Comparing assessments of students' knowledge by computerized open-ended and multiple-choice tests

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Biophysics
• Educational Technology

Background:

• Assessing medical student knowledge is crucial for effective clinical biophysics education.
• Traditional testing methods may not capture the full spectrum of student understanding.
• Interactive computerized tests offer new avenues for knowledge assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of interactive computerized tests in assessing medical student knowledge in clinical biophysics.
• To compare the outcomes of natural language input versus multiple-choice question formats.
• To determine if different testing modalities measure distinct aspects of student competence.

Main Methods:

• Employed interactive computerized tests with natural language input and traditional multiple-choice questions for sophomore medical students.
• Covered physical principles, applications, and limitations of diagnostic, therapeutic, and prosthetic technologies.
• Correlated scores from both testing modes, focusing on identifying and analyzing knowledge gaps.

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation was observed between natural language and multiple-choice scores for lower-performing students.
• A negative correlation was found for upper-performing students, indicating divergent assessment.
• The findings suggest that the two testing modalities measure different facets of competence.

Conclusions:

• Interactive computerized testing, using natural language, offers a complementary assessment to multiple-choice questions in medical education.
• The study highlights the need to consider different assessment strategies to evaluate diverse aspects of medical student competence.
• Implications for medical education and accreditation standards are discussed regarding comprehensive knowledge evaluation.