PEER
EVALUATION IN CLERKSHIP TEAM BASED LEARNING SMALL GROUPS: THE INFLUENCE OF
EXPERIENCE AND FORMATIVE EVALUATION
Ruth
E. Levine* 1, Gayle Olson2,
Paul Haidet3, and Britta Thompson3
1The Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences and 2 The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The
PURPOSE: To see if
peer evaluation experience influences students’ ability to discriminate among
peers and to evaluate the influence of a midpoint “formative” peer evaluation.
METHODS: Three years
of peer evaluation (PE) scores were compared in two clerkships (Psychiatry and
Ob/Gyn) depending on whether or not the student had
experience with PE. A midpoint PE was
instituted in Psychiatry in AY07/08, but not in Ob/Gyn,
and scores were compared to determine potential impact on the quantitative and qualititative evaluation components.
RESULTS: The
percentage of students giving different scores to different teammates is
referred to as the “mean discrimination scores” or MDS. MDSs prior to the introduction of the midpoint
PE ranged from 20-28% in Psychiatry and 23-33% in Ob/Gyn. PE Naïve (PEN) students in Psychiatry but not
Ob/Gyn have significantly lower MDSs than PE
Experienced (PEE) students. Post
introduction of the midpoint PE, the midpoint MDS was 11.8%, and the endpoint
MDS was 10.3%. End point discrimination
was 0% among PEN students vs 20% among PEE students.
Psychiatry
students provided significantly more qualitative feedback than Ob/gyn students. Both total comments and constructive
criticism increased during midpoint PE, but decreased by the endpoint.
CONCLUSION: PE
experience influenced Psychiatry but not Ob/Gyn students,
for unknown reasons, but likely having to do with the way the PE is
administered. The midpoint evaluation was associated with increased
qualitative evaluation and lesser discrimination, suggesting that it achieved
its purpose of providing the students a tool to help their peers become better
teammates.