Abstract:
Background: Assessment is the systematic collection, review, and use of information about educational programs undertaken to improve teaching and
learning. It ensures quality in training programmes, motivates, and directs
students’ learning. Assessment is also used for verification of achievement of
objectives of training, feedback to students, licencing, certification, and screening of students for advanced training. It is guided by several principles, including the aims of the assessment (why assess), who to assess, timing (when
to assess), what to assess, methods (how to assess), and the criteria for deter mining the usefulness of the assessment. Objective: To describe the assessment methods used during clinical years of the undergraduate programme at
Moi University School of Medicine (MUSOM) and determine the student’s
perspectives concerning the comprehensiveness, relevance, objectivity of various assessment methods and challenges faced. Methodology: The study was
carried out at MUSOM and a cross-sectional study design was employed. Ten
study participants were studied using convenience sampling. Data were collected using an interview guide and was analyzed using content analysis. An
informed consent was obtained from the study participants. Results: The
methods used during clinical years at MUSOM for assessing knowledge and
its applications include multiple-choice questions (MCQ), short answer questions (SAQ), modified essay questions (MEQ), long essay questions (LEQ),
and oral exam. Whereas the methods for assessing clinical competence include long case, short cases, objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE),
and logbook. Students felt that MCQs were comprehensive, objective, and relevant to the curriculum content. They reported that feedback was not provided after assessments. Conclusion: The assessment methods used at MUSOM
during clinical years include MCQ, SAQ, MEQ, LEQ, Short cases, long cases,
and OSCE. Students reported varied perceptions of the different assessment
methods but favored MCQ and OSCE over other formats for assessing know ledge and clinical skills respectively.
