The challenge of evaluating oral presentations: the use of a rubric in a graduate program in medical education

Abstract

Introduction: The results of the application of a rubric to assess oral presentations of research projects in a graduate course of medical education are presented.

Method: The instrument assesses verbal and nonverbal abilities, visual aids, content and organization. The evidence of validity of the results was obtained through: principal component factor analysis, reliability by Cronbach’s alpha, and psychometrically with the Rasch Partial Credit model.

Results: The most relevant findings were the identification of three groups of abilities in the presentation: design, internal control, and interaction with the audience. High reliability for the whole instrument, correct operation of the response options and independence between item and ability parameters estimations.

Conclusions: The instrument is useful to assess oral presentations of the graduate students in the medical education program, given its reliability and validity.