The College of Dentistry at GMU conducted a week of Faculty Orientation Program from the 27th of August to the 2nd of September 2024, aimed at newly recruited faculty and clinical instructors, alongside existing faculty members. The program focused on “Principles of Workplace Assessment” and covered essential aspects critical to valid, reliable and fair clinical assessment (Workplace assessment).
Prof. Hesham Marei, Dean, College of Dentistry, led an interactive session on the key elements of high-quality assessments, emphasizing important concepts including constructive alignment and the validity, reliability, educational impact, feasibility, and acceptability in designing workplace assessments.
Furthermore, Prof. Mohamed Al-Eraky, Program Director of the Master of Health Professions Education and Head of Medical Education Department, College of Medicine, provided an in-depth overview of various workplace assessment tools applicable in both simulated and clinical settings. He also addressed the importance of 360-degree feedback as a tool of assessment besides continuous improvement for both faculty and students.
Finally, Prof. Walid Elsayed, Associate Dean for Academics and Research at the College of Dentistry, conducted a session on test blueprinting, featuring a hands-on exercise where faculty members used their own test blueprints. He highlighted the role of test blueprints as evidence of construct and content validity. Prof. Elsayed also covered the assessment of research courses in the college during the final day of the orientation week.