Data Collection Instrument (DCI)

Overview

The Data Collection Instrument (DCI) is a questionnaire consisting of 446 questions related to 12 standards and 96 elements. The DCI includes data from the Independent Student Analysis (ISA), the AFMC Graduation Questionnaire (GQ), and other sources. The 12 standards and 96 elements include the following topics:

Standard 1: Mission, Planning, Organization and Integrity
Strategic planning /Education quality improvement; social accountability; conflict of interest (COI) policies; faculty participation in policy development; affiliation agreements; policies regarding delegated decanal authority; meeting CACMS requirements.
Standard 2: Leadership and Administration
Decanal appointment process; dean’s qualifications; access to university president and authority of the dean; organizational structure of FoMD.
Standard 3: Academic and Learning Environments
Resident teaching of students; opportunities of students in research activities; mission-appropriate diversity outcomes among learners and faculty; anti-discrimination; maintenance of professional learning environment; student mistreatment.
Standard 4: Faculty Preparation, Productivity, Participation and Policies
Sufficient qualified faculty; scholarly productivity; faculty appointment policies; feedback to faculty members; faculty development opportunities; governance and policy oversight.
Standard 5: Educational Resources and Infrastructure
Adequate financial resources; dean’s resources; physical resources; clinical patient resources; teaching site resources; safety and security of students; library and IT resources; school and site space for students; CACMS notification requirements.
Standard 6: Competencies, Curricular Objectives and Curricular Design
Program and competency-based learning objectives; required patient encounters and procedures; self-directed and lifelong learning; outpatient and inpatient learning; generalist and rural care experiences; electives; service learning.
Standard 7: Curricular Content
Biomedical, behavioural, social sciences; across life cycle; scientific method/translation; critical judgment; societal problems; cultural competence; health-care disparities; ethics; communication skills; interprofessional, collaborative, professional, leadership skills.
Standard 8: Curricular Management, Evaluation and Enhancement

Curriculum oversight; use of objectives; design, review, monitoring of curriculum; program evaluation; student feedback; central oversight of clinical curriculum; curriculum/assessment equivalent across sites; time spent in learning activities.

Standard 9: Teaching, Supervision, Assessment and Student and Patient Safety

Residents’ and non-faculty teaching skills; faculty appointment system; clinical supervision; assessment system; narrative assessment; standards of achievement; formative feedback; summative assessment; student advancement and appeals; student health and patient safety.

Standard 10: Medical Student Selection, Assignment and Progress
Admission requirements; authority of admissions committee; policies regarding student selection, advancement; selection criteria; school calendar; transfer and visiting students; student assignment.
Standard 11: Medical Student Academic Support, Career Advising and Educational Records
Academic and career advice; extramural electives; medical school performance record (MSPR); confidentiality; student access to records.
Standard 12: Medical Student Health Services, Personal Counselling and Financial Aid Services
Financial aid; tuition refund; well-being; access to health-care services; privacy of health records; insurance; immunization; exposure to hazards policy.

Process for collecting data

The director of program quality and accreditation is primarily responsible for gathering information for the DCI from a variety of sources, including leadership, faculty members, staff, and students. The collection of data from our index year (the 2020-2021 academic year) began in spring 2021 and will continue through the fall.

The DCI is made up of information from a variety of sources, including the AFMC Graduation Questionnaire and the ISA, as well as FOMD and MD program documents (e.g. strategic plan, policies, course evaluation reports, etc.).