Correlations Between Final-Year Dental Students' Performance on Knowledge-Based and Clinical Examinations (original) (raw)
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Journal of dental education
In this article, the Task Force on Student Outcomes Assessment of the American Dental Education Association's Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education describes the current status of student outcomes assessment in U.S. dental education. This review is divided into six sections. The first summarizes the literature on assessment of dental students' performance. Section two discusses catalysts, with a focus on problem-based learning, for development of new assessment methods, while the third section presents several resources and guides that can be used to inform selection of assessment techniques for various domains of competence. The fourth section describes the methodology and results of a 2008 survey of current assessment practices in U.S. dental schools. In the fifth section, findings from this survey are discussed within the context of competency-based education, the educational model for the predoctoral curriculum endorsed by the American Dental Education ...
Rethinking Assessment Concepts in Dental Education
International Journal of Dentistry, 2020
Introduction. Dental education involves teaching and assessing the acquisition of verifiable domains that require superior psychomotor, communication, and cognitive skills. Evolving technologies and methods of assessment could enhance student's learning environment and improve tutor assessment experience. e aim of this study was to review the current body of research and evaluate the effectiveness of various methods of assessments in improving learning and performance in preclinical and clinical dental practice. Materials and Methods. A search strategy was implemented using electronic search in major databases. e following key terms, clinical skills, preclinical, dental students, and assessment, were included in the search. Two reviewers independently screened all the articles retrieved following very specific inclusion criteria. Results. e initial search generated 5371 articles and 24 articles were selected for review and data extraction. Cohen's kappa coefficient was used to measure interrater agreement and a score of 94.7% was obtained. Conclusion. Preclinical assessment is an effective tool for promoting skills transfer to clinical phase. Early psychomotor skills assessment is valuable. It allows early intervention in the learning process and assists in effective utilization of learning resources. Technology-enhanced assessment systems allow better patient simulation, enhance learning and self-assessment experiences, and improve performance evaluation. However, these systems serve as an adjunct to conventional assessment methods. Further research should aim at calibrating and integrating these systems to optimize students learning and performance.
Can the results of the OSCE predict the results of clinical assessment in dental education?
European journal of dental education : official journal of the Association for Dental Education in Europe, 2014
The aims of this study were to evaluate the correlation between the results of the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) and clinical assessment and to test the reliability of OSCE test stations. All 4th year undergraduate dental students (n = 47, 100%) attended the OSCE in April 2010. The students were divided into two groups (morning group, group 1; afternoon group, group 2). Groups 1 and 2 were also divided into two subgroups that attended the stations in two concurrent sessions (A and B). The OSCE included 12 10-min test stations. Clinical assessment was based on long-term observation during the semesters. The disciplines assessed were cross-infection control, endodontics, paediatric dentistry, periodontology, prosthodontics and restorative dentistry. Statistical analysis using Cronbach's alpha indicated good reliability of the OSCE. The correlation between the results of the OSCE and clinical assessment in the 4th year was statistically significant in cross-infec...
Medical Education Online, 2020
Background: Many medical schools train their faculty members to construct high cognitive level multiple choice questions (MCQs) that demand a great deal of analytical and critical thinking, application, and competence. The purpose of this study is to determine the cognitive levels of MCQs by using Moore's Expanded Outcomes Framework and to understand whether the quality of MCQs has an effect on students' assessment performance. Methods: Four trained faculty members analysed 100 randomly selected questions developed at the University Clinic of Dentistry (UCD) and 100 questions developed by the National Board of Dental Examinations (NBDE). Moore's framework was applied to assist the review process. Results: The majority of questions was at the level of declarative knowledge followed by questions at the level of procedural knowledge. The cognitive level of UCD questions from 2002 to 2009 was significantly lower than that of NBDE questions but increased in questions written from 2010 to 2018. The improvement of quality of MCQs had no impact on assessment performance of students. Conclusion: The enhanced cognitive levels of UCD MCQs written 2010-2018 coincides with the implementation of a faculty training program for writing high-ordered MCQs. In addition, this study shows that the use of Moore's expanded framework is on par with other known taxonomies in supporting educators in writing items and reviewing the process.
