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Assessment of basic medical sciences in an integrated systems-based curriculum
S Moqattash1, P F Harris, K A Gumaa
1Department of Human and Clinical Anatomy, College of Medicine, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
Clinical Anatomy (New York, N.Y.)
|January 1, 1995
Summary
Medical science students performed best in non-coordinated assessments (NCAs) and performed better on short essay questions (SEQs) than multiple choice questions (MCQs). Integrated assessments (IAs) with structured integrated long essay questions (SILEQs) show promise for evaluating complex skills.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Curriculum Development
Background:
- Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) employs a systems-based curriculum for basic medical sciences.
- Various examination formats and question types have been utilized during course development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare student performance across different examination formats: non-coordinated assessments (NCAs), coordinated assessments (CAs), and integrated assessments (IAs).
- To evaluate student performance based on question types: multiple choice questions (MCQs), short essay questions (SEQs), and structured integrated long essays (SILEQs).
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of student performance data.
- Evaluation of three examination formats (NCAs, CAs, IAs) and three question types (MCQs, SEQs, SILEQs).
- Current use of integrated assessments (IAs) with two parts: Part I (MCQs and SEQs) and Part II (SILEQs).
Main Results:
- Students performed better in SEQs compared to MCQs.
- Structured integrated long essays (SILEQs) demonstrated a similar skill measurement capacity to combined MCQs and SEQs.
- Student performance was highest in non-coordinated assessments (NCAs).
- In coordinated assessments (CAs), students focused on high-weightage disciplines.
- Students currently perform better on Part II (SILEQs) than Part I (MCQs and SEQs) of the integrated assessments (IAs).
Conclusions:
- Non-coordinated assessments (NCAs) appear most effective for student performance.
- Structured integrated long essays (SILEQs) are valuable for assessing higher-order thinking skills.
- A combination of question types within integrated assessments (IAs) is recommended for comprehensive evaluation in systems-based medical science courses.