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Context Small-group learning is advocated for enhancing higher-order thinking and the development of skills and attitudes. Teacher performance, group interaction and the quality of assignments have been shown to affect small-group learning in hybrid and problem-based curricula. Objectives This study aimed to examine the perceptions of student groups as to how teacher performance, group interaction and the quality of assignments are related to one another and to learning effects in seminars of 15–30 students in a hybrid curriculum. Methods We constructed a 28-item questionnaire and administered it to 639 students attending 32 seminars in Years 1–4 of an undergraduate veterinary curriculum. We performed factor analysis and reliability analysis of the questionnaire. We used correlation and regression analyses to explore the interactions of the four-factor model, with teacher performance, group interaction and quality of assignments as independent variables and the perceived learning effect of the seminars as the dependent variable. Results The response rate was 99%. Teacher performance (β = 0.78) and group interaction (− 0.28) significantly influenced the perceived learning effect. The total effect of the quality of assignments (through effects on teacher performance and group interaction) was 0.47. Discussion The strong relationship between teacher performance and learning effect suggests that students rely strongly on their teachers. The negative effect of group interaction may reflect poor alignment of teaching and assessment and poor organisation of group processes. This should be further examined. Comparative studies on seminars are also recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context One goal of undergraduate assessment is to test students’ (future) performance. In the area of skills testing, the objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) has been of great value as a tool with which to test a number of skills in a limited time, with bias reduction and improved reliability. But can OSCEs measure undergraduate internship expertise in basic clinical skills? Methods Undergraduate students ( n = 32) were given a questionnaire listing 182 basic clinical skills. We asked them to score the number of times they had performed each skill during their internships (a 12-month period in Year 6). We assessed the students at the end of Year 5 (before the start of their internships) and again at the start of Year 7 (undergraduate training takes 7 years in Belgium, with internships during Year 6), using a 14-station OSCE assessing basic clinical skills. Global ratings were used to score performance. The relationship between internship experience and the OSCE Year 7 score was analysed using a linear regression model, controlling for variation in OSCE scores from Year 5. A multi-level analysis was performed considering students as level-1 units and stations as level-2 units. Results Year 7 OSCE scores (post-internships) were not affected by the number of times that students practised basic medical skills during their internships. Discussion Scores on OSCEs do not seem to reflect clinical expertise acquired during internships. Other more integrated assessment methods may prove to be more valid for testing final undergraduate skills levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To test hypotheses regarding the longitudinal effects of problem-based learning (PBL) and conventional learning relating to students’ appreciation of the curriculum, self-assessment of general competencies, summative assessment of clinical competence and indicators of career development. Methods The study group included 2 complete cohorts of graduates who were admitted to the medical curriculum in 1992 (conventional curriculum, n = 175) and 1993 (PBL curriculum, n = 169) at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Groningen, the Netherlands. Data were obtained from student records, graduates’ self-ratings and a literature search. Gender and secondary school grade point average (GPA) scores were included as moderator variables. Data were analysed by a stepwise multiple and logistic regression analysis. Results Graduates of the PBL curriculum scored higher on self-rated competencies. Contrary to expectations, graduates of the PBL curriculum did not show more appreciation of their curriculum than graduates of the conventional curriculum and no differences were found on clinical competence. Graduates of the conventional curriculum needed less time to find a postgraduate training place. No differences were found for scientific activities such as reading scientific articles and publishing in peer- reviewed journals. Women performed better on clinical competence than did men. Grade point average did not affect any of the variables. Conclusions The results suggest that PBL affects self-rated competencies. These outcomes confirm earlier findings. However, clinical competence measures did not support this finding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To determine whether items of progress tests used for inter-curriculum comparison favour students from the medical school where the items were produced (i.e. whether the origin bias of test items is a potential confounder in comparisons between curricula). Methods We investigated scores of students from different schools on subtests consisting of progress test items constructed by authors from the different schools. In a cross-institutional collaboration between 3 medical schools, progress tests are jointly constructed and simultaneously administered to all students at the 3 schools. Test score data for 6 consecutive progress tests were investigated. Participants consisted of approximately 5000 undergraduate medical students from 3 medical schools. The main outcome measure was the difference between the scores on subtests of items constructed by authors from 2 of the collaborating schools (subtest difference score). Results The subtest difference scores showed that students obtained better results on items produced at their own schools. This effect was more pronounced in Years 2–5 of the curriculum than in Year 1, and diminished in Year 6. Conclusions Progress test items were subject to origin bias. As a consequence, all participating schools should contribute equal numbers of test items if tests are to be used for valid and fair inter-curriculum comparisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]