Evaluation of the Assessment Plan for Undergraduate Clerkship in Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Abdulaziz University

Background The standards set by accreditation bodies for student assessment during higher education, such as those of the National Commission for Academic Accreditation & Assessment (NCAAA), are necessary in formulating educational programs. These serve as a benchmark for how colleges or univers...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ahmad M.S. Almrstani, Abdullah Alnoman, Hassan Abduljabbar, Hesham Sait, Mohammed Bazarah, Basem Eldeek
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SAGE Publishing 2014-01-01
Series:Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.4137/JMECD.S18463
id doaj-ce65c0e18a524be286a154e271784af5
record_format Article
spelling doaj-ce65c0e18a524be286a154e271784af52020-11-25T01:20:36ZengSAGE PublishingJournal of Medical Education and Curricular Development2382-12052014-01-01110.4137/JMECD.S18463Evaluation of the Assessment Plan for Undergraduate Clerkship in Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Abdulaziz UniversityAhmad M.S. Almrstani0Abdullah Alnoman1Hassan Abduljabbar2Hesham Sait3Mohammed Bazarah4Basem Eldeek5Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Gynaecology and Obstetrics Department, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Community Medicine, Medical Education Department, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.Background The standards set by accreditation bodies for student assessment during higher education, such as those of the National Commission for Academic Accreditation & Assessment (NCAAA), are necessary in formulating educational programs. These serve as a benchmark for how colleges or universities are assessed and reflect students' learning. Following the implementation of these guidelines, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, within the Faculty of Medicine in King Abdulaziz University (KAU), established assessment strategies appropriate to their curriculum, which were valid and reliable, thus enabling students to be fairly assessed throughout their undergraduate course. Since KAU is currently preparing for accreditation by the NCAAA, this study was a necessary undertaking to ensure that the assessment strategies designed by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology are aligned and conform to the NCAAA student assessment guidelines, thereby outlining the standard of expected performance and learning outcomes for students. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the assessment plan of the obstetrics and gynecology clerkship for undergraduate medical students within the Faculty of Medicine, KAU, in comparison to the standard criteria for student assessment as implemented by the NCAAA. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted, which employed two questionnaires containing questions based on the NCAAA guidelines. The surveys were distributed among the teaching staff and students rotating for 12 weeks within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, KAU, from September to November 2013. In total, 100/116 (86.2%) students and 26/36 (81.25%) teaching staff participated in the study. Results Two sets of results were obtained regarding the student assessment practices in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, KAU, one from fifth-year medical students and the second from the teaching staff. The results showed that the majority of student respondents agreed that the department conformed to the guidelines and standards as set out by the NCAAA. However, the statistics gathered from the teaching staff participants implied that although the department is adhering to the standards, further improvements are still required in terms of the implementation and design of assessment strategies. Conclusions Adherence to the NCAAA student assessment guidelines and its strict implementation are vital to achieving effective learning outcomes among obstetrics and gynecology students. Faculty staff need be appropriately trained in the field of exam preparation and assessment. Further improvements to the existing student assessment strategies used by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, KAU, are recommended.https://doi.org/10.4137/JMECD.S18463
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Ahmad M.S. Almrstani
Abdullah Alnoman
Hassan Abduljabbar
Hesham Sait
Mohammed Bazarah
Basem Eldeek
spellingShingle Ahmad M.S. Almrstani
Abdullah Alnoman
Hassan Abduljabbar
Hesham Sait
Mohammed Bazarah
Basem Eldeek
Evaluation of the Assessment Plan for Undergraduate Clerkship in Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Abdulaziz University
Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development
author_facet Ahmad M.S. Almrstani
Abdullah Alnoman
Hassan Abduljabbar
Hesham Sait
Mohammed Bazarah
Basem Eldeek
author_sort Ahmad M.S. Almrstani
title Evaluation of the Assessment Plan for Undergraduate Clerkship in Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Abdulaziz University
title_short Evaluation of the Assessment Plan for Undergraduate Clerkship in Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Abdulaziz University
title_full Evaluation of the Assessment Plan for Undergraduate Clerkship in Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Abdulaziz University
title_fullStr Evaluation of the Assessment Plan for Undergraduate Clerkship in Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Abdulaziz University
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of the Assessment Plan for Undergraduate Clerkship in Obstetrics and Gynecology, King Abdulaziz University
title_sort evaluation of the assessment plan for undergraduate clerkship in obstetrics and gynecology, king abdulaziz university
publisher SAGE Publishing
series Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development
issn 2382-1205
publishDate 2014-01-01
description Background The standards set by accreditation bodies for student assessment during higher education, such as those of the National Commission for Academic Accreditation & Assessment (NCAAA), are necessary in formulating educational programs. These serve as a benchmark for how colleges or universities are assessed and reflect students' learning. Following the implementation of these guidelines, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, within the Faculty of Medicine in King Abdulaziz University (KAU), established assessment strategies appropriate to their curriculum, which were valid and reliable, thus enabling students to be fairly assessed throughout their undergraduate course. Since KAU is currently preparing for accreditation by the NCAAA, this study was a necessary undertaking to ensure that the assessment strategies designed by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology are aligned and conform to the NCAAA student assessment guidelines, thereby outlining the standard of expected performance and learning outcomes for students. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the assessment plan of the obstetrics and gynecology clerkship for undergraduate medical students within the Faculty of Medicine, KAU, in comparison to the standard criteria for student assessment as implemented by the NCAAA. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted, which employed two questionnaires containing questions based on the NCAAA guidelines. The surveys were distributed among the teaching staff and students rotating for 12 weeks within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, KAU, from September to November 2013. In total, 100/116 (86.2%) students and 26/36 (81.25%) teaching staff participated in the study. Results Two sets of results were obtained regarding the student assessment practices in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, KAU, one from fifth-year medical students and the second from the teaching staff. The results showed that the majority of student respondents agreed that the department conformed to the guidelines and standards as set out by the NCAAA. However, the statistics gathered from the teaching staff participants implied that although the department is adhering to the standards, further improvements are still required in terms of the implementation and design of assessment strategies. Conclusions Adherence to the NCAAA student assessment guidelines and its strict implementation are vital to achieving effective learning outcomes among obstetrics and gynecology students. Faculty staff need be appropriately trained in the field of exam preparation and assessment. Further improvements to the existing student assessment strategies used by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, KAU, are recommended.
url https://doi.org/10.4137/JMECD.S18463
work_keys_str_mv AT ahmadmsalmrstani evaluationoftheassessmentplanforundergraduateclerkshipinobstetricsandgynecologykingabdulazizuniversity
AT abdullahalnoman evaluationoftheassessmentplanforundergraduateclerkshipinobstetricsandgynecologykingabdulazizuniversity
AT hassanabduljabbar evaluationoftheassessmentplanforundergraduateclerkshipinobstetricsandgynecologykingabdulazizuniversity
AT heshamsait evaluationoftheassessmentplanforundergraduateclerkshipinobstetricsandgynecologykingabdulazizuniversity
AT mohammedbazarah evaluationoftheassessmentplanforundergraduateclerkshipinobstetricsandgynecologykingabdulazizuniversity
AT basemeldeek evaluationoftheassessmentplanforundergraduateclerkshipinobstetricsandgynecologykingabdulazizuniversity
_version_ 1725133306600620032