e-Assessment in a Limited-Resources Dental School Using an Open-Source Learning Management System.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Dental Education
• Educational Technology

Background:

• Traditional dental student evaluation faces challenges, particularly in resource-limited settings.
• Electronic assessment (e-assessment) offers potential solutions for improving evaluation processes.
• Open-source learning management systems (LMS) can facilitate e-assessment implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the experience of a limited-resources dental school with e-assessment using an open-source LMS.
• To assess student perceptions regarding the impact, reliability, and security of e-assessment.
• To identify challenges and benefits of implementing e-assessment in dental education.

Main Methods:

• Data collected from Moodle (an open-source LMS) at Alexandria University's Faculty of Dentistry.
• Analysis of user access and types of e-assessment activities implemented.
• A questionnaire administered to undergraduate and postgraduate students to gauge perceptions.

Main Results:

• 82% of e-courses incorporated some form of e-assessment, with 16.7% including summative assessments.
• Moodle quizzes were utilized in one-quarter of e-courses with e-assessment.
• Students positively perceived e-assessment's impact on learning, reliability, and security, but noted technical issues and stress.

Conclusions:

• E-assessment is feasible and cost-effective for dental schools with limited resources and large classes.
• Open-source LMS platforms like Moodle enable formative e-assessment and diverse question formats.
• Addressing technical challenges is crucial for optimizing the student e-assessment experience.