Should Pass/Fail Grading Be Used Instead of Traditional Letter Grades in Dental Education? Two Viewpoints

Jham, Bruno Correia; Cannella, D; Adibi, Shawn S.; Kim, Austin; Allareddy, Veerajalandhar; Petrie, Cynthia S.

doi:10.21815/jde.018.131

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Students subjected to pass/ fail grades has been showed to produces similar academical results as students assessed with five-step grading scales. Other research supports arguments that multiplestep scales offers the opportunity to measure students' academic performance and hence guide the students towards improved performances, which is the intended effect of formative assessment [24].…”

Section: Formative Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 65%

Digital feedback during clinical education in the emergency medical services: a qualitative study

et al. 2023

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Background Clinical education is essential for students’ progress towards becoming registered nurses (RN) in Sweden. Assessment of caring skills in the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) is complex due to the ever-changing scenarios and the fact that multiple supervisors are involved in the student’s education. Currently, assessments of student’s skills are summative and occur twice during the six weeks of clinical education. A digitalized assessment tool (DAT) with an adaptation for formative assessment is a new approach to assessment of nursing skills in the EMS. Since new technologies and changes in procedures are likely to affect both students and supervisors, our aim in this study is to describe students’ and clinical supervisors’ experience of formative assessments using DAT in the EMS. Method This study is qualitative, using semi-structured group interviews (N = 2) with students and semi-structured individual telephone interviews (N = 13) with supervisors. The data was analysed according to Graneheim and Landman’s method for content analysis. This analysis generated 221 codes organized into 10 categories within which three themes were identified. The students in this study were nursing students in their last semester and all supervisors were experienced RNs. Results The results showed that students and supervisors had mainly positive views of the DAT and the formative assessment stating that the information they provided while using the DAT offered opportunities for reflection. The DAT supported the students’ learning by visualizing strengths and areas of improvement, as well as displaying progress using a Likert scale. The application improved communication, but additional features linking the assessment tool with the university were requested. The application contributed to transparency in the assessments and was seen as preferable to the traditional ‘pen and paper’ method. Conclusion A digital system was described in a positive manner, and the assessment using the DAT facilitated reflection and formative assessment. The use of a Likert scale was considered positive in order to demonstrate progression which with advantage could be demonstrated visually.

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Section: Formative Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 65%

Digital feedback during clinical education in the emergency medical services: a qualitative study

et al. 2023

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“…In other words, a two-bin system. Common concerns regarding the pass-fail system are very wide bins that are unable to re ect individual competence levels, although all empty bins are avoided [44,45]. Assuming the competence of medical students resemble a normal distribution, a pass-fail system with a "high bar", de ned by stringent criteria and threshold, might be the hypothetical ideal grading system, as compared to a letter-based or 100-point system (Fig.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparison of 100-Point Numeric Grading System and Letter-Based Grading System in Medical Clerkship Assessment: A Single-Centre Study

Wu,

Lin,

Lin

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Background: Assessing medical students’ performance during clerkship remains a significant challenge due to the lack of commonly accepted standards. The purpose of this study is to provide a comparative analyse of the validity and reliability of a 100-point numeric grading system and a simplified letter-based grading system in clerkship assessment. Methods: A total of 176 medical students were enrolled in this study. Among them, 80 students (enrolment years 2015–2017) were assessed using the 100-point system, while 96 students (enrolment years 2018–2020) were assessed using the letter-based system. Grade Point Averages were computed from the scores of each core clerkship program rotations for comparison. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's α, and the Pearson’s correlation test was used to assess the correlation between pre- and post-clerkship academic scores. Results: The distribution of grades between the two grading systems differed significantly. The 100-point numeric grading is much more skewed, showed very high internal reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.886) but poor external validity (Pearson’s test, p > 0.05). The letter-based grading system demonstrated acceptable internal reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.553) and good external validity (Pearson’s test, p < 0.001), Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the letter-based grading system was more effective for assessing medical students' performance during clerkship than the conventional 100-point numeric grading system.

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“…However, in some institutions, healthcare degrees are not "classified" in this way, enabling alternative assessment strategies such as a focus on Pass/Fail (P/F) rather than tiered grading. There is evidence from medical education that moving to a P/F system improves student wellbeing, without adversely affecting academic performance (Jham et al, 2018, Spring et al, 2011, Wasson et al, 2016. Emphasis on P/F rather than grading can reduce competition between students and promote intrinsic motivation to learn.…”

Section: Grading Systems or Pass/failmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Guide to Assessment in Veterinary Medical Education: 3rd Edition

Baillie¹,

Rhind²,

Warman³

2022

Preprint

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This is the 3rd edition of ‘A Guide to Assessment in Veterinary Medical Education’. The current edition continues the aims of the original version and uses a similar format as well as embracing the increased interest in assessment within the veterinary education community and the many relevant developments in medical and veterinary education in the interim. The guide begins with an overview of the principles of assessment, challenges and terminology including reference to Miller’s pyramid and Bloom’s taxonomy. The next section ‘Assessment Methods’ contains short summaries of a range of methods commonly used in veterinary and medical assessment. As in the previous editions (2008, 2014), the subsections ‘ascend’ Miller’s pyramid from ‘Knows’ and ‘Knows How’ to ‘Shows’ and finally ‘Does’. The final section ‘Additional Key concepts and Recent Developments’ has been expanded and provides an overview of key concepts in addition to new sections reflecting the research and developments in assessment since the last edition was published.

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Should Pass/Fail Grading Be Used Instead of Traditional Letter Grades in Dental Education? Two Viewpoints

Cited by 8 publications

References 41 publications

Digital feedback during clinical education in the emergency medical services: a qualitative study

Digital feedback during clinical education in the emergency medical services: a qualitative study

A Comparison of 100-Point Numeric Grading System and Letter-Based Grading System in Medical Clerkship Assessment: A Single-Centre Study

A Guide to Assessment in Veterinary Medical Education: 3rd Edition

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