An application of programmatic assessment for learning (PAL) system for general practice training.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Professional Development

Background:

• Programmatic assessment for learning (PAL) is increasingly popular but faces implementation challenges.
• General practice training requires effective assessment strategies to foster learning and professional growth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the design principles of a PAL program tailored for general practice registrars.
• To enhance the meaningfulness of assessment information and promote self-regulated learning.

Main Methods:

• Applied cognitivist principles focusing on deep structures and knowledge transfer.
• Incorporated deliberate practice, self-regulation models (Pintrich), and transformative learning (Mezirow).
• Utilized social network theory for collaborative learning and optimized test-enhanced learning.

Main Results:

• The PAL program design emphasizes connecting practice experiences with background knowledge.
• Feedback mechanisms support deliberate practice and self-regulation.
• Collaborative learning and transformative learning foster professional identity development.

Conclusions:

• The described PAL program design integrates various learning theories to support registrar development.
• This approach aims to optimize assessment for learning in general practice.
• The design provides a framework adaptable to specific training contexts.