Structured oral examination in pharmacology for undergraduate medical students: Factors influencing its implementation

Abstract

Objectives:The study aims to understand the process and factors influencing the implementation of structured oral examination (SOE) for undergraduate medical students; in comparison with conventional oral examination (COE) in pharmacology.Methods:In a randomized, parallel group study, 123 students of pharmacology were divided into two groups, SOE (n = 63) and COE (n = 60). Students of each group were subdivided into two, and four examiners took viva voce individually. Three sets of questionnaires from autonomic nervous system were prepared, each having 15 items with increasing difficulty levels and were validated by subject experts and pretested. Ten minutes were allotted for each student for each viva. Feedback of students and faculty about the novel method was obtained.Results:SOE yielded significantly lower marks as compared to COE. There were significant inter-examiner variations in marks awarded in SOE and COE. Other factors influencing implementation were difficulty in structuring viva, rigid time limits, lack of flexibility in knowledge content, monotony, and fatigue. The students perceived this format not different from COE but felt that it required in-depth preparation of topic. Faculty opined that SOE led to less drift from main topic and provided uniform coverage of topics in given time.Conclusion:Conducting SOE is a resource-intensive exercise. Despite structuring, inter-examiner variability was not completely eliminated. The students’ performance was depended on factors related to examiners such as teaching experience, vernacular language used, and lack of training. Orientation and training of examiners in assessment strategies is necessary. Standardization of questionnaire is necessary before the implementation of SOE for summative assessment.

A study on the feedback of the second professional MBBS students of Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, Manipur, India on the teaching - learning methodologies in pharmacology

“…Inclusion of MCQ in the teaching learning will help the student in PG entrance examination as a part of written test was suggested by the students. 10 As the students expressed the standard textbook as their important learning material in place of the lecture and class notes, teachers shall prepare lecture and class note exclusively to the points of examination and understanding.…”

Status of Research in Education in Pharmacology:The Indian Scene during the last Five Years

“…Oral examinations are an integral part of pharmacology assessment. In this context various factors influencing the implementation of Structured Oral Examinations (SOE) in Pharmacology has been discussed (Khilnani et al, 2015). In a randomized, parallel group, 2-arm study viz: SOE (n = 63) and Conventional Oral Examination (COE) (n = 60).…”

A comparative evaluation of structured and unstructured forms of viva voce for internal assessment of undergraduate students in Pharmacology

“…2 Viva voce is an important format of assessment that allows probing of breadth and depth of the knowledge. 3 Joughin defined the viva examination as "assessment in which a student's response to the assessment task is verbal, in the sense of being expressed or conveyed by speech instead of writing." 4 Recent studies have shown that in its traditional mode it is riddled with flaws and might not be appropriate for the assessment of student's interactive skills and higher cognitive functions.…”

“…[6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Obviously, to utilize this mode of evaluation more effectively, it requires reorientation and careful construction of questions to test higher cognitive domains. 3,13 In order to overcome, the biases in the conventional format of assessment, structured oral and practical examination has been formatted by various workers. 3,8,14 Nevertheless, this modified format of oral assessment may provide an equal opportunity to judge the knowledge and problem-solving ability of every student appearing in the exams, and therefore, may prove to be more reliable in terms of minimizing the bias and reducing the luck factor.…”

“…3,13 In order to overcome, the biases in the conventional format of assessment, structured oral and practical examination has been formatted by various workers. 3,8,14 Nevertheless, this modified format of oral assessment may provide an equal opportunity to judge the knowledge and problem-solving ability of every student appearing in the exams, and therefore, may prove to be more reliable in terms of minimizing the bias and reducing the luck factor. 15 This study was designed to identify value of structured viva as an assessment tool and to ascertain its correlation with unstructured viva voce.…”