens and Cleveland, and attends and presents at student events throughout the year. The Dean of the HCOM-Athens location has office hours every semester during which students can meet with her; meets monthly with the Athens-based SGA; and students are welcome to make appointments with her outside of her office hours if/as needed. The Dean at the Cleveland location has formal monthly “Deans Hours” that alternate between class officers one month and an open “Town Hall” the next, and students can schedule individual meetings with him as needed. Location deans’ meetings with the faculty and staff at their location are also a useful mechanism to hear about emerging issues or student concerns that may have not yet been expressed elsewhere. The medical school has a formal grievance procedure that is in place to address student concerns as well as a website page that specifically accommodates and directs students’ complaints and concerns to a variety of entities (e.g., COCA and the university ombudsman) and addresses some specific issues (e.g., grade and transcript appeals); see https://www.ohio.edu/medicine/med-education/academic-resources/reporting-complaints-and-concerns.

Confidential surveys conducted by national organizations, such as the American Association of Colleges of
Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) and in-house surveys conducted by the medical school’s Office of Institutional
Assessment and Accreditation (OIAA), result in quantitative and qualitative data that are reported by location (i.e., HCOM-Athens and Cleveland) for follow up as appropriate. Additionally, the OIAA produces several reports that include longitudinal data on key metrics (e.g., The Comparison Report) by location which is useful to review changes in students’ ratings for specific items related to student concerns.

Several examples of responses to student concerns include the following. In response to student concerns related to career counseling and the residency match process, OU-HCOM has proposed adding an additional
administrative staff member in Student Affairs to address these very concerns; that person’s services would not be location bound. Based on student concerns regarding timely access to mental health counseling, the college employed a part-time mental health counselor who is embedded at the Cleveland location and increased the hours of the embedded mental health counselor at HCOM-Athens. Students at the Cleveland location expressed concern that two anatomy faculty members during gross anatomy lab were insufficient to meet the learning goals; that feedback led to the employment of a third faculty member for that site. Additionally, in response to students’ feedback and concerns expressed on the 2021-22 OIAA Student Survey, the college developed an action plan to address their concerns. That plan (see Appendix B) was presented at a recent OU-HCOM Executive Committee at which student representatives were asked to comment and provide input and feedback on the proposed action plans.

Evaluation and Assessment

1. How does the institution measure, document and analyze student academic performance sufficiently to maintain academic quality at a location?

Because all degree programs are considered Ohio University's degree programs regardless of location, there are no differences in evaluations and assessments. Program and course learning outcomes are established by the academic department regardless of location. Program outcomes assessments are aligned with the National Institute of Learning Outcomes Assessment Transparency Framework, housed centrally in the university’s Assessment Clearinghouse (https://ohio.edu/iea/assessment) and reported annually. All programs are evaluated through the university’s academic program review process every seven years, which incorporates assessment of student learning outcomes. Supplementing these institutional level processes for assessment and evaluation some academic colleges, department or programs may also have additional processes in place. In addition, many of Ohio University’s academic programs are accredited by disciplinary accrediting agencies and must adhere to regular reviews, which provide additional documentation of student academic performance.

Every year, OU- HCOM’s assessment plans, methodology, results and use of data for improvement are reported to the university's Assessment Clearinghouse. Because the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO). program has a program-specific accreditation body, the assessment processes are quite mature and operationalized across all of the college’s training locations, including HCOM-Athens and Cleveland. Furthermore, COCA requires equivalent training and outcomes regardless of training location; correspondingly, OU-HCOM programming offered at HCOM-Athens and Cleveland uses the same curriculum, courses, assessment plans and methodologies, across all locations.

OU-HCOM uses assessments created in-house as well as profession-specific national assessments, such as the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Achievement Test (COMAT) subject examinations, designed to assess core osteopathic medical knowledge, and the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination (COMLEX) USA exams, two of which students must pass to graduate. Performance is monitored on an ongoing basis and results are analyzed individually, collectively, and by training location. Furthermore, the assessments themselves are subject to ongoing quality review (e.g., alignment between learning outcomes and assessments as well as applicable psychometrics). Data from the ongoing progress monitoring, which uses broad-based national and local college assessment data, is used to maintain academic quality at all locations. Additionally, student performance at all locations (e.g., HCOM-Athens and Cleveland) is tracked longitudinally and any individual student performance issues are brought before the Committee on Student Progress so assistance and/or other guidance can be provided quickly as warranted. Curriculum and program issues are brought to the attention of the Senior Associate Dean of Medical Education who works with the Chair of the Curriculum Committee and others as appropriate (e.g., the deans at the locations) to address any academic quality issues as warranted.

