Learner Outcomes: Automated Tracking, Easy Analysis, and Continuous Curriculum Improvement

How does one move from theory, to real-world, successful implementation of technology to track learner outcomes?
We share our experiences and provide attendees with a reference foundation for understanding how to practically and affordably implement an effective technology solution to automatically track and analyze learner outcomes. This technology greatly facilitates successful accreditation cycles, as well as continuous improvement feedback loops at the institution, program, course, faculty, student, and curricular levels.
Our unique technical solution is driven by the theory to track learner outcomes, and is created with a combination of home-grown, commercially available, and inexpensive technology. It is elegant and easy for faculty, administrators, and students to use, and captures, tracks, and trends individual student progress, in the domains of institutional, program, course, and American Osteopathic Association specific learning outcomes, through an access controlled web environment.
Our presentation is highly interactive, and we welcome and encourage participant dialog.
At the conclusion of our session, participants will walk away with shared knowledge, understanding, and insight regarding the following:
1) Why institutional, program, and course outcomes, and what to do with them, drives the technology (and not vice versa);
2) Why the concept of “begin with the end in mind” is the cornerstone to successful implementation of technology to track learner outcomes;
3) How to move from the theory of technology to track learner outcomes to its successful, practical implementation at your institution.

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Terence Ma is the Assistant Dean for Education Information Resources at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he is responsible for the curriculum management and learning management systems, curriculum inventory, and innovative technologies for teaching and learning. He received his PhD in Anatomy from Wayne State University School of Medicine in 1987.

Gerald Thrush is the Assistant Dean, Pre-clinical Education at COMP, where he has implemented new modalities of curricular delivery as well as computer-based testing for medical student courses.  Gerald received his PhD in Immunology and Microbiology from Wayne State University in 1990.

Scott Helf is Assistant Dean of Academic Informatics at COMP, where his role is to solve particularly vexing educational challenges through adapting existing, or creating new, information technology solutions. He received his MSIT from California State University Fullerton in 2007, and the DO degree from COMP in 1999.