Managing the activity evaluation process
The Purpose of Evaluations
We evaluate activities to see if they are effective in doing what they're intended to do, i.e. do learners achieve the stated objectives of the activity? We also use evaluation data to inform the planning process of future educational events, and programmatic evaluation allows us in the division of CME to gauge how effective we are in achieving our goals and the mission of the unit as a whole.
According to the American Medical Association (AMA), for an activity to be designated as Category 1, an evaluation mechanism is required to assess the quality of the activity and its relevance to stated needs and objectives; however, evaluation is not merely a "compliance" activity, it is an important feedback mechanism that provides data on how well needs are met, how future education activities might be designed, and as a guide for decisions related to the intent of education efforts.
UAB CME policy is to conduct evaluations on a quarterly basis. The timing of those evaluation points can vary, i.e. they can occur at the end of each quarter on a calendar year basis, follow the academic year; occur at some regular midpoint during a quarter, etc.