The Development and Implementation of Multi-Step Comprehensive Exams at a College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
Year: 2015
Type: article
Abstract: The College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine at Southern California University of Health Sciences in Whittier, California, has developed a three level pass/fail acupuncture comprehensive exam (ACE I, ACE II, ACEIII) that is administered in each year of education during the master’s program. These exams include both a written exam and a practical component that uses the Objective Structurednbsp; Clinical Examination (OSCE) format. The objective of these exams is to assess progress in students’ critical thinking skills and knowledge in all areas of traditional Chinese medicine. The exams are used as an academic promotion criterion, requiring students to pass each one before advancing into each of the three stages of clinical internship or graduation. Lastly, the faculty uses the exam as a benchmark tool to measure outcomes with the curriculum. This paper describes the development and implementation process of these exams and the challenges faced as the format and content evolved. Additionally the details of each component in the individual exams are listed with descriptions about how they are structured, graded, and maintained. This is the first known publication that reports the intricacies of a comprehensive exam from a college of acupuncture and Oriental medicine.
Language: English
Subfield: Education
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7154870525