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A scoring framework for assessing anatomy competence of undergraduate preclinical students

Recent higher education changes toward outcomes‐based education emphasize competent learners, but a widely accepted definition of competence is still lacking. Although the importance of anatomy in health professions education is recognized, there is still uncertainty about what anatomical competence entails and how to assess it. This study aimed to provide a framework for assessing anatomical competence, using an anatomy competence score, for the anatomy course in the undergraduate medical learning program at the University of the Free State in South Africa. All assessments within the dissection program of two student groups (July 2012 to June 2014) were explored to determine the representation of the three competence domains: knowledge, skill and application in context. Student performance in the final objective structured practical examination (OSPE) was investigated for the three domains and the different body regions. Knowledge had ±50% representation in assessments and the different body regions (in final OSPE) for both groups, and skill and application represented ±25% each in both groups. The best average student performance was in the skill domain (64% and 67% for the respective groups). All domains showed good reliabilities (> 0.75) and student performance correlated well between the domains (P < 0.001). This study suggests a representation ratio of 2:1:1 between knowledge, skill and application (i.e., 50% knowledge and 25% skill and application respectively), for anatomical competence assessment. However, this ratio depends on the assessment type, the stage of the anatomy course and the institutional context. Nonetheless, it provides a guideline for ensuring that assessments address all competence domains. Anat Sci Educ 9: 319–329. © 2015 American Association of Anatomists.