WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
Department of Physical Therapy
College of Applied Sciences
Assessment Plan for 2006-2007
Primary Contact:
Karen Lunnen, PT, EdD
Associate Professor and Head
312 Moore Building
Phone extension: 2191
Email: klunnen@email.wcu.edu
Western Carolina University Mission Statement (summarized):
Teaching and learning constitute the central mission of Western Carolina University. The
University seeks to create a community of scholarship in which the activities of its members are
consistent with the highest standards of knowledge and practice in their disciplines.
The commitment of the community to service, research and creative activities complements the
central mission and extends the benefits of its scholarship to society. As a major public resource
for western North Carolina, the University assists individuals and agencies in the region through
the expertise of its faculty, its staff, and its students.
Aspirations
Western Carolina University aspires to provide an environment in which students, faculty, and
staff jointly assume responsibility for learning, where the free exchange of ideas, intellectual
challenge, and high standards of scholarship prevail.
The University prepares students to become contributing and informed citizens in a global
community. By working both independently and collaboratively, graduates of the University have
demonstrated the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of an educated person, including:
•
•
•
•
the ability to think critically, to communicate effectively, to identify and resolve problems
reflectively, and to use information and technology responsibly;
proficiency in the intellectual and technical skills of a disciplined study in the arts, sciences,
or professions;
an appreciation for the creative and performing arts; and
a basis for continued personal development and life-long learning.
To encourage and protect the free and open interchange of ideas, the University strives to
provide experiences that foster the development of respect among all its members toward the
larger communities of which it is a part. Accordingly, the University encourages its students,
faculty, and staff to display the following traits of citizenship:
•
•
•
behavior characterized by honesty, integrity, and responsibility;
service to others;
awareness of and sensitivity to the concerns of diverse people and cultures; and
Department of Physical Therapy Program Assessment Plan
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commitment to stewardship of the natural and cultural environment.
(Approved by the University of North Carolina Board of Governors, January 9, 1998)
Department of Physical Therapy Mission Statement:
The primary mission of the Department of Physical Therapy is to graduate physical therapists
who will practice autonomously in a variety of settings, practice in a legal and ethical manner,
participate in delivery of primary care and interdisciplinary health care services, and promote
wellness. Service-learning, clinical experiences, and other educational opportunities will
prepare graduates to respond effectively to the special needs of the community. As productive
citizens of the larger University community, faculty of the Department of Physical Therapy
engage in a broad range of scholarly, service, and educational activities which support the
departmental and institutional missions.
Relationship between department and university missions:
The primacy of teaching and learning is common to both missions. The university
mission states that teaching and learning constitute the central mission. The primary
mission of the physical therapy department is to prepare competent graduates (i.e.,
learning) through a variety of teaching methodologies (i.e., teaching). Both missions
state the importance of faculty being involved in scholarship and service in addition to
teaching.
The university mission states the commitment of the academic community to service,
research, and creative activities and extending the benefits of its scholarship to society.
The university is a major resource for western North Carolina, assisting both individuals
and agencies in the region. Reflecting a similar commitment, our department has
involved faculty and students in service to individuals and agencies in the region through
a broad range of service-learning projects.
Aspirations of WCU include the “ability to think critically, to communicate effectively,
to identify and resolve problems reflectively, and to use information and technology
responsibly… a basis for continued personal development and life-long learning…
service to others…” The departmental mission is more specific to health care, but is
comparable in that it addresses the need for competent, knowledgeable providers of
physical therapy services who also possess the range of professional behaviors necessary
to participate in interdisciplinary care, practice ethically, and respond sensitively to the
special needs of the community.
Program Goals/Objectives:
After having completed all requirements of the curriculum, including successful performance in
academic coursework and fulltime supervised clinical education experiences, graduates will be
able to:
Curriculum Outcomes/Objectives
1. Practice as competent and ethical physical therapist clinician
generalists.
KYLunnen - 7/25/2006
How Assessed
A,C,H,K,L
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Department of Physical Therapy Program Assessment Plan
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2. Communicate effectively with multiple audiences using appropriate
strategies and technologies.
H,C,I,J,K,L
3. Respect individual and cultural differences.
I,C,J,K,L
4. Demonstrate professional behaviors during interactions with others.
C,H,I,J,K,L
5. Make sound professional judgments consistent with the best available
evidence and moderated by patient circumstances and preferences.
B,C,H,K,L
6. Employ effective educational strategies and technologies when
teaching audiences with varied needs.
C,H,I,K,L
7. Accept responsibility for continual critical assessment of one’s
practice, personal growth, and professional development.
C,J,K,L
8. Address the physical therapy related health and wellness needs of
individuals, groups, and communities.
C,I,K,L
9. Collaborate in the management and administration of systems for
patient care and community health.
C,K,L
10. Manage resources to achieve goals of the practice setting and
facilitate cost-effective health care.
C,K,L
11. Advocate for the health and welfare of clients, the profession, and the
public.
C
Overview of Program as Related to Assessment:
The physical therapy program at Western Carolina University is a fulltime, lockstep program with
all courses taught within the department. Students enter as a cohort (up to 32 students in each
cohort) during the fall semester each academic year and graduate 24 months later with a Master
of Physical Therapy (MPT) degree. The curriculum is comprehensively planned to graduate
professionals who have the knowledge to pass a national licensing examination and to practice in
the profession of physical therapy as competent clinician generalists.
