Design and use of an instrument to evaluate students' clinical performance

An instrument for evaluating clinical performance of students was developed for the coordinated undergraduate program in dietetics at The Ohio State University. The development and evaluation of the instrument are described. Statistical data show a significant degree of correlation among three evaluators: the student, his preceptor, and faculty. In addition, use of the instrument facilitated evaluation, and students responded favorably to criterion-referenced rather than to norm-referenced evaluation conferences.