Dental Student Assessment Toolbox
Journal of Dental Education, 2009
This article is one in a series of invited contributions by members of the dental education community that have been commissioned by the American Dental Education Association's Commission on Change and Innovation in Dental Education (ADEA CCI) to address the environment surrounding dental education and affecting the need for, or process of, curricular change. This article was written at the request of the ADEA CCI but does not necessarily reflect the views of ADEA, the ADEA CCI, or individual members of the ADEA CCI. The perspectives communicated here are those of the authors.
European Journal of Dental Education, 2006
Objectives: To investigate the effect of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) on dental students' learning strategies and competence to manage periodontal diseases in patients. The implemented OSCE was expected to be superior to the existing Written Exam in fostering the acquisition of clinical competencies in terms of study strategies that are more oriented towards clinical practice, longer study time, greater clinical proficiency, and more realistic selfassessment. Material and methods: After a clinical course in periodontology, 72 third year dental students were assessed summatively, either using a Written Exam or an OSCE (P-OSCE). The students were informed beforehand about the assessment formats. The self-assessed clinical competence, study time and strategies (i.e. practice with a manikin, peers and patient case) were evaluated by means of a questionnaire. After a comprehensive dental care course, all 72 students were assessed by an overall end-of-year OSCE, in which three periodontal stations were included 'measuring pockets' , 'educating patients' and 'tracing an X-ray with bone-loss' . The competence of the previous Written Exam group and the P-OSCE group was investigated by determining the mean scores and pass-fail scores of three periodontal test-stations as well as the total score of the end-of-year OSCE. The degree of realistic self-assessment was studied by correlating the self-assessed competencies as evaluated by means of the questionnaire with the total score of the end-of-year OSCE. Results: Self-assessed clinical competence, study time and study strategies showed no differences between the P-OSCE and the Written Exam-group. The clinical competence determined in the test-station 'measuring pockets' in the end of year overall OSCE was higher for the P-OSCE group (P = 0.05) when compared with the Written Exam group; the two groups performed equally well in the test station 'educating patients' , whereas the performance in 'tracing an X-ray with bone-loss' was better in the Written Exam group. This group also had a higher total score in the end-of-year OSCE (P = 0.05). The degree of realistic self-assessment was higher in the P-OSCE group than in the Written Exam group: in the P-OSCE group the self-assessed clinical competencies correlated significantly with the total score of the overall end-of-year OSCE (P ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: No effects of the implementation of an OSCE in undergraduate periodontal education were observed in study strategies, but the implementation of an OSCE in undergraduate periodontal education appears to stimulate learning, resulting in greater achievement of specific clinical competence and a greater level of realistic self-assessment.
Scholars Journal of Dental Sciences , 2015
Patient Management Problem (PMP) is an assessment tool for students of medical sciences, which assess the students’ comprehension of different aspects of health and disease. The current study was aimed at comparing the dental students’ ability to answer Patient Management Problem (PMP) and Modified Essay Question (MEQ) examination with Multiple-Choice Question (MCQ) tests, and its relation with educational progress. This descriptive-analytical crosssectional study was performed on 62 dental students of Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Iran, who were selected by census. The first test was PMP-MEQ consisting of 2 Multiple-Choice Questions with 5 possible answers and 3 essay type questions. Two weeks later, the second stage was performed in form of an MCQ test consisting of 10 questions with 4 possible options. The student’s total grade-point average (GPA) in 5 consecutive semesters, GPA of the last semester, and the score obtained in theoretical pediatric dentistry 3 course were considered as indices of educational progress and were compared with the scores achieved in the tests. Data were analyzed by using descriptive and analytical statistics. There was a statistical significant correlation between the student’s educational progress and the score of MCQ test (P < 0.001). Meanwhile, there were no statistical significant relationship between the educational progress and the scores of PMP-MCQ test. Therefore, the result indicates that despite high grade-point average (GPA) and good practical information, the students were weak at reasoning and clinical judgments. It was also detected that the students’ ability to respond PMP-MEQ tests were lower than their ability in MCQ test.
