Medical students' perception of assessment and its effects on their learning in Dubai: a convergent mixed methods study

Eman Khalaf¹Farah Ennab^2*Farah Otaki^3,4Shaista Salman Guraya²Fatemeh Amir-Rad^5,6Erum Khan⁷Ritu Lakhtakia⁸

• ¹Al Amal Psychiatric Hospital, Emirates Health Services, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• ²Institute of Learning (IoL), Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai Health, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• ³Strategy and Institutional Excellence (SIE), Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai Health, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• ⁴Department of Health Services Research, Care and Public Health Research Institute (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine, and Life Sciences (FHML), Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
• ⁵Hamdan Bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine (HBMCDM), Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai Health, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• ⁶School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, United Kingdom
• ⁷College of Medicine, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
• ⁸College of Medicine (CoM), Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), Dubai Health, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Background Enhanced learning is achieved when assessments are effectively designed in alignment with the learning objectives and supported by ongoing research in the field. Although it is universally acknowledged that assessments are essential in medical education, little is known about assessment policy and characteristics, and its influence on learning and teaching in medical schools in the Middle East and North Africa region. The purpose of this study is to investigate the perception of medical students of the assessment method implemented in a medical school in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Methods A convergent mixed methods study design was employed. Quantitative and qualitative data were independently collected and analyzed. Merging the findings from the two sources was done to raise the validity of the study’s findings. Results The percentage of the total average of agreement of the current assessment method efficacy, according to a tailormade survey protocol of 28 components, measured using a five-point Likert-type scale, was 62.24% [calculated by dividing the overall mean (i.e., 87.13) by 140 since it is the maximum possible value (i.e., five of the Likert-type scale multiplied by 28 components) and multiplying it by 100]. The inductive thematic analysis of the data, collected via focus group sessions, yielded a novel conceptual framework: ‘Medical Students’ Take on Assessment Method’, with two overarching themes: Development Process and Consequences. Within the Development Process theme, two categories emerged: Assessment plan and Student support. As for the Consequences theme, it included three other categories: Output, Outcomes, and Impact. Lastly, the following four meta-inferences emerged from integrating the quantitative with the qualitative analysis findings: Processual perspective, Learners’ reaction, Inclusiveness, and Ripple effects. Conclusion This study reinforced the importance of effectively assessing medical students’ competences while maximizing the learning value of the encapsulating assessment method. It showed that it is not about making choices around discrete aspects of assessment, but rather to consider an assessment method holistically as dynamic processes with several moving parts. Ideally, assessment methods should be designed, implemented, and maintained in ways that would maximize their learning value, taking into account the corresponding context and learners’ perception.