• National data, such as board scores, national surveys conducted by the American Association of Colleges
  of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM), and in-house surveys conducted by the medical school’s Office of Institutional Assessment and Accreditation (OIAA) provide useful objective and subjective feedback
  regarding students’ performance and concerns; and these data are sorted and reported by location (e.g.,
  HCOM-Athens and Cleveland) and used for following up as appropriate. Also, the college’s OIAA produces
  several longitudinal data reports (e.g., The Comparison Report, which includes key metrics from various sources, and the OMS1&OMS2 (first- and second-year students) Survey Report, both of which are updated annually). Data are reported by location and the college overall, with national data included for contextualization, as available. The college’s locations (e.g., HCOM-Athens and Cleveland) can use these reports to monitor quality and equivalency across sites and support their location-specific efforts to maintain quality as needed.

2. How are the measures and techniques the institution uses for a location equivalent to those for
   assessment and evaluation at the main campus or other locations? If there are differences, why are these differences appropriate?

As explained in detail in question #1, because all degree programs are considered Ohio University's degree programs regardless of location, there are no differences in evaluations and assessments. Students at all OU-HCOM locations, including HCOM-Athens and Cleveland,
experience the same curriculum, which includes the same assessment methods, systems, instruments, and standards

Continuous Improvement

1. How does the institution encourage and ensure continuous improvement at a location?

Ohio University utilized the AQIP pathway for 17 years before transitioning to the Open Pathway following the
2019 Systems Appraisal. As such, the university has a long history with evaluation of its processes, results and
improvement plans. In addition, AQIP Action projects and the Quality Initiative Proposal were chosen to
encourage continuous improvement for the institution. Because all degree programs are considered Ohio
University's degree programs regardless of location, there are no differences in evaluations and assessments.
Program outcomes assessments are aligned with the National Institute of Learning Outcomes Assessment
Transparency Framework, which includes a continuous quality improvement (CQI) component, Use of Student
Learning Evidence, which requires academic programs to speak to how they are using program assessment results to make improvements in their programs. All academic programs must report on this component annually and this information is housed centrally in the University’s Assessment Clearinghouse
(https://ohio.edu/iea/assessment). In addition, all academic programs are evaluated through the University’s
academic program review process every seven years, which incorporates assessment of student learning
outcomes, and more specifically requires all academic programs, regardless of location, to respond to the
following CQI set of questions:

1. How are the findings from these assessments being used to make improvements in the program related
   to student learning?
2. How are the findings from curricular assessment used to make improvements in the curriculum since
   the last review? Which areas still need improvement?
3. How are the findings from these assessments being used to make improvements in the program related
   to student learning?
4. How are the findings from these assessments being used to make improvements in teaching methods
   since the last review?
5. How have findings from advising assessment been used to make improvements in advising since the
   last review?
6. Formulate an action plan to address the main areas for improvement before the next review. Who will
   oversee this process? What are the benchmarks for reporting progress?

At OU-HCOM, the COCA accreditation Standard 11 mandates that “a COM must use the data from programmatic and individual outcomes to continuously improve all aspects of the COM,” and this standard applies to all of the medical school’s locations. The medical school’s major administrative and student support units (e.g., Admissions, Inclusion, and Education Technology) are engaged in the university’s Administrative & Student Support Unit Review (ASSUR) process, which is designed to ensure that the units engage in systematic and integrated planning and continuous improvement. The ASSUR process includes the development of improvement initiatives and goals, collection of outcomes data corresponding to the goals and initiatives, and usage of that information to develop action plans to foster improvement. Since these units serve, and some even have staff at, the medical school’s locations, including HCOM-Athens and Cleveland, the improvement efforts of the units will include and affect those locations.

