Investigating the Relationship Between PBL Process Grades and Content Acquisition Performance in a PBL Dental Program

Abstract

In this study, we examined the relationship between students' problem-based learning (PBL) skills and their content acquisition as measured by traditional examinations. We conducted this investigation to evaluate the assumption that students' learning in the small group setting of PBL as evaluated by their faculty facilitators was an accurate indicator of students' learning as measured by problem analysis tests and traditional content acquisition tests. Parallel model reliability analyses were conducted to determine reliability for each year's assessment components, which included multiple choice examinations, image-based computer tests, facilitators' evaluations of students' performance in the PBL small groups, and assessments that measured the students' problem analysis and problem-solving skills. We also performed correlation tests to analyze the data. The reliability tests show that all assessment measures were consistently significant. There were predominantly significant correlations between process type assessment measures and the more traditional objective tests. When analyzed on a yearly basis, all of the correlations were significant. When analyzed on a trimester basis, all of the correlations were positive, with many being significant. The finding that the process grade revealed significant correlation with the other two assessment tools indicates that although process type evaluations may seem to be primarily subjective, they are an important metric for monitoring student progress.

Formative assessment scores in tutorial sessions correlates with OSCE and progress testing scores in a PBL medical curriculum

“…Brazilian medical students believe that subjectmatter experts perform better for guiding the learning process than their non-expert counterparts [9]. Other authors agree with this concept [5,28,29,35].…”

“…Correlations among methods of assessment in PBL are controversial. Von Bergmann et al [28] observed a significant relationship between facilitator's assessment of students based on their performance in tutorial groups and content acquisition examination. Yaqinuddin et al [5] also demonstrated strong association among PBL scores and written examinations, MCQ, short answer questions and OSCE.…”

“…Despite the fact the process of rating students during tutorial sessions has been criticized [6,11,35], current evidences underscore that FA is a reliable indicator of students' summative learning achievement. Nevertheless, a crucial factor in this process is the qualification of the PBL facilitators [28][29][30].…”

“…However, there is scarce literature addressing this issue. Most of studies only investigate the relationship between FA in PBL tutorials and content assessments [5,[28][29][30]. Since OSCE and PT offer to the students a feedback about their performance along the course, which involve not only summative but also formative purposes, we hypothesized that students' performance assessed by FA in PBL tutorial process correlates with OSCE and PT scores.…”

The relationship between the monitored performance of tutors and students at PBL tutorials and the marked hypotheses generated by students in a hybrid curriculum

“…Assessment, monitoring, and programme evaluation all contribute to improving what and how students learn [ 7 ]. A number of publications have reported the effectiveness of the PBL process by measuring students’ satisfaction of the process from surveys [ 8 , 9 ], or the knowledge acquired by students as measured by examinations [ 10 – 12 ]. However, there is hardly any reported work that uses an independent PBL specialist to monitor performance of tutor and students during PBL tutorial sessions and how their performance affects the quantity and quality of hypotheses generated by the tutorial group.…”