Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41769795›Full record

Trial reportMedical education online2026

Integrating formative and summative feedback in online situational judgement tests: effects of feedback design on medical students' motivational and cognitive learning factors.

Sabine Reiser, Kristina Schick, Sylvia Irene Donata Pittroff, Laura Janssen, Pascal O Berberat, Martin Gartmeier, Johannes Bauer

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Medical education online, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

7 authors.

Sabine ReiserFaculty of Education, University of Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-2427-2348
Kristina SchickTUM Medical Education Center, Department Clinical Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-4819-4604
Sylvia Irene Donata PittroffTUM Medical Education Center, Department Clinical Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.ORCID 0009-0000-0391-4850
Laura JanssenTUM Medical Education Center, Department Clinical Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.ORCID 0009-0005-0362-6142
Pascal O BerberatTUM Medical Education Center, Department Clinical Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-5022-5265
Martin GartmeierTUM Medical Education Center, Department Clinical Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-5025-0003
Johannes BauerFaculty of Education, University of Erfurt, Erfurt, Germany.ORCID 0000-0001-6801-2540

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAssessment plays an important role in teaching and learning medical communication. Formative assessment is increasingly recognised as a crucial tool for improving learning outcomes and supporting competence development. In this study, we developed and evaluated different versions of automated formative and summative feedback in an online situational judgement test of basic medical communication competence.

methodsWe developed four versions of task-based (formative) feedback, differing in their enrichment strategies (i.e. reflection prompts or expert explanations) and the timing of the feedback (i.e. immediate feedback or post-test feedback), and one performance-based (summative) version featuring a test-score profile. In a randomised controlled trial with

resultsPlanned contrast analysis revealed that task-based feedback was not consistently more effective than performance-based feedback across all outcomes (

conclusionsThe results highlight the complexity of determining an optimal feedback approach, as different implementations can have differential effects on the motivational and cognitive factors that further shape learning processes. The findings suggest that an optimal feedback approach depends on specific learning outcomes and student characteristics, highlighting the importance of careful selection of feedback strategies tailored to specific educational goals and contexts.

Indexed as

CognitionEducational MeasurementFeedbackFormative FeedbackMotivationStudents, MedicalClinical CompetenceCommunicationFemaleHumansJudgmentLearningMaleYoung Adultformative and summative assessmentmedical communication competencemedical educationperformance-based feedbackSituational judgement testtask-based feedback

Identifiers

PMID41769795
PMCPMC12973788

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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.