Producing useful evaluations in medical education.

An evaluation in medical education has the overall aim of providing new knowledge about an intervention, such as a new teaching approach or an established course, so that judgments can be made about whether the intervention has achieved its intended outcomes. There are a wide variety of stakeholders who are usually involved in these judgments, from learners and medical educators to institutions and policy makers. All of these stakeholders need 'useful knowledge' to guide their decision-making. The challenge for all medical educators involved in evaluations is to produce 'useful knowledge' to inform stakeholders and disseminate findings as widely as possible.