Computer-based assessments in medical education and strategies to curb malpractice in online assessments: Narrative review

Abstract

ABSTRACT Assessments are an integral part of the medical curriculum delivery process and give a clear indication of whether students have acquired the set competencies. The purpose of the current review is to explore the scope of computer-based assessments (CBA), identify the ways for malpractice in online assessments, and the strategies to curb the incidence of such unfair practices. An extensive search of all materials related to the topic was carried out on the PubMed search engine and a total of 25 articles were selected based on their suitability with the current review objectives. Keywords used in the search include CBA and online assessments in the title alone only. CBA has found extensive scope in medical education and it is predominantly due to the fact that they enable teachers to increase the periodicity of assessments. CBAs have been linked with potential challenges, such as the mandatory presence of the Internet, technical support, and investment to establish the assessment system, training of the users, and cheating. In conclusion, many medical institutions are gradually shifting from traditional paper-based assessments to CBA. This move is expected to have some concerns, with the most important being the scope for students to adopt any malpractice during online assessments. However, the employment of standard measures and implementation of a strict protocol is bound to curb the incidence of any such malpractices and thus enables the organizers to conduct fair and transparent examinations.