Step-by-step Guide to Create Competency-Based Assignments as an Alternative for Traditional Summative Assessment.

Hebat Allah Amin,Samar A Ahmed,Mohamed H K Shehata

doi:10.15694/mep.2020.000120.1

Abstract

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. The sudden, prolonged COVID-19 lockdown has offered a great challenge to the medical school. This was not only at the level of learning and curricular design but also the level of assessment. The traditional summative assessment tools have collapsed during this Pandemic. Herein, we provide a five-step guide for designing competency-based E-assignments for summative assessment. Innovative assignments designs are crucially required for fair summative assessment of the medical students, mainly in the pre-clerkship phase. These need to be innovative, engaging, competency-based, well-designed, with defined rubrics, integrated, and interdisciplinary whenever possible. These should also enforce the concepts of self-assessment and student peer assessment. Including the students in the formulation and design enhances their self-motivation where there is no face-to-face education. Designing an assignment with a quality product as an outcome increases the students' enthusiasm and self-confidence. A brief case-study is included as an example. Teaching after the pandemic era will greatly change with inevitable changes in the dogmatic concepts. Formative and summative assessments are probably changing seats which might be sustained for some time post-COVID-19.

Highlights

There is a generally acknowledged concept that assessment drives learning. This mandate acquiring a new vision for creating assessment tools to meet the shift of the medical curricula to integrated, competency-based learning (Sohrmann et al, 2020)
The new assessment strategy should be tailored in tandem with the development of the new curricula
This could be achieved by strategic planning, including the educators, administrators, and the student to formulate a structured plan for the assignment design (Ferris, 2015)

Summary

Introduction

There is a generally acknowledged concept that assessment drives learning. This mandate acquiring a new vision for. The new assessment strategy should be tailored in tandem with the development of the new curricula This could be achieved by strategic planning, including the educators, administrators, and the student to formulate a structured plan for the assignment design (Ferris, 2015). A well-designed assignment can guide students through engaging deep learning experiences and divert their attention from grades towards creativity and critical thinking (Liu and Carless, 2006) Both summative and formative assessment methods are useful when applied in the correct setting and at an appropriate stage of learning. Novel assessment methods including self and peer assessment strategies enhance students’ engagement and selfmotivation It promotes developing their critical thinking skills (Bloxham and West, 2004). In brainstorming several decisions are made and many questions are raised

Decisions

Design Rubrics

Notes On Contributors

Findings

Ethics Statement