Dietrich Emily L, McWatt Sean C
Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
School of Kinesiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada.
Anat Sci Educ. 2025 Feb;18(2):172-191. doi: 10.1002/ase.2550. Epub 2024 Dec 31.
Alternative assessment approaches, such as pass/fail and feedback-based designs, aim to reduce academic stress and foster deeper learning. Few studies have examined feedback-based evaluation in formative settings in medical education, but none among graduate anatomy students. This exploratory study investigated the impact of feedback-based versus quiz-based assessments on graduate students' academic stress, motivation, and perceived learning quality in an anatomy course. Nine students were interviewed to discern perceptions of the impact of the different assessment types. Four instructors were interviewed to establish the philosophies behind their chosen assessment style, and their responses were compared to the perceptions of their students. Inductive thematic analyses of student interviews yielded multiple themes regarding considerations for the influence of assessment on academic-related anxiety and motivation: (1) communicating clear goals and expectations, (2) instructor approachability and individualized assessment, and (3) alignment between perceived effort and outcomes. Faculty interviewees demonstrated intentions to (1) promote non-technical skills, (2) provide authentic experiences, and (3) emphasize individualized assessment. However, there was some misalignment between instructors' goals and students' experiences, exacerbating students' stress and reducing their motivation. Feedback-based assessments were preferred for their perceived individualized nature and facilitation of deeper learning. Findings indicated that implementing feedback-based approaches, while ensuring constructive alignment, could reduce stress for graduate anatomy students. Furthermore, clear communication and instructor approachability can cultivate stronger teaching presence, which may enhance motivation, engagement, and the quality of learning outcomes. Implementing formative feedback-based assessments may, therefore, be an effective strategy to reduce stress and improve learning experiences for graduate-level anatomy students.
替代性评估方法，如通过/失败和基于反馈的设计，旨在减轻学业压力并促进深度学习。很少有研究考察医学教育中形成性环境下基于反馈的评估，但研究生解剖学学生中尚无此类研究。这项探索性研究调查了基于反馈的评估与基于测验的评估对解剖学课程中研究生的学业压力、动机和感知学习质量的影响。对九名学生进行了访谈，以了解他们对不同评估类型影响的看法。对四名教师进行了访谈，以确定他们所选评估方式背后的理念，并将他们的回答与学生的看法进行比较。对学生访谈的归纳主题分析得出了关于评估对学业相关焦虑和动机影响的多个主题：（1）传达明确的目标和期望，（2）教师的可接近性和个性化评估，以及（3）感知努力与结果之间的一致性。接受访谈的教师表示有意（1）促进非技术技能，（2）提供真实体验，以及（3）强调个性化评估。然而，教师的目标与学生的体验之间存在一些不一致，加剧了学生的压力并降低了他们的动机。基于反馈的评估因其个性化性质和对深度学习的促进作用而更受青睐。研究结果表明，实施基于反馈的方法，同时确保建设性的一致性，可以减轻研究生解剖学学生的压力。此外，清晰的沟通和教师的可接近性可以培养更强的教学存在感，这可能会增强动机、参与度和学习成果的质量。因此，实施基于形成性反馈的评估可能是减轻压力并改善研究生水平解剖学学生学习体验的有效策略。
