Consensus Meeting Report “Technology Enhanced Assessment” in Covid-19 Time, MENA Regional Experiences and Reflections

Abstract

Purpose Majority of the assessments, appraisals and placements have been disturbed, with some being cancelled, postponed, or modified in design. New approaches for assessment should be well-thought-out. This work attempts at capturing the collective wisdom of educators in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), providing an understanding of the online assessment conceptual framework in the era of COVID-19 that tells the story rather than determining cause and effect, and identifying the biggest gaps that derail the digital transformation. Methods A qualitative inductive study using the grounded theory approach was implemented following a synchronous virtual online meeting, a summary of the reflections as well as experiences of medical education experts was prepared. Data for this qualitative study were collected from the meeting. The meeting was video-recorded and transcribed by the researchers. Thematic analysis was performed by three separate researcher coders. The authors then discussed together until they reached a consensus. Results Three main thematic areas were identified: 1) feasibility, 2) exam fairness/equity and 3) acceptable graduate attributes, society/community acceptance. Conclusion The COVID-19 era necessitated revisiting of our assessment strategies to cope with new changes within the available context. Rapid adaptation is required.

Implementation of virtual OSCE in health professions education: A systematic review

“…Many institutions carefully curated and intentionally modified OSCE stations to ensure suitability for the virtual environment. However, the virtual format precluded effective assessment of physical examinations because of the lack of physical interactions between students and simulated patients 46,49,52 . Some institutions attempted to address this gap by incorporating audio/video clips and requiring students to interpret abnormal findings 62 .…”

“…However, the virtual format precluded effective assessment of physical examinations because of the lack of physical interactions between students and simulated patients. 46,49,52 Some institutions attempted to address this gap by incorporating audio/video clips and requiring students to interpret abnormal findings. 62 Despite students fluently describing the process of the physical examination and explaining the findings, assessors were concerned that this knowledge did not translate into competence.…”

Perceptions of Test Score Pollution Stemming From COVID-19 and State Testing: An Exploratory Case Study

“…Factors such as anxiety, administration of remote assessments, and testing supervision may have impacted the reliability of the scores (Blad, 2021). Although there are fairness issues concerning standardized tests, assessments are needed to identify learning gaps, monitor student progress, and adjust support accordingly (Goldhaber & Özek, 2019;Hegazy et al, 2021). While recent test questions are not available for review, the tests could identify content area gaps among the students.…”