Measuring Graduate Outcomes: Let’s Count What Counts

We are all proud of our graduates. Reports abound, detailing their numbers, their academic performance and accolades, and their choice of specialty. But are we asking the right questions? The social accountability literature highlights the importance of outcomes focusing on community needs.

This presentation will argue that evaluations should ‘count what counts’ and advocates care in choosing what is counted. Numbers are only part of the story; not everything that counts is counted, and synergies and cooperation are key.

In Australia and many other jurisdictions education and training programs enjoy considerable government investment. Closer attention to appropriate outcome measures is important if we are to maximise return on investment and get the best outcomes for the community. Careful consideration also needs to be paid to how data is presented and disseminated in order to tell your story in a clear and meaningful way. Consider using comparative baseline data (eg pre/post or comparison with other programs) and utilising graphics and other media. A team approach bringing together skills in communications, data science and graphic design is often needed to maximise impact.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

This webinar is likely to be of interest to all those involved in health professional education and preparing graduates in any field to meet the needs of their community.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the webinar, participants will be able to:

• Describe a range of approaches to the measurement of graduate outcomes
• Define appropriate measures to use in their own context
• Outline strategies to present outcome data clearly and succinctly
• Describe a range of approaches to disseminating research findings

SPEAKER

Professor Tarun Sen Gupta is Head of the Townsville Clinical School, and Professor of Health Professional Education at the James Cook University College of Medicine and Dentistry in North Queensland, Australia. He has worked in undergraduate and postgraduate medical education since 1993, with interests in rural medicine, small group teaching, community-based education and assessment. He is a Training Adviser for the Queensland Health Rural Generalist Pathway and has previously worked in solo remote practice in Richmond, northwest Queensland.

He is a Past-President of the Rural Doctors Association of Queensland and is a Board member of the Rural Doctors Foundation. He currently chairs the Education Council of the Australian College of Rural & Remote Medicine, is immediate Past Chair of the Assessment Committee and sits on the ACRRM Selection Committee and Research & Development Committee. He was a foundation staff member of the James Cook University medical school when it was established in 2000, and has published numerous papers on its rurally-focussed community-based educational model and graduate outcomes. His interests include rural medicine, social accountability and assessment of clinical competence.

FACILITATOR

Professor Balakrishnan (Kichu) Nair brings significant experience in medical education through his roles as Director of Educational Research, HETI, Director of the Centre for Medical Professional Development, Hunter New England Health Service and Professor of Medicine and Associate Dean with the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle. Professor Nair is the editor-in-chief of HETI’s journal, Health Education in Practice, that publishes results of research into, and evaluation of, practice-based education of the workforce in health, including discussions of theoretical issues related to health education.