Student perceptions in regard to formative assessment in medical education

Abstract

Background: Formative assessment has been made a point of emphasis by recent National Medical Commission guidelines. It is a useful to ensure continuing progression, learning, and feedback of the student. Eventually, this successful formative assessment should lead to better performance in summative assessment and in their professional career. Aims and Objectives: (i) To evaluate basic understanding of students about formative assessment as well as change following educational session; (ii) To assess perceptions of students in relation to various aspects of formative assessment. Materials and Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study. Participants included second professional year undergraduate medical students. After a brief introductory session about formative assessment, a questionnaire was given to the students following informed consent. The participants had 30 min to fill out the questionnaire. Questionnaire contained 20 questions including different aspects of formative assessment. Change in response in regard to awareness of formative assessment was calculated. Results: Response rate obtained was 92.88%. Total respondents were 130. There was an increase in awareness by 76.92% after educational session. MCQ quiz in middle of teaching session was most commonly recommended form of formative assessment (66.92%). Teacher–student ratio was the most important factor for successful formative assessment. Most students (57.69%) believed that formative assessment should be done every month. Conclusion: Formative assessment is a useful tool for learning for undergraduate students from a student’s perspective. However, feasibility in terms of time and teachers remains the greatest limitation in its successful implementation.