Guidelines on Writing Multiple Choice Questions: A Well-Received and Effective Faculty Development Intervention

Abstract

Multiple choice questions (MCQs) are commonly used for assessing students, but medical teachers may lack training in writing them. MCQs often have imperfections called item-writing flaws (IWFs) that can affect students’ results and impede objective evaluation of their knowledge. This study aimed to evaluate a guideline-based faculty development intervention on writing MCQs at Levels 1 and 2 of the Kirkpatrick Model. MCQs written by teachers prior and after the intervention were analyzed with the Shapiro–Wilk test, Student’s t-test, and Wilcoxon signed-rank test as appropriate. In addition, the phenomenological approach was chosen to describe experiences of 10 teachers in semi-structured in-depth interviews. Results showed satisfaction of teachers with the document. They found it helpful in writing MCQs and noticed the requirement for another guidelines. They appreciated it for its briefness and clarity. The statistical analysis of the quality of MCQs before and after the intervention showed that the document contributed to a statistically significant reduction of IWFs. To conclude, our results showed that a guideline document on writing MCQs may serve as a well-received and effective faculty development intervention. The document may be used as a flexible, time-saving, and just-in-time learning method, fitting needs of medical teachers.

Distance Learning and Assessment During the COVID-19 Pandemic—Perspectives of Polish Medical and Healthcare Students

“…However, most of the academic staff had no prior experience in preparing and conducting distance learning classes. In order to promote the use of innovative techniques at PUMS, different faculty development initiatives were implemented, including workshops in the NESTOR [ Nauczyciel – EkSpert – TutOR (Teacher - Expert - Tutor)] program ( Projekt NESTOR ) and the development of guidelines on asynchronous e-learning (Przymuszała, Cerbin-Koczorowska, et al, 2020) or writing multiple-choice questions (Przymuszała, Piotrowska, et al, 2020), for example.…”

Learning Theory-Driven Tips for Designing Effective Learning Solutions for the Continuous Education of Community Pharmacists to Enhance Patient-Centered Care—A Qualitative Study

“…Such faculty development initiatives to improve teaching effectiveness can take numerous forms, including workshops, fellowships, scholars’ programs, longitudinal programs, short courses, seminar series, peer observations and coaching, self-study audiotapes and CD-ROMS, or web-based training modules, for instance [ 59 ]. Moreover, as evidenced by our previous experiences, even relatively inexpensive and simple forms can be perceived as resourceful and helpful by the participating teachers [ 60 ].…”

Crash Course in Orthopaedics: Development and Evaluation of a 12-Week Online Trauma and Orthopaedics Teaching Program for Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Actively involving participants leads to an increased interest in the topic and better retention of knowledge and skills [ 9 ]. The use of interactive pedagogic tools (IPT), such as Kahoot or Mentimeter, is well-received by participants and helps with their learning and understanding of important concepts [ 10 ]. Additionally, the use of MCQs, polls and open questions throughout the webinar enables audience engagement and increases their enjoyment.…”

“…Studies show the inclusion of MCQs is beneficial in allowing students to practice exam techniques and clinical reasoning [ 13 ]. However, creating MCQs is a skill, and the questions asked should aim to reflect the webinar’s learning objectives [ 10 ].…”