Abstract—Background of the study: There are several researches on assessment but very few evidence is available in finding the association between the formative and the summative assessment especially in higher education like health sciences. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the formative and summative performance of the dental undergraduate students retrospectively. Methodology: The theory marks of the first year BDS students of three consecutive years (Batch A, B and C) in the initial formative assessment and final summative assessment were collected retrospectively. The total theory marks of the students in both the assessments were analysed statistically using Pearson Correlation analysis. Results: The data analysis showed significant positive association (2013-14 – 62%, 2014-15 – 71%, 2015-16 – 65%) between the formative and summative assessment performance of all three batches. Conclusion: The performance in formative and summative assessments have good positive correlation suggesting that formative assessment results should be treated with more value for better student outcome.
Assessment formats in dental medicine: An overview
GMS Journal for Medical Education, 2016
Aim: At the annual meeting of German dentists in Frankfurt am Main in 2013, the Working Group for the Advancement of Dental Education (AKWLZ) initiated an interdisciplinary working group to address assessments in dental education. This paper presents an overview of the current work being done by this working group, some of whose members are also actively involved in the German Association for Medical Education's (GMA) working group for dental education. The aim is to present a summary of the current state of research on this topic for all those who participate in the design, administration and evaluation of university-specific assessments in dentistry. Method: Based on systematic literature research, the testing scenarios listed in the National Competency-based Catalogue of Learning Objectives (NKLZ) have been compiled and presented in tables according to assessment value. Results: Different assessment scenarios are described briefly in table form addressing validity (V), reliab...
Competence profiles in undergraduate dental education: a comparison between theory and reality
BMC Oral Health
Background: Competence profiles are purposed to provide a blueprint in support to develop and/or benchmark the learning outcomes of undergraduate dental curricula. This study aims to investigate whether a competence profile as proposed by academic-and clinical experts is able to represent the real clinical reality. Methods: A questionnaire was developed including questions about gender and age, perception about required competences, and educational organisation and was distributed among Flemish dentists via email and on paper during a symposium. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U-tests. Results: A total of 312 questionnaires were completed (=6.5% of dentist population, with similar gender and age characteristics). All competences in the European competence profile were rated between 7.2 and 9.4 on a 10-point scale. In dentists under 50 years, females rated the importance of identifying/managing anxiety and abnormal patient behaviour; and promoting/improving oral health as significantly higher than males. In dentists of 50 years and above, females rated 8 competences significantly higher than males, including obtaining/recording a complete history; identifying/managing anxiety and abnormal patient behaviour; obtaining/interpreting radiography; identifying temporomandibular and associated disorders; identifying orthodontic needs; awareness of own limitations/when to refer; managing dental urgencies; and basic-life-support/defibrillation. Clinical practice management was most frequently reported as additional competence to address in dental education. Furthermore, the respondents suggested an undergraduate dental curriculum based on 34% theoretical education, 26% preclinical skills training, and 40% clinical education and 86% agreed with a duration of 5 years. Finally, the respondents also illustrated the dynamic nature of dentistry including a reduction of amalgam fillings, a shift from individual practice to group practices, an increased administrative load, and more assertive patients. Conclusion: Findings in the present study suggest the validation of the proposed competences for graduating European dentists within the clinical reality of dental professionals in daily practice. Nevertheless, the results have also demonstrated heterogeneity regarding gender and age within the dentist population and emphasised a continuously evolving dental profession and required competences. Hence, to maintain high quality of dental care, a strategy should be developed in which dental curricula are continuously benchmarked against an evolving clinical reality.