Importance of online self-assisted assessments for medical students in knowledge acquisition

BACKGROUND: Assessment is an important aspect of teaching and learning in medical education. Regular early assessments create scope for improvement in students, and this digital era technology should be utilized for ease of administration. E-assessment involves the usage of technology to create, deliver, collect, and provide feedback to the students. The present study aims to understand the importance of online assessment and the preference of students with difficulties faced and the methods of improvement. METHODS AND MATERIALS: This study was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among fifty-six undergraduate medical students, where forty-five objective structured practical questions (OSPEs) were administered to the students in anatomy. After the assessment, feedback was collected in the form of a fifteen-item questionnaire. The responses were graded using a five-point Likert scale and represented in the graphs using Microsoft Excel software. RESULTS: The feedback collected has the following responses. The prosected specimen pictures used in the exam, with pointers and markers, were clear and oriented for which 77% agreed, the pointers and markers were clear and easy to identify for which 79% agreed, and 66% preferred the traditional method of assessment over the online mode of assessment and 48% were neutral on the question of whether E-assessment improves knowledge and skills. Most of the students preferred the traditional method of assessment over the online method of assessment. CONCLUSIONS: Traditional methods of teaching or assessment cannot be replaced by online methods, but technology can be utilized as an addition to regular mode to improve the outcome. Regular early formative assessments help teachers to understand areas of deficiency and help students in improvement. E-assessment can be adapted for formative assessment and regular practice because of their ease of administering and providing feedback simultaneously.