Advances in Medical Education and Practice (Dec 2021)
Consensus Meeting Report “Technology Enhanced Assessment” in Covid-19 Time, MENA Regional Experiences and Reflections
Abstract
Nagwa N Hegazy,1 Noha M Elrafie,2 Nermine Saleh3 ,† Ilham Youssry,4 Samar A Ahmed,2,5 Mostafa Yosef,6 Marwa M Ahmed,7 Nagwan I Rashwan,8 Hany W Abdel Malak,5,9 Samia A Girgis,10 Gehane M Hamed,3 Howeida Hassan Abusalih11 1Family Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Shebin Elkom, Egypt; 2Forensic Medicine and Toxicology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; 3Physiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; 4Pediatrics Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; 5Faculty of Medicine, Delta University for science and technology, Dakahlia, Mansoura, Egypt; 6Community Environmental and Occupational Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; 7Family Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt; 8Pediatrics Department, Qena Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena, Egypt; 9Anatomy & Embryology Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; 10Clinical Pathology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt; 11College of Health and rehabilitation Sciences, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia†Nermine Saleh passed away on April 26, 2021Correspondence: Nagwa N Hegazy Email [email protected]: Majority of the assessments, appraisals and placements have been disturbed, with some being cancelled, postponed, or modified in design. New approaches for assessment should be well-thought-out. This work attempts at capturing the collective wisdom of educators in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA), providing an understanding of the online assessment conceptual framework in the era of COVID-19 that tells the story rather than determining cause and effect, and identifying the biggest gaps that derail the digital transformation.Methods: A qualitative inductive study using the grounded theory approach was implemented following a synchronous virtual online meeting, a summary of the reflections as well as experiences of medical education experts was prepared. Data for this qualitative study were collected from the meeting. The meeting was video-recorded and transcribed by the researchers. Thematic analysis was performed by three separate researcher coders. The authors then discussed together until they reached a consensus.Results: Three main thematic areas were identified: 1) feasibility, 2) exam fairness/equity and 3) acceptable graduate attributes, society/community acceptance.Conclusion: The COVID-19 era necessitated revisiting of our assessment strategies to cope with new changes within the available context. Rapid adaptation is required.Keywords: process assessment, educational technology, enhanced assessment, OSCE
