Dental student perceptions of the educational value of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary OSCE.
The aim of this study was to examine student perceptions of the educational value of a comprehensive, multidisciplinary objective structured clinical examination (OSCE). The examination is administered after the second year of the curriculum, prior to the beginning of clinical training at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. The quantitative component of the study consisted of a survey administered to students who had taken the OSCE (N=78). Due to the ordinal level of data produced by the Likert-scale survey, statistical analysis was performed through calculation of the median and interquartile range (IQR). Overall, student perceptions of the educational value of the OSCE, as measured using a five-point scale (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree) were positive, demonstrating students' agreement that the exam required the ability to think critically and problem-solve (median=4, IQR=1), assessed clinically relevant skills (median=5, IQR=1), and was a learning experience (median=5, IQR=1). A statistically significant chi-square value (p<0.001) was found for all questions. The qualitative component consisted of phenomenological examination of student focus group interviews (N=15). Four main themes were identified including that the OSCE was an authentic assessment that required integration and application of knowledge.
['Graham|Roseanna|R|', 'Zubiaurre Bitzer|Laureen A|LA|', 'Mensah|Felicia Moore|FM|', 'Anderson|O Roger|OR|']
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel D002983:Clinical Competence D032882:Comprehension D004497:Education, Dental D004521:Educational Measurement D005246:Feedback D005260:Female D017144:Focus Groups D006801:Humans D007407:Interviews as Topic D007858:Learning D008297:Male D009518:New York D011340:Problem Solving D013335:Students, Dental D013663:Teaching D013850:Thinking
OSCE objective structured clinical examination assessment dental education