Non-Cognitive Measures: Can They Increase Diversity in a Doctor of Physical Therapy Program?
Purpose:
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is located in the city of Memphis, which is a diverse metropolitan area. In fact, a majority of Memphis citizens are from a underrepresented minority (URM) group; African Americans are 63.0% of the Memphis population (Census-Bureau, 2017). However, this same diversity is lacking in the UTHSC’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program where only 11.2% of the enrolled Doctor of Physical Therapy students are underrepresented minorities. This enrollment falls far below the 23.9% average for enrollment of minority students in Physical Therapist Education (PTE) programs nation-wide (CAPTE, 2017). Furthermore, the underrepresentation of racial and ethnic populations in the UTHSC Doctoral of Physical Therapy program translates to a decreased representation of minorities in the physical therapy profession throughout the mid-south geographical areas. Thus, there is a critical need for engaging strategies that can increase minority enrollment in the UTHSC Doctor of Physical Therapy program.
Diversity in education can involve characteristics related to race or ethnicity, gender, culture, sexual orientation, military service, second career, language, socioeconomic status and physical ability among others (Coleman, Lipper, Taylor, & Palmer, 2014; Sedlacek, 2017). Students from diverse backgrounds have improved attitudes related to healthcare access and report feeling more prepared to work with underserved populations (Glazer, Bankston, Clark, & Ying, 2014). Increasing the number of diverse students can also enhance the teaching and learning of these students, and create a more nurturing and inclusive education environment (Coleman et al., 2014; Sedlacek, 2017).
The use of a holistic admissions process has been proven to increase diversity in healthcare programs (Artinian et al., 2017; Glazer et al., 2014; Price & Grant-Mills, 2010; Sedlacek, 2017). A holistic review of the applicant balances cognitive (GPA or test scores) with important non-cognitive variables (Sedlacek, 2017). Examples of non-cognitive variables include communication, empathy, professionalism, equity, problem solving, collaboration, ethics, support system, self-evaluation, persistence, leadership, community service and motivation (Altus-Assessments, 2017; Eva, Reiter, Rosenfeld, & Norman, 2004; Ransdell, 2001; Sedlacek, 2017; Thomas, Kuncel, & Crede, 2007; Tracey & Sedlacek, 1984). These non-cognitive variables impact physical therapy student success while in graduate school and later in clinical practice and are certainly worthy of consideration in the admissions process.
Several methods exist to capture non-cognitive variables. The Multiple Mini Interview (MMI), The Noncognitive Questionnaire (NCQ), Situational Judgment Tests (SJT) and the Computer-based Assessment for Sampling Personal characteristics (CASPer) are used to acquire personal and professional qualities of applicants in the admissions process of many professional education programs in medicine, dentistry, physical therapy, and nursing (Eva et al., 2004; Sedlacek, 2017; Whetzel & McDaniel, 2009). The CASPer, a recent development in situational judgment test as an alternative to the costly Multiple Mini Interview, is currently used in Canada in professional healthcare education programs such as dentistry, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and nursing. In the U.S. several physician’s assistant and medical programs are using the CASPer. It isa novel tool not currently used in U.S. based physical therapist education programs (Altus-Assessments, 2017). For this proposed project, we intend to utilize the CASPer tool to determine if non-cognitive focused assessments can increase UTHSC physical therapist education program diversity. To this end, we will examine if either CASPer alone or in combination with interviews can positively impacts student diversity.
The overall goal of the proposed project is to investigate the utility of the CASPer tool to increase UTHSC DPT program diversity.
Related to this overall goal the project has three aims.
Aim 1: Determine Doctoral of Physical Therapy admission rankings using CASPer scores.
Aim 2: Identify how CASPer score generated admission rankings compare to the currently used interview scores.
Aim 3: Investigate the effectiveness of using CASPer scores in combination with the current interview scores to determine admission rankings.
Methods/Description:
Overall Research Design: This project will compare admission rankings from the current non-cognitive admission tool used in UTHSC DPT program, the interview, to admission rankings determined from current DPT student taking the CASPer and CASPer plus the interview. The results of this project will be used support or oppose the use of the CASPer in the admissions process to assist in increasing diversity in the UTHSC DPT program.
Study Design: Cross sectional design
Participants: A purposeful sample of the current cohort of DPT1 students (n=60) will be used.
CASPer testing: Students bring into a class session a laptop with forward facing camera. They will then take an online computerize test, the CASPer, that should last anywhere from 60-90 minutes. The CASPer consists of 12 sections that includes eight (8) video-based scenarios and four (4) written scenarios. The student will watch or read the scenarios and then will have five minutes to write an open-ended response to questions that follow the scenario (Altus-Assessments, 2017; Dore, Reiter, Kreuger, & Norman, 2017).
Test Evaluation: Once the student completes the test, it will be submitted to Altus Assessments for scoring. Each CASPer section has a separate rater and who only score one question; therefore, a single student has 12 different raters for a single CASPer.
Data Analysis: Statistical testing and study design were formulated with the assistance of the Biostatistics unit at the university.
Scatterplots will be used to do an initial assessment of the data then specific statistical tests of agreement will be used under the advisement of a biostatistician to assess statistical significance between admission rankings based on the interview of all UTHSC students, specifically those who meet the UTHSC DPT diversity characteristics, and the CASPer and interview plus CASPer.
Data Interpretation: We will examine if there are significant differences in these identified students admission ranking compared to other students to determine if CASPer or CASPer plus interview would show an improvement in their ranking.
Results/Outcomes:
This is a project that is in progress. Once data has been examined, a statistical analysis of the data will determine how the CASPer score or the CASPer score plus interview admission rankings compare to the currently used non-cognitive interview.
Conclusions/Relevance to the conference theme:
Through our poster presentation, we will provide a formal report informing if there was a positive or negative shift in the admission rankings of all the students and specifically the diversity group. This project will help physical therapy faculty determine how we will advance the holistic admissions process which is helping to develop a diverse physical therapy class and physical therapists. A positive result would support the decision to implement the CASPer into our admissions process. The decision to implement must be an informed decision since this will be an additional fee added to a student who is potentially burdened with financial responsibilities. The findings of this project can guide other colleges and programs in their process of implementation of holistic admissions using non-cognitive variables. This project will also provide pilot data for future research into diversity, holistic admissions and non-cognitive variables in physical therapist education.