Table 1.
Characteristics of research settings
| Setting A | Setting B | |
|---|---|---|
| Programme | Physician‐Clinical Investigator Programme, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Science, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands | Physician‐Investigator Programme, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
| Duration | 4‐year graduate‐entry | 5‐year graduate entry |
| Class size | 50 | 32 |
| Educational overview | PBL curriculum using a programmatic approach to assessment with the use of a portfolio and support of a mentor | PBL curriculum using a programmatic approach to assessment with the use of a portfolio and support of a physician advisor |
| Low‐stake assessments | Knowledge (in‐ and end‐of‐block) tests, progress tests, clinical skills examinations, direct observations, field notes, clinical reasoning examinations, multi‐source feedback rounds, critical appraisal of topics, essays, research seminars and presentations, peer and teacher feedback | Weekly SAQs and open‐book CAPs, direct observations, OSCEs, journal club presentations, projects, research thesis, seminars and presentations, peer and teacher feedback |
| Feedback | A combination of narrative feedback on low‐stake assessments and use of grades | Only narrative feedback on low‐stake assessment, performance scores without pass or fail outcomes on SAQs, CAPs and OSCEs. No grades or class ranks |
| High‐stake decision | Decisions made by a portfolio assessment committee based on learners' portfolios. Learners collect all assessment evidence and feedback into portfolios to monitor, analyse and reflect on strengths, weaknesses and progress | Decisions made by a promotion committee based on learners' portfolio essays. Learners compile portfolios to monitor, analyse and reflect on low‐stake assessments and feedback with the aim of identifying strengths and targeting areas for improvement. The portfolio essay addresses the learner's progress and performance citing evidence from the portfolio |
Abbreviations: CAP, concept appraisal; OSCE, objective structured clinical examination; PBL, problem‐based learning; SAQ, short‐answer question.