Elsamanoudy Ayman, Shehata Mohamed, Almarabheh Amer, Alrefaie Zienab
Clinical Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Medical Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
BMC Med Educ. 2024 Dec 18;24(1):1445. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-06469-w.
Whether case-based modified essay questions (MEQs) are crucial to summative assessment in medical curriculum is still debatable. The current study aimed to evaluate third-year medical students' performance in case-based MEQs and multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in summative assessment in the endocrine module.
Students' scores in mid and final module MEQs and MCQs were analyzed over four successive years from 2018/2019 to 2021/2022, where comparisons were made between students' scores in MEQs and MCQs, and between scores of students of different categories. Moreover, the correlation between MEQs and MCQ scores and total grades was evaluated.
The study revealed better students' performance in MCQs compared to MEQs, and this pattern persisted over the study period reflecting that case-based MEQs were challenging to students. High-performing students got higher scores in MEQs than the low performers, denoting the ability of MEQs to discriminate between high and low grades. It was also observed that MEQs correlated significantly with students' final grades similar to the MCQs indicating its importance as an assessment tool. Concerning the COVID year, students got higher grades in MCQs and lower scores in MEQs compared to other years of the study period which clarifies that MCQs offer a reliable assessment tool during exceptional circumstances.
Implementing case-based MEQs and MCQs in the summative assessment of medical curriculum favored discrimination between high and low scorers, minimized chances for students' guessing and fostered deep learning and analytical comprehension of knowledge, and ensured medical students' exposure to various item types. The current findings highlight the potential of using well constructed case-based MEQs in high stake medical exams together with MCQs for comprehensive assessments of problem solving skills.
基于案例的改良论述题（MEQs）在医学课程的终结性评估中是否至关重要仍存在争议。本研究旨在评估三年级医学生在内分泌模块的终结性评估中，基于案例的MEQs和多项选择题（MCQs）的表现。
分析了2018/2019年至2021/2022年连续四年学生在模块中期和期末MEQs及MCQs中的成绩，比较了学生在MEQs和MCQs中的成绩，以及不同类别学生的成绩。此外，还评估了MEQs与MCQ成绩及总成绩之间的相关性。
研究表明，与MEQs相比，学生在MCQs中的表现更好，且这种模式在研究期间持续存在，这表明基于案例的MEQs对学生具有挑战性。成绩优异的学生在MEQs中的得分高于成绩较差的学生，这表明MEQs能够区分高分和低分学生。还观察到，MEQs与学生的期末成绩显著相关，与MCQs类似，这表明其作为一种评估工具的重要性。关于新冠疫情期间，与研究期间的其他年份相比，学生在MCQs中取得了更高的成绩，而在MEQs中得分更低，这说明在特殊情况下，MCQs提供了一种可靠的评估工具。
在医学课程的终结性评估中实施基于案例的MEQs和MCQs，有利于区分高分和低分学生，减少学生猜测的机会，促进深度学习和对知识的分析理解，并确保医学生接触各种题型。目前的研究结果凸显了在高风险医学考试中使用精心构建的基于案例的MEQs以及MCQs来全面评估解决问题能力的潜力。
