The Objective Structural Practical Examination (OSPE) is a timed examination that assesses topographical and/or applied knowledge of anatomy with the use of cadaveric resources and medical images. This study investigated whether elements of question design (provision of clinical context, type of visual resources used, gender context and difficulty) of an anatomy question affected students' performance and also whether there was any effect of basic demography or participation in various voluntary activities.Study participants were second year medical students (n = 150), 83 of whom consented to fill in a questionnaire collecting demographics, revision preferences and assessment preferences. The examination scores were matched with students' responses collected on the questionnaire and all data analyzed by multiple linear regression. Difficulty of the question was the only design element found to be significantly associated with the number of students that answered correctly (p=. 001); clinical context, visual resources used and gender of the question were not significant. When individual students marks were analyzed along with the questionnaire data, only the students' interest in participating in department's demonstrator program was a significant predictor of a high individual score, gender of the students showed a strong trend towards significance, with female students scoring on average higher than male students. The two part OSPE questions were dissociated and analyzed using binary logistic regression to determine whether a correct answer to part 1 was predictive of a correct answer to part 2, but no association was found.3
Anatomical examinations have been designed to assess topographical and/or applied knowledge of anatomy with or without the inclusion of visual resources such as cadaveric specimens or images, radiological images, and/or clinical photographs. Multimedia learning theories have advanced the understanding of how words and images are processed during learning. However, the evidence of the impact of including anatomical and radiological images within written assessments is sparse. This study investigates the impact of including images within clinically oriented single-best-answer questions on students' scores in a tailored online tool. Second-year medical students (n = 174) from six schools in the United Kingdom participated voluntarily in the examination, and 55 students provided free-text comments which were thematically analyzed. All questions were categorized as to whether their stimulus format was purely textual or included an associated image. The type (anatomical and radiological image) and deep structure of images (question referring to a bone or soft tissue on the image) were taken into consideration. Students scored significantly better on questions with images compared to questions without images (P < 0.001), and on questions referring to bones than to soft tissue (P < 0.001), but no difference was found in their performance on anatomical and radiological image questions. The coding highlighted areas of "test applicability" and "challenges faced by the students." In conclusion, images are critical in medical practice for investigating a patient's anatomy, and this study sets out a way to understand the effects of images on students' performance and their views in commonly employed written assessments. Anat Sci Educ 14: 342-351.
BackgroundAt a time of global interconnectedness, internationalization of medical education (IoME) has become an important part of medical education. Internationalization in higher education is "the intentional process of integrating an international, intercultural, or global dimension into the purpose, functions, and delivery of post-secondary education, in order
Introduction Student outbound mobility is a major element in internationalization of medical education and global health education. However, this approach is often criticized, as it is inherently inequitable. Internationalization at home is a newer concept that aims to provide students with international skills and experiences without exchange travel. We report detailed outcomes of an international online program during the COVID-19 pandemic, which aimed to include acquisition of cultural awareness and competency—similar to what the students would have obtained if they had travelled abroad. Method Sixty-eight students from 12 international universities participated in international small peer group collaborative work, and online networking. Perceived improvement of cultural competency using Likert scale and open-ended questions was used as a measure of success. Furthermore, students’ definition of cultural competency in the different countries was obtained. Results Students improved their cultural competency skills. Data analysis supported statistically significant improvement of the above skills after the program, in comparison to the start of the program. Discussion Internationalization of medical education can be achieved at home —via structured online peer exchanges—and can provide students with intercultural skills and networking opportunities that are typically achieved via international in-person travel. The above represents a socially just and equitable way to reach all students and can result in improvement of their cultural competency, preparing them for their work in global health, and thereby resulting in improvement of global health. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40670-021-01332-9.
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