Pilot studies of in-course assessment for a revised medical curriculum: II. Computer-based, individual

To test a computer-based method of in-course assessment for a modular, systems-oriented medical curriculum at the University of Otago Medical School.

For the in-course assessment in anatomic pathology, 193 students completed five biweekly (i.e., every two weeks), criterion-referenced, computer-based quizzes incorporating many digitized photographs and a variety of question formats. The students signed up to take quizzes at any of ten available times during each quiz week. A score of 70% was required for passing each quiz, but the students could retake quizzes up to two more times in alternative versions. The students' opinions about biweekly testing and computer-based testing were sought.

All 193 students satisfactorily completed the assessment program, with no significant problems with hardware, software, or administration during the more than 1,000 computer-based quizzes. The students valued the bi-weekly quizzes as a stimulus for study and for feedback. They strongly supported computer-based quizzes, identifying a variety of benefits in their responses to the questionnaire. The staff found that development of visually rich quizzes was greatly facilitated by the use of computers.

The study confirmed the feasibility of using regular, computer-based quizzes for in-course assessment of a large medical school class and demonstrated assessments of a kind that would be difficult to achieve by means other than with computers.