• The results of core medical achievement exams that students are required to take, such as the eight (8)
  Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Achievement Tests (COMATs) in the core medical specialty areas
  (e.g., Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Surgery, etc.) and the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical
  Licensing Examinations (COMLEX) exams are reported by location and with national data for comparison. Additionally, the OIAA annual surveys and other data that are reported longitudinally by location provide an incentive for locations to target improvement efforts as warranted. The OIAA posts these reports on its data sharing area in OneDrive that is accessible to the deans, faculty and staff at all locations. Since the medical school uses the same curriculum at all locations, continuous quality improvement efforts targeting the curriculum are centralized at the medical school’s main location (HCOM-Athens) under the leadership of the Senior Associate Dean for Medical Education.

Marketing and Recruiting Information

1. What controls are in place to ensure that the information presented to students in advertising,
   brochures and other communications is accurate?

University Communications and Marketing works in cooperation with all campus constituents and clients to
assure consistency of institutional message and graphic identity. This partnership enables the entire university
community to inform our various audiences with a consistent message that presents Ohio University as a focused institution with a clear vision of the future. Within each academic college or department there are offices and/or individuals who are responsible for working in partnership with University Communications and Marketing to ensure that all marketing contents digital or print is consistently representing the university brand. In addition, each academic college or department has processes to ensure marketing consistency for their programs.

• The OU-HCOM Office of Admissions and Students Affairs performs an annual review of all print and digital materials used for recruitment, to ensure that college web site and other communications materials are accurate. Admissions and Student Affairs review and update admissions-related web pages and materials regularly to ensure accuracy. All offices that produce information presented to students work closely with OU-HCOM’s Communications staff and other units as appropriate to make sure information is accurate.

Appendix A

AMERICAN OSTEOPATHIC ASSOCIATION

142 E. Ontario St.

Chicago, IL 60611

888.626.9262

osteopathic.org

COMMISSION ON OSTEOPATHIC COLLEGE
ACCREDITATION

VIA EMAIL ONLY: johnsok9@ohio.edu 

December 8, 2021

Kenneth Johnson, DO, FAAO
Executive Dean and Chief Medical Affairs Officer
Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic
Medicine Grosvenor Hall 201
Athens, OH 45701-2979

Dear Dr. Johnson:

At its December 2-3, 2021 meeting, the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) reviewed the self-study and site visit report for the Comprehensive Site Visit at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine (OU-HCOM). Thank you for attending the meeting to answer the Commissioners’ questions.

Upon motion and second, the COCA found that all standards and elements were met and voted to award OU-HCOM the accreditation status of ACCREDITATION WITH EXCEPTIONAL OUTCOME.

OU-HCOM’s next accreditation review will be in the 2031–2032 academic year. A mid-cycle report will be due in February 2027, and supplemental annual reporting will be required per COCA policies.

Commissioner Jennifer Gwilym, DO, recused herself from the deliberation and vote on this matter.
Commissioners J. William McCord, DO; Richard Osborn, PhD; Janice Knebl, DO; Nadege Dady, EdD; and Serene Bethune, DO; were absent for the deliberation and vote on this matter. COCA Chair John M. Kauffman, Jr., DO, abstained from the vote on this matter in absence of a tie vote.

Pursuant to 34 CFR § 602.26(a), the COCA must report accrediting decisions to the U.S. Department of Education. The COCA’s review and decision will be reported to the Department, as well as applicable state regulatory and regional accrediting agencies. This information will be posted on the COCA website.

Kenneth H. Johnson,
DO, FAAO December
8, 2021

Congratulations on achieving this impressive accomplishment. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Department of Accreditation at 312-202-8124 (predoc@osteopathic.org) or to contact me directly at 312-202-8191
(jbrinton@osteopathic.org).

Sincerely,

Jed Brinton, JD
Secretary to the COCA

Appendix B

Action Plans based on OIAA Student Survey Data 2021-2022

Chairs

General good practices

• Ensure that faculty are aware of current curricular feedback:
  • Each semester, Chairs can disseminate course reports (or excerpts of student feedback from course reports) from the previous semester and dedicate time during department meetings (or equivalent) to review and discuss. Or just prior to the start of each course, review course report from previous year with department faculty members
    • Rationale: faculty receive feedback from their individual learning activities, but may not seek
      out course report feedback, which contains valuable information about instructional best
      practices and areas for improvement. Making it a regular department meeting agenda item
      ensures that faculty see and discuss the feedback.
• Coordinate faculty development opportunities with Susan’s office (Office of Faculty Learning and
  Development?)

