Health Sciences and Practice &
Medicine Dentistry and Veterinary Medicine
Higher Education Academy Subject Centres
eLearning in Health 2011 conference
collaboration, sharing and sustainability in the current
environment
Electronic Assessment in Dental
Radiology - Past, Present & Future
Presenters
• Donald Thomson
– School of Dentistry, University of Dundee
(www.dundee.ac.uk/dentalschool)
– Email: donaldjthomson@nhs.net
• John Kleeman
– Questionmark (www.questionmark.com)
– Twitter : @johnkleeman
– Email: john@questionmark.com
• David Walker
– Library and Learning Centre, University of Dundee
(www.dundee.ac.uk/library)
– Twitter : @drdjwalker
– Email: D.J.Walker@dundee.ac.uk
Dental and Maxillofacial
Radiology
• Dental Specialty
• Specialise in
radiology of teeth,
jaws and adjacent
structures
Dental Radiology in the UK : 11 million / year
Radiology in Dental Curriculum
• 3rd year BDS
• Radiation physics, radiation
protection, radiography,
radiological anatomy
• Examination – must be
passed
Previous exam format
• Written paper of 2
hours duration
• Mixture of T/F and
short answer style
questions
Concerns with paper exams
• Lack of consistency in marking
• Feedback from candidates
• Inability to include actual radiographs
• The task of marking
October 2006
• Attended a study day organised by the University of
Dundee focused on Education
• Presentation by Dr David Walker on e-learning and
assessment
• Started a discussion about piloting online version of
examination
Disadvantages of
electronic format
• Considerable amount of
work to set up
• No “free text”
• Some questions are
difficult to transfer to this
format
Colleague concerns
• Is it easier? – “answer in front of candidate”
• Exam shorter (1 hour on computer; 2 hours on paper)
• Is understanding being assessed?
Radiological anatomy and quality
assessments – can use real images not line
diagrams
Drag and Drop not previously possible
This is a periapical radiograph of
maxillary molars and premolars.
From the selection of words
below, drag and drop the correct
label to identify the radiographic
feature:
Enamel
Caries
Dentine
Zygoma
Pulp
Nasal cavity
Maxillary sinus
Calculus
Drawing questions more difficult to adapt
Ways around
inability to draw
In this question, the blue
line represents dental
radiographic film and the
yellow lines the incident
X-ray beam.
Select the diagram which
demonstrates the
relationship of the tooth,
beam and film for
bisecting angle periapical
radiograph.
What’s happening now?
• First exam was in February 2009
• Examination + resit every year (100 students / year)
• Continuous evolution – try and write some new
questions for each semester
• Used elsewhere
– University of the Highlands and Islands
– University of Aberdeen
Advantages of computer exams
• Speed of results & reduced time to mark
• Giving feedback easier
• Students happier (via interviewing students)
• Colleagues happy
POSSIBLE FUTURE USE OF
OBSERVATIONAL ASSESSMENTS
Observational assessment vs. ‘traditional’
quiz, test or exam
Traditional assessment
• Participant presented with
questions for direct response
Observational assessment
• Observer presented with questions
to ‘rate’ participant according to
pre-determined criteria
Typical workflow for “observer”
Monitor/observer logs in
Selects assessment
Selects participant to be observed
Answers/submits responses to questions
Results/feedback reported to
stakeholders
Observational assessments
• Benefits of doing on-screen vs paper
–
–
–
–
–
Saves time and money as no need to scan/transcribe
Results online instantly
Computer manages workflow
Participant gets feedback online
No illegible handwriting!
Can we computerize dental OSCEs?
• Existing paperbased OSCE
form at
Dundee Dental
School
Mobile devices
• Inexpensive, very portable Internet-connected
mobile devices are often ideal for delivering
online observational assessments
The same assessment
that is delivered on
traditional laptop can
be delivered via a
handheld mobile
device such as iPad,
iPhone or Android
phone/tablet
Your questions