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Learner Assessment of Clinical Teaching and Supervision Policy

● Related Documents: Procedures Governing the assessment of Clinical Teaching and Supervision by Learners; School of Medicine Clinical Faculty Appointment, Renewal, & Promotion Policy

● Owner: School of Medicine

● Approver: School of Medicine Executive Council

● Approval Date: 2023

I. Purpose

As a requirement of accreditation under the Committee on the Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools, medical schools must have in place a formal process to collect and consider medical student assessments of their required learning experiences, teachers, and other relevant aspects of the medical education program.  

The School of Medicine at Toronto Metropolitan University utilizes contextualized, competency-based teaching and supervision assessments from Learners to gather feedback with regards to their learning experience. This Policy and the related Procedures sets out the framework for how such learner assessments are collected and utilized to provide timely, relevant feedback to both Clinical Faculty and the School of Medicine as a whole to support continuous improvement and development.  

The Policy, which is determined and administered at the level of the School of Medicine, establishes the guidelines for the formation and functioning of Committees related to the appointment of the clinical academic portfolio leadership at the School of Medicine at the University. It also establishes the guidelines for the term of appointment, intra-term assessment, and reappointment of Clinical Academic Portfolio Leaders.

II. Scope and Application

This policy applies to all Learners, staff, and Clinical Faculty within the School.  

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a member of the Toronto Metropolitan Faculty Association will be assessed by Learners within the School in accordance with the relevant policies and procedures as determined under the applicable collective agreement in place between the Toronto Metropolitan Faculty Association and Toronto Metropolitan University.  

This Policy does not address the assessment of Clinical Faculty for advancement within the academic ranks, although it is recognized that Learner assessments may also form part of a complete educational dossier for individual faculty members.

III. Definitions

For the purposes of this Policy:

i. “Area of Focused Competence” a specific type of postgraduate training program that is defined by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) - see the official definition at the RCPSC website (external link) .

ii. “Clinical Faculty Leader” means an administrative leader of a department or unit within the School and includes Department Heads (and their delegates), Directors (and their delegates), Leads, and all Decanal leaders (assistant, associate, vice deans, and the Dean/VPMA) of the School.

iii. “Department Head” means an academic leader responsible for overseeing an entire medical department or specialty, including its educational, research, and administrative aspects.  Also referred to as a Department Chair.

iv. “Learner” means a student or resident who is enrolled in the School.

v. “Phase Lead”

vi. “PGME” means postgraduate medical education.

vii. “Procedures” means procedures to this Policy.

viii. “Program Director” means a faculty member responsible and accountable for the overall conduct and organization of the educational program (residency, fellowship, AFC).

ix. “School” means Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Medicine.

IV. Principles

The teaching and supervision assessment process of Clinical Faculty should adhere to the principles of transparency, confidentiality, and procedural fairness, and be undertaken in a manner that is equitable, consistent and transparent in the collection, use and interpretation of data that provides reliable and meaningful data to Clinical Faculty, administrators and Learners.

Recognizing that inherent power differentials exist between Clinical Faculty and Learners, the processes of Clinical Faculty assessments must be designed to protect the identity of individual Learners and the School shall ensure that Learners are protected from any reprisal resulting from the assessment of Clinical Faculty.

V. Policy

  1. Clinical Faculty Leaders, Clinical Faculty, and Learners are expected to strive to create an environment within the School where the exchange of feedback is a routine and expected part of the educational experience.
  2. Clinical Faculty will be routinely assessed by Learners on their teaching, supervision, and formal educational activities at the end of a required learning experience.
  3. Teaching and supervision activities will be assessed in a competency-based manner that is contextual in a way that recognizes the diversity of learning environments experienced by Learners of the School of Medicine and is consistent with the specialty in which the Clinical Faculty works.  
  4. Clinical Faculty shall be informed in advance about the applicable processes for Learner assessments of Clinical Faculty, including but not limited to:
    1. activities that will be formally evaluated;
    2. impact of Learner assessments in the promotions processes;
    3. frequency of Learner assessments;
    4. individuals who will have access to the assessment data and related analytics;
    5. individual(s) who will debrief with Clinical Faculty on assessments; and
    6. process to be followed if performance concerns are raised by aggregated Clinical Faculty assessments and/or other sources of documented feedback.
  5. Learner assessment data and related analytics will be made available only to those individuals that require this information to support their work, and every effort must be made to preserve the anonymity of individual Learners in the presentation of such assessment data.
  6. In the event a Clinical Faculty disputes or disagrees with the results of a specific set of Learner assessments, the Clinical Faculty shall be entitled to dispute the assessment as set out in the Procedures.  

VI. Roles and Responsibilities

The Clinical and Faculty Affairs (CFA) Section of the School shall be primarily responsible for facilitating the development, maintenance, improvement/refinement, and implementation of a Clinical Faculty assessment framework with feedback from relevant Clinical Faculty Leaders, Learners, and Clinical Faculty. The CFA Council (the governance body for the Section) will be the body to which the standing committee on Clinical Faculty assessment processes reports.

Clinical Faculty Leaders shall be responsible for addressing concerns raised via assessments of Clinical Faculty performance both formally and informally in accordance with the Procedures.

Learners shall be responsible for participating in the assessment process and for providing genuine and constructive feedback with the overall goal of improving the School and the Learner experience.  

Clinical Faculty shall be responsible for actively Reviewing their own assessments and for using such feedback to improve their teaching performance.

VII. Jurisdiction

This Policy falls under the jurisdiction of the School of Medicine Council.

The Vice Dean of Clinical Faculty Affairs is responsible for the interpretation and application of this Policy, and the creation and promulgation of such procedures and guidelines as necessary or desirable to give effect to this Policy.

VIII. Policy Review

This Policy is subject to review every three (3) years.