Potential approach to specific areas of concern

NBOME preparation

• Identify and distribute resources that will help the faculty understand the expectations of the exam.
• Continue to encourage, and financially support, completion of the available online assessment writing training offered by NBOME

Faculty presence at each location (Athens, Dublin & Cleveland)

• When possible, assign teaching such that there is a team member from each location.
• Develop other methods to facilitate student/faculty interactions

Assessment items

• Follow-up directly with specific faculty members who are identified as not responding to requests to correct assessment items.
• Work with OME to optimize a process of question review and correction that is clear and easy to work
  through.

Teaching Skills

• Encourage and model utilization of training opportunities now offered by The Office of Faculty Learning
  and Advancement.
  • Flipped classroom/active learning approach.
• Learn from the faculty who are identified as excelling in the curriculum – best practices presentations

Communication

• Commit to facilitating communication between OME and Curriculum and Course Directors with faculty
  members.
  • Regular discussions between Chairs, Curriculum and Course Directors, and OME to understand
    the current issues and have a standing item on department meeting agenda to announce/discuss
    these items.
  • Maintain regular communication with the Elected faculty to facilitate each group’s goals.

Specialty Choice and Match

• Trainings from HCOM Residency Advising for faculty to provide updates on the GME landscape, new
  issues in residency application, match process, etc. Regular updates from residency training
  • Focus on clinical departments.
• Strategize on the development of a network of specialists and primary care physicians to serve as specialty-specific advisors/mentors for students’ years 1-4

Curriculum Committee

A. Communication

Situation: Students perception about communication: Concerns not heard, communication regarding changes not communicated, recommendations met with resistance

Background: 2nd year of PHWC pathways encountered COVID-19 pandemic. Communications may not be timely due to both the pandemic and the college rolling out a new Curriculum.

Assessment: Communication was not timely nor transparent across units. Communication was not timely nor
transparent from units to general faculty. Communication was not timely nor transparent from units to students. In AY 2021-2022, Curriculum Committee (CC) started a process to improve communication and transparency. All general faculty members now have access to meeting invites, documents, agenda, and minutes discussed at CC meetings. All general faculty can communicate with CC via a centralized email system (HCOMCurrComm@ohio.edu) or through elected faculty. A process was also put in place in collaboration with CC student reps to solicit concerns from students, meet with CC student reps regarding these concerns, and a document with rationale for changes/decisions relayed back to students by CC student reps. CC student reps expressed communication has improved. However, some students may not read those emails of communication. CC student reps are currently working with Student Government Association (SGA) to improve this area.

Recommendations: The process created by CC can be adapted by other units to improve communication to both students and faculty in a timely and transparent manner. SGA should be tasked to become more involved in the communication processes across all units they have representation and to their constituents

B. Curriculum

Situation: 1st cohort of PHWC pathway notes areas of improvement include Curriculum organization, unclear
objectives or objectives that do not align with exams, lack of basic science representation (biochem, micro,
pharm), interdisciplinary integration, or integration with clinical content. Students also note the need to improve
delivery methodology for some faculty, improve iRAT quality, reduce class time, reduce emphasis on social
medicine, increase delivery of evidence-based medicine, provide exam blueprint, and improve assessment items
to mimic board-style format. Students feel CTAC feedback was not timely, curriculum did not help prepare for
boards, and lack of exposure other specialties.

Background: COVID-19 pandemic affected workflow across all units during the rollout of the new PHWC
curriculum. Faculty skill advancement lags due to understaffed Faculty Affairs. Curriculum oversight also lags due to lack of personnel and technology for curricular assessment and evaluation.

Assessment: Most of the items noted are not curricular in nature and can be improved with proper personalized
faculty skills advancement and training. Some feedback regarding lack of basic science discipline requires more
curricular mapping and other external data to confirm. Some feedback also noted items that run contrary to the
visions and missions of HCOM in training primary care physicians locally.

Recommendations:

1. Executive Committee

   a. Fill the Longitudinal Content Liaison position. This position will help aid in the evaluation of curricular content from a longitudinal and vertical integration standpoint. This position can help all four course directors look at redundancies and gaps and recommend changes across all four courses to address areas of improvement from a content perspective. Longitudinal Content Liaison will work collaboratively with Curriculum Mapping Specialist to develop processes for assessing the curriculum at the session and course level.

2. OIAA

   a. Develop a system for assessing external data and present it in a format that is useful for curricular improvement.

