Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34930231›Full record

ArticleBMC medical education2021

Remote versus on-site proctored exam: comparing student results in a cross-sectional study.

Vasiliki Andreou, Sanne Peters, Jan Eggermont, Johan Wens, Birgitte Schoenmakers

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC medical education, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Vasiliki AndreouDepartment of Public Health and Primacy Care, KU Leuven, Academic Center for General Practice, Kapucijnenvoer 7 -Box 7001, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. vasiliki.andreou@kuleuven.be.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6679-0514
Sanne PetersDepartment of Public Health and Primacy Care, KU Leuven, Academic Center for General Practice, Kapucijnenvoer 7 -Box 7001, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6235-1752
Jan EggermontDepartment of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8497-1159
Johan WensCenter for General Practice/Family Medicine, Department of Primary and Interdisciplinary Care, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium.
Birgitte SchoenmakersDepartment of Public Health and Primacy Care, KU Leuven, Academic Center for General Practice, Kapucijnenvoer 7 -Box 7001, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1909-9613

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected assessment practices in medical education necessitating distancing from the traditional classroom. However, safeguarding academic integrity is of particular importance for high-stakes medical exams. We utilised remote proctoring to administer safely and reliably a proficiency-test for admission to the Advanced Master of General Practice (AMGP). We compared exam results of the remote proctored exam group to those of the on-site proctored exam group.

methodsA cross-sectional design was adopted with candidates applying for admission to the AMGP. We developed and applied a proctoring software operating on three levels to register suspicious events: recording actions, analysing behaviour, and live supervision. We performed a Mann-Whitney U test to compare exam results from the remote proctored to the on-site proctored group. To get more insight into candidates' perceptions about proctoring, a post-test questionnaire was administered. An exploratory factor analysis was performed to explore quantitative data, while qualitative data were thematically analysed.

resultsIn total, 472 (79%) candidates took the proficiency-test using the proctoring software, while 121 (20%) were on-site with live supervision. The results indicated that the proctoring type does not influence exam results. Out of 472 candidates, 304 filled in the post-test questionnaire. Two factors were extracted from the analysis and identified as candidates' appreciation of proctoring and as emotional distress because of proctoring. Four themes were identified in the thematic analysis providing more insight on candidates' emotional well-being.

conclusionsA comparison of exam results revealed that remote proctoring could be a viable solution for administering high-stakes medical exams. With regards to candidates' educational experience, remote proctoring was met with mixed feelings. Potential privacy issues and increased test anxiety should be taken into consideration when choosing a proctoring protocol. Future research should explore generalizability of these results utilising other proctoring systems in medical education and in other educational settings.

Indexed as

COVID-19PandemicsCross-Sectional StudiesHumansSARS-CoV-2StudentsGeneral practiceMedical educationOnline assessmentRemote proctoringSummative evaluation

Identifiers

PMID34930231
PMCPMC8686350

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.