The assessment clock: A model to prioritize the principles of the utility of assessment formula in emergency situations, such as the COVID-19 pandemic

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. Many concerns have been raised regarding the impact of the changes to medical education as a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, particularly the impact of these changes on student assessments. This paper suggests an assessment clock as a conceptual model to enable medical educators to decide which assessment method is suitable under challenging circumstances, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The assessment clock has five numbers, representing the five principles of the utility of assessment formula, which are arranged from the principle with the lowest weight (cost = 1) to the principle with the highest weight (validity = 5). The numbers are repeated in each half of the clock, and the clock is placed in the middle of two overlapping axes. The vertical axis is related to exam stakes (high or low). The low stakes condition, which represents the normal situation of running assessments at the beginning of each academic year, is placed at the top of the clock. The horizontal axis is related to the type of situation (normal or crisis). The high stakes condition is placed at the bottom of the clock. The right half of the clock represents the normal situation of planning and conducting assessments, while the left half represents an emergency situation, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. The assessment clock offers assessment planners insights into how to determine the most important assessment principles on which they should focus during a crisis situation. Moreover, it provides practical guidance for educators to help them decide which assessment tool is suitable for use in which situation.