Abstract
Background & Objective:The world is facing COVID-19 pandemic, and medical education system and consequently the evaluation of students at different levels have been overshadowed. Residency students are among those affected. In the present study, we aim to share our experiences regarding holding exams for pathology residents before and during the pandemic.Methods:This cross-sectional study was carried out in Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The online exam, which consisted of 30 multiple-choice questions, was designed and held in April 2020 to evaluate pathology residents. To assess the quality of the exam, indices such as the number of questions, highest and lowest scores, the average score, the standard deviation, the variance, Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient, standard error of measurement, discrimination index, difficulty index, number/percentage of questions on three difficulty levels of easy, normal, hard were reviewed and analyzed.Results and Discussion:The average score of the participants in the January exam which was held in the university’s exam center was 16.23 (±5.03), while the average score in the online exam which was held after the onset of the pandemic was 20.86 (±5.18). The average discrimination indices in the first and second exams were 0.36 and 0.38, respectively, and the average difficulty indices in the first and second exams were 0.54 and 0.70, respectively. We found the administration of this online examination would be a positive experience. By sharing it, we hope to pave the way for similar ventures in the other departments.
Highlights
We are facing an all-out pandemic of COVID-19 [1]
The online exam, which consisted of 30 multiple-choice questions, was designed and held in April 2020 to evaluate pathology residents
The average score of the participants in the January exam which was held in the university’s exam center was 16.23 (±5.03), while the average score in the online exam which was held after the onset of the pandemic was 20.86 (±5.18)
Summary
We are facing an all-out pandemic of COVID-19 [1]. The disease’s quick spread and its turning into a pandemic, in addition to serious consequences on areas of healthcare, economy, and society [2,3,4], have posed new challenges for academic institutes all over the world [5, 6]. One of the main concerns of instructors and students is the way this pandemic might affect the quality of medical training programs [7,8,9]. A review of the recent studies on the topic reveals that different medical science institutes have been obligated to modify their training methods in response to the new circumstances [10]. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a growing inclination towards teaching theoretical subjects through synchronized and asynchronized methods [9], having interactive sessions in the form of small educational groups on online platforms [11], and holding virtual clinical and theoretical exams [12, 13]. The world is facing COVID-19 pandemic, and medical education system and the evaluation of students at different levels have been overshadowed. We aim to share our experiences regarding holding exams for pathology residents before and during the pandemic
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