ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING OUTCOMES
All 30 participant students underwent a detailed evaluation according to the original PCIP proposal.
The evaluation included the following formal tests and scores:
1. A practical pediatric cardiac auscultation test, assessing the pediatric cardiac auscultation skills acquired during the course. Students were asked to interpret a series of virtual pediatric cardiology cases, during reproduction of digital phonocardiograms by using high quality sound system and personal earphones.
2. An auscultation theoretical test, a theoretical multiple choice test evaluating the theoretical background of pediatric cardiac auscultation
3. A practical echocardiography test, assessing the ability of students to correctly describe the technical aspects, way of documentation and correct interpretation and diagnosis of a series of video demonstrations of selected echocardiographic exams.
4. At the end of the course, a theoretical knowledge multiple choice test, based on all teaching topics presented throughout the course, was provided to students, assessing the theoretical knowledge in basic pediatric cardiology topics.
5. Finally, the average score of all four individual scores was documented, corresponding to a total score for each student. The total score represented the final validation score for each student, and a score more than 50 (on a 100-grade scale) was required for accreditation of the ECTS credits to participant students.
Total and Sub-group (1st cycle students) analysis
As all partner Institutions students were exclusively 1st cycle students, and only three higher cycle home students (all of them being also clinically active medical doctors) an analysis of the performance of participant students has been performed both as a total analysis (including all students) as well as a more detailed sub-analysis restricted to undergraduate (1st cycle only) students, as they represented the vast-majority of participants. Students' performance was also evaluated relative to their faculty, country, year of studies and gender.
