Towards a rational approach to student evaluation by examinations

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Anatomical Sciences
• Assessment Methods

Background:

• Examinations serve crucial roles in academic and professional settings.
• Traditional examination formats may present challenges in differentiating assessment functions.
• The Department of Anatomy at the University of Cape Town has implemented a novel testing scheme.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline a multiple choice testing scheme that distinguishes between the certification and grading functions of examinations.
• To evaluate the preliminary effectiveness of this scheme in anatomical assessments.

Main Methods:

• Development and implementation of a multiple choice testing scheme.
• Operationalizing the scheme since January 1976 within the Department of Anatomy.
• Analysis of preliminary data to assess reliability and validity.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated greatly enhanced reliability in examination scoring.
• Showed unimpaired validity of assessments using the described multiple choice procedures.
• Preliminary findings indicate success in separating certification and grading functions.

Conclusions:

• The implemented multiple choice testing scheme effectively enhances examination reliability.
• The scheme maintains assessment validity while distinguishing between certification and grading.
• This approach offers a robust model for anatomical science examinations.