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Very Short Answer Questions: A Novel Approach To Summative Assessments In Pathology.
Amir H Sam1, Emilia Peleva1, Chee Yeen Fung1
1Imperial College School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
Advances in Medical Education and Practice
|December 7, 2019
Summary
Very Short Answer Questions (VSAQs) offer a reliable and efficient method for pathology assessment in medical education. This novel approach enhances learning behaviors and clinical decision-making skills.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Pathology Assessment
- Educational Technology
Background:
- Effective pathology assessment is crucial for medical students' understanding of treatment science.
- Traditional assessment methods like multiple-choice questions (MCQs) can promote rote learning, while essay questions and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are resource-intensive.
- Limitations in current assessment tools necessitate exploring novel methods for comprehensive curriculum sampling and improved learning outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the utility of Very Short Answer Questions (VSAQs) administered via an online tool in an undergraduate summative pathology assessment.
- To compare the efficiency, reliability, and discriminatory power of VSAQs against traditional Single Best Answer Questions (SBAQs) and Extended Matching Questions (EMQs).
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 285 medical students completed a summative assessment comprising 50 VSAQs, 50 SBAQs, and 75 EMQs.
- VSAQs were machine-marked against pre-approved responses, with subsequent review by pathologists and adaptive software learning.
- Assessment included analysis of marking time, student scores, Cronbach's alpha for reliability, and point-biserial correlations for discrimination.
Main Results:
- VSAQ marking required only 5 hours for 285 students, significantly less than the 70 hours for a paper-based exam.
- VSAQs demonstrated higher reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.86) and discrimination (point-biserial 0.35) compared to SBAQs and EMQs.
- Students scored lower on VSAQs (median 72%) compared to SBAQs (80%) and EMQs (84%), indicating a potentially more rigorous assessment.
Conclusions:
- Very Short Answer Questions (VSAQs) represent an acceptable, reliable, and discriminatory assessment method for pathology.
- The adoption of VSAQs may positively influence student learning behaviors, enhancing their understanding of pathology's role in clinical decision-making and patient care.
- Online VSAQs offer a time-efficient and effective alternative for pathology assessment, addressing limitations of traditional methods.
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