3. Faculty Affairs

   a.  Start recruiting faculty members who were identified by students to be role models in content
   delivery methodology .

   b. Develop minimal competencies list for general faculty e.g., objective writing, assessment writing,
   delivery methodology.

   c. Review faculty members in competencies above and provide face-to-face skill enhancement to
   address areas of improvement.

   d. Develop mentoring system for educators in areas of promotion, research, and external influences
   (become decision makers at NBOME, AACOM, etc….)

4. Office of Admissions and Student Affairs

   a. Assess for interviewer variabilities.

   b. Work in collaboration with Faculty Affairs to develop training programs for faculty interviewers to
   identify red flags in a student application.

   c. Review and update admissions rubric system in collaboration with TCC Director to identify
   skillsets and characteristics that make primary care physicians.

   d. Work in partnership with Early Assurance Program and other outreach programs to emphasize Primary Care focus.

Student Affairs

Residency Advising:

• Increase the intentional messaging to students early on to ensure students are aware of the residency
  advising resources and timelines for the process of preparing for the match.
• Incorporate HCOM clinical faculty into the residency advising efforts so students can hear from the
  physicians that they aspire to emulate. 
• Review completed ERAS applications prior to submissions (This would require addition staffing. At this
  time the team does not have the bandwidth to do this).
• The addition of another FTE residency advising specialist would allow for more programming, greater
  outreach, and additional student support throughout the 4 year UME continuum.

Leaves of Absence:

• Enhance intentional Communication about leaves of absence (LOA) throughout the 4 year UME
  continuum.
• Information about the LOA will be made more searchable/visible on the respective HCOM web site pages.

Maternity Leave:

• Continue with the efforts that have been started with the working group that is focused on developing a
  maternity leave policy for HCOM students.

Physical and Mental Health Resources:

• Continue to enhance and ensure that both physical health and mental health resources align with
  student needs and provide more intentional messaging about the respective resources to our students.

Academic Support and Board Prep:

• Continue to collaboration between student affairs learning services with OMED, the student success
  committee, the curriculum directors, to enact earlier outreach to students that may be at risk
• Enhance intentional messaging about learning services resources for academic support and board
  preparation.
• The addition of a 5th learning services person would provide greater resource to the students and address
  the overextended bandwidth of the learning services team.

Student Leadership

Communication:

• Give the “why” behind an answer to help understand background.
  • Have students continue to explain how important receiving background information from faculty/administration is and work to create an environment where faculty/administration are willing to provide such information.
  • Continue to provide feedback on particular test/RAT/practice quiz explanations that only list textbook chapters or particular PPTs rather than an explanation including relevant content.
• Provide communication about changes as close to when those changes are made to close the loop
• Encourage descriptive subject lines, appropriate use of the "high importance" Outlook feature, and concise emails to efficiently communicate changes to students.
• SGA and Curriculum Committee new feedback form in the making currently with help of Dr. Vinyard
  • Launching in Spring 2022 semester
  • Will evaluate its utilization and functionality making necessary adjustments or changes as needed

Mentorship:

• Students don’t feel they can reach out to faculty for help and mentorship – develop a way to close this gap.
  • Utilize an orientation session as an opportunity to encourage students to seek a faculty mentor- some students may not know this is an option depending on undergraduate education background.
  • Continue to work to distribute faculty #’s across locations.

Exam/assessment concerns:

• Need for more board style questions
• Incorporating Friday boards review sessions as much as possible – students love these
• Have faculty incorporate boards style questions into their sessions.
• Clarify what constitutes a "board style question" to prepare students for how questions are asked on board exams. This phrase is used frequently by professors in iLab classes, but additional clarification about format and variety/distribution of question framework classification could help students to better prepare.
• Develop a process to fix exam questions with errors, typos, blurry pictures, or incorrect answers in a timely manner
• Ensure questions align with objectives.

Board preparation:

• Provide resources that students prefer – board and beyond, sketchy, pathoma.

Elected Faculty

• Based upon the main concerns of students, the following are the proposed actionable items:
• Encourage faculty to be responsive to student concerns.
• Equal distribution of faculty across locations – e.g., Dublin needs more clinical faculty.
• Bring precision to exam questions and answers ,
• Encourage clinical faculty to include more board-style questions,
• Encourage professors to adopt the new-curriculum style, as many professors have not changed their lesson plans from the previous curriculum.