The Commission on Accreditation of Physical Therapy Education (CAPTE) regulates the quality
of physical therapy education through a mandatory accreditation process that is extremely
rigorous, requiring compliance with 66 comprehensive professional criteria. Curricula must
contain specified elements and complexity builds as evidenced by carefully designed and
integrated course objectives that lead the student from basic knowledge and skills to complex
clinical reasoning and decision making. Professional behaviors or core professional values are
addressed throughout the curriculum. Instructional strategies and assessment procedures are
designed to assess competency throughout the curriculum and students may not progress without
demonstrating competency in all areas. For example, students must successfully complete all
course requirements, including written and practical examinations, before participating in fulltime
supervised clinical education experiences.
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Department of Physical Therapy Program Assessment Plan
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WCU physical therapy students have a full-time clinical education experience at the end of each
academic semester culminating in a final 14-week internship. Student performance in clinical
education is assessed by an instrument developed by the American Physical Therapy Association
(APTA) that addresses 24 standards of competent professional practice along a continuum of
novice to entry-level proficiency.
The education division of the APTA provides guidance to professional education programs
through a variety of resources, including the Guide to Physical Therapy Practice, Second Edition
and A Normative Model of Physical Therapist Professional Education: Version 2004, an
assessment of identified core professional values and numerous other guidelines, policies and
plans.
Consequently, learning outcomes are assessed throughout the professional curriculum utilizing a
variety of measures that are guided or in some cases, mandated, by the APTA and CAPTE.
Comprehensive program assessment is also required by CAPTE and must include certain
elements, including alumni and employer surveys. CAPTE also requires annual reporting of
comprehensive data that includes graduation rates and performance of program graduates on the
national licensing examination.
Assessment Procedures and Criteria:
Curriculum
Outcomes/Objectives
Measured
Comprehensive
assessment of
professional
knowledge
(Objectives #1, 5)
Assess
ment
Label
Assessment
Method
Criteria
National Federation
of Physical Therapy
Examiners
Professional
Examination pass
rates (first take)
Student Evaluation
of the Physical
Therapy Program
After graduation
when scheduled
by students
Annual first take
pass rates of
WCU graduates
will exceed
national average
Capstone Course
following
completion of all
didactic and
clinical education
Administered by
University
Planning during
Capstone Course
Every two years,
survey two classes
of graduates
None – Students’
responses are
transcribed,
analyzed for
common themes
and prioritized
Computerized
summary data is
reviewed and
analyzed
None?
Administered by
University
Planning Office;
computerized
summary sheet
produced
Overall satisfaction
with educational
experience
A
Satisfaction with
outcomes per mission
and curriculum
objectives
Outcomes per mission
(clinician generalist,
primary care,
interdisciplinary care,
underserved
populations);
Scholarly Activity;
Research;
Courses most/least
valuable
Outcomes per mission
B
Curriculum
Outcomes Survey
C
Alumni Survey
D
Employer Survey
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When
Administered
Every two years,
(as above
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(as above)
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survey employers
of two classes of
graduates
Each course, each
semester
Enacted curriculum
objectives
E
Student Course
Evaluations
General knowledge
(Objectives #1, 5)
F
Department of
Physical Therapy
Comprehensive
Examination
Spring semester of
second year
Objectives
#1,2,4,5,6,7
G
Written and
practical course
examinations
Each semester
Objective #2,3,4,6,8
H
At least annually
Objective #2,3,4,7
I
Service Learning –
Student Survey
Participant
Questionnaire
Professional
Behaviors Checklist
Objectives #1-10
J
Clinical
Performance
Instrument
Objectives #1-10
Curriculum content;
teaching/learning
strategies
Quality of clinical
setting and clinical
instruction
K
Phone or on-site
interview with
clinical instructor
and student
Student Assessment
of Experiential
Professional
Activity
Faculty assessment
of competency by
CAPTE standards
correlated with
course number, title
and objective
number
L
M
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Data used to
modify course
content and
teaching/learning
strategies
Students must
score at or above
70th percentile
with opportunity
for one retake
Passing criteria
established by
individual
instructors
Annually –
students do a self
assessment and
each student is
assessed by 4
peers and the
faculty.
Clinical
instructors
evaluate students
at midterm and
final of each
clinical education
experience
During each
clinical education
experience
Results are
reviewed with
students during
meeting with
faculty advisor
At the end of each
clinical education
experience
Criteria for
selection of
clinical education
sites
Scoring (“well”,
“average”,
“minimum”) must
be correlated with
difficulty of
objective and
whether
considered entry
Completed as part
of self study for
CAPTE (every 10
years)
See separate
criteria for each
clinical education
experience
None
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Department of Physical Therapy Program Assessment Plan
N
O
Accreditation
Review
Graduate Program
Review
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Every 10 years
Every 5 years
level
Successful
accreditation
Satisfactorily
address various
components per
external reviewers
Use of Assessment Results:
In August each year (following graduation of a cohort), the faculty conducts a comprehensive
program assessment in which the outcomes of the various assessment measures listed above are
reviewed for the purpose of determining the quality and effectiveness of the professional
education curriculum. This assessment guides the faculty to identify and make necessary
adjustments to the curriculum for upcoming students.
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