Applications Now Open for Aquifer Curricular Partner Physician Assistant Programs
Available for Family Medicine – Internal Medicine – Pediatrics – Radiology
Aquifer is excited to announce that our transformative Calibrate Pilot Program is now accepting applications from physician assistant programs that are Aquifer Curricular Partner Programs for the 2022-23 subscription year.
Aquifer Calibrate is an innovative and evidence-based formative assessment system that gives new insight into clinical knowledge and cognitive competence by calibrating students’ knowledge and certainty during applied problem-solving. Calibrate provides objective formative assessment data to fuel effective coaching and efficient self-directed learning. Assessments link to core curriculum, supporting a range of accreditation requirements and aligning faculty and students around an easy-to-adopt tool.
The Calibrate Pilot Program provides a unique opportunity to partner with Aquifer and play a role in driving the future of formative assessment. In addition to gaining early access to Calibrate assessments and new faculty development programs, pilot programs will provide critical feedback to inform optimizations before the availability of this new tool expands across medical and health professions education.
Get to know Calibrate:
- Calibrate details and introductory video
- Podcast: Coaching Conversations
- Podcast: Future of Formative Assessment
Benefits of Participation
Early Access to Calibrate
Pilot programs gain exclusive access to the Calibrate assessment system. Pilot access includes our user-friendly dashboard for assessment administration and actionable reports for students and faculty, all available in your Aquifer account. Access to learner cohort reports provides you with new insights into potential learning gaps in your curriculum, giving you a jump start on curricular and accreditation planning.
Promote Self-Directed Learning
Calibrate empowers students to make the most of clinical learning experiences. By adding new dimensions for diagnosing problem areas such as under or overconfidence and knowledge deficits, Calibrate empowers students to make the most of clinical learning experiences. Calibrate provides the tools to create targeted, individualized learning plans and supports accreditation standards on clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills (ARC-PA B2.05).
Access Faculty Development Coaching Training
As a pilot program, your faculty will have access to professional development focused on coaching learners to use Calibrate formative assessments to advance their learning during the clinical rotation and beyond. Aquifer’s Peer Trainers, a team of health professions educators experienced in the use of Aquifer and coaching, will offer training and support on how faculty can better use the information provided from Calibrate assessments to help students develop and implement more effective learning plans. Peer Trainers will be accessible throughout the pilot, providing access to a community of academic coaches working to gather feedback and refine best practices as we advance the development of Calibrate.
In addition, precepting faculty and other clinical supervisors can access just-in-time tools for coaching―including agenda templates, goal-setting templates, tips for giving feedback, and checklists for success, all grounded in the output of Calibrate’s reports.
Training will also be available for all faculty on administration of assessments, interpreting reports, and advice for integrating Calibrate into your program.
Become an Innovation Partner
Pilot programs will be key partners in Aquifer’s innovation process. Feedback from faculty and students will inform the future development and optimization of everything related to Calibrate, from technology to content, orientation to coach training. Pilot programs will have the opportunity to partner with Aquifer academic leadership on future scholarly projects.
Qualifications
The pilot program is currently open to all PA programs that are Aquifer Curricular Partners for the 2022-23 subscription year (through June 30, 2023). To confirm your subscription status, please contact the person at your school who manages your Aquifer account or exams@aquifer.org.
Requirements
Use Calibrate in Your Rotation/Courses
Family Medicine – Internal Medicine – Pediatrics – Radiology
- Enroll at least one rotation (more encouraged) to administer Calibrate assessments between January 1 and March 31, 2023. We encourage pilot programs to continue using Calibrate through June 30, 2023.
- For each enrolled rotation or course, programs must ensure that all students:
- complete an early Calibrate assessment within the first two weeks of the rotation/course;
- complete a late Calibrate assessment (recommended in the last 2 weeks of the rotation/course);
- complete the Calibrate Debrief and Learning Plan, using the results of their early assessment report
- Decide if your program will require student coaching. Aquifer will be accepting a limited number of schools for both the required coaching and optional coaching tracks of the pilot program.
- Required coaching: 8 pilot schools
All students are required to share and discuss their Learning Plans with a designated faculty member or preceptor. Coaching tools & training are provided. - Optional coaching: 8 pilot schools
Students are required to complete their Learning Plan after the first assessment. Faculty coaching is recommended but not required.
- Required coaching: 8 pilot schools
- Each assessment consists of approximately 40 vignette-type questions and takes about 1 hour to complete.
- Proctoring is not required. Faculty can schedule assessments directly for groups of students in the dashboard, making the assessment available for up to 7 days; students complete the assessment on their own time.
- Students and faculty will have immediate access to results reports after completing assessments.
Important Note: Calibrate reports are not intended and should never be used for evaluation or grading purposes (assessment of learning). The system is designed to be used as a formative assessment for learning. Additionally, while the reports provide valuable information regarding accuracy and certainty, some aspects – such as the learning progress indicator flag, the clinical learning calibration values, and the coaching and learning tips – are undergoing additional validation throughout the pilot.
Faculty Development Training
- Designate at least one lead faculty member per rotation or course to participate in a maximum of 2 hours of Calibrate training.
- Ensure participating faculty and clinical supervisors are oriented to requirements and resources.
- Aquifer Peer Trainers are available to consult and assist with training and orientation needs.
- All designated faculty and clinical supervisors are encouraged to attend live training sessions as desired.
- Online coaching tools and resources will be available to all faculty and clinical supervisors.
Provide Substantive Feedback to Aquifer
- Pilot schools commit to responding to feedback requests and assisting in the collection of feedback if required. Feedback is critical to fueling the ongoing development of this new learning tool. Feedback includes:
- Course director (1 survey per rotation)
- Participating student surveys (2 short surveys)
- Coaching faculty survey (1 per rotation)
- A faculty coach focus group (at least 1 participant per school, more encouraged)
Timeline
- October 14, 2022: Pilot applications open
- November 14, 2022: Pilot applications close
- November 18, 2022: Programs notified of acceptance status
- Required training – at least one lead faculty from each selected program must attend one of the following sessions:
- November 30, 2022: 12pm – 1:30pm ET
- December 13, 2022: 4pm-5:30pm ET
- December 14, 2022: 1pm-2:30pm ET
- January 1 – March 31, 2023: Calibrate pilot takes place
- March 31 – June 30, 2023: Pilot programs may continue to use Calibrate as desired
