Evaluating student performance in undergraduate preceptorships.

This article explores the challenges in evaluating student performance in preceptorships based on data collected during academic years 1999-2002, which revealed an unusually large number of high grades and relatively few average grades. Multiple perspectives are explored, including preceptor issues of selection, orientation, recognition, role conflict, and experience with giving grades; faculty issues of role confusion and unclear expectations for student performance; and environmental issues of lack of control of the learning environment and differences in the values of education and workplace. Solutions are proposed, including an orientation for preceptors and faculty, ongoing faculty mentoring of preceptors, official preceptor recognition, clear articulation of expectations for student performance and faculty site visits, and creation of grading rubrics for various aspects of the course to be used by preceptors, faculty, and students.