Collaborative Testing in Medical Education: Student Perceptions and Long-Term Knowledge Retention

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Collaborative testing integrates collaborative learning with assessment, using small groups to answer exam questions.
• Prior research indicates collaborative testing boosts student performance and short-term knowledge retention over individual testing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of collaborative testing on preclinical medical students' long-term retention of basic science knowledge.
• To explore students' perceptions and approaches to collaborative testing.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods study involving preclinical medical students.
• Students experienced two conditions post-individual exams: collaborative testing and group exam review.
• An 8-month delayed post-test assessed retention from both conditions.

Main Results:

• Significantly higher post-test performance and knowledge retention were observed in the collaborative testing condition.
• Qualitative data suggest collaborative processes and repeated retrieval enhance knowledge retention.
• Students valued teamwork but reported uncertainty and interpersonal conflict.

Conclusions:

• Collaborative testing enhances long-term knowledge retention in medical education.
• Study findings inform the design of collaborative testing to support knowledge retention and effective collaboration.
• Addressing student concerns regarding certainty and conflict is crucial for optimizing collaborative testing environments.