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In the UK there has been a resistance to using multiple-choice questionnaire (MCQ) assessments to assess undergraduate students. This resistance is based on traditional legal pedagogy and the needs of the legal profession. However, the use of MCQ-style assessments by the Solicitors Regulation Authority and other shifts in legal education make it necessary to reflect on the role that MCQs could play in assessing law students. This article seeks to contribute to this discussion by providing a pedagogical analysis of the assessment strategy of the "Public Law I – Sources of Power" module at the University of Dundee. First, the article sets out Bloom's Revised Taxonomy and its applicability to legal education. The article then applies this taxonomy to identify the complexity of the module's learning outcomes and its assessments, as well as considering the extent to which they align with each other. The article finds that while MCQs cannot contribute to all of a module's learning outcomes, they do provide some pedagogical value in assessing law students, particularly when implemented in parallel with other assessment methods. The article concludes by reflecting on the broader position of MCQs and their role in assessing undergraduate students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Direct ophthalmoscopy can reveal systemic, neurologic and ophthalmic conditions, but is poorly mastered among young physicians. A theoretical test is needed to measure effect of educational interventions. We developed and gathered validity evidence for a multiple‐choice questionnaire (MCQ)‐based theoretical test in direct ophthalmoscopy. Methods: The MCQ was developed by interviewing experts. Then, validity evidence was evaluated using Messick's validity framework. Content was ensured by inviting the experts to contribute in a Delphi‐like process. Response process was ensured by piloting and by streamlining all instructions. Then, the test was taken by ophthalmologists and by medical students without experience in direct ophthalmoscopy. Results were used to evaluate internal structure (item quality analysis and internal consistency), relations to other variables (correlation of test scores to experience level) and consequences (establishment of pass–fail score and the consequences of its use). Results: The first phase of the study yielded 100 MCQs. In second phase, we identified that 60 items fulfilled predefined relevance and item quality requirements. These items demonstrated very high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.95), significantly discriminated medical students from specialists (p < 0.001, independent samples t‐test) and the established pass–fail score of 50 (83%) correct answers resulted in no false positives (students passing) and no false negatives (specialists failing). A Decision study identified that sampling 15 items suffice for certification. Conclusion: We developed and validated an MCQ‐based theoretical test in direct ophthalmoscopy that enables an evidence‐based approach to measuring, evaluating and certifying the theoretical knowledge necessary for direct ophthalmoscopy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty-eight undergraduate students in a health sciences program volunteered for an exercise in the history of examinations. They had completed a second-year course in anatomy and physiology in which they studied modern texts and took standard contemporary exams. For this historical “experiment,” students studied selected chapters from two 19th century physiology texts (by Foster M. A Textbook of Physiology, 1895; and Broussais FJV. A Treatise on Physiology Applied to Pathology, 1828). They then took a 1-h-long exam in which they answered two essay-type questions set by Thomas Henry Huxley for second-year medical students at the University of London in 1853 and 1857. These were selected from a question bank provided by Dr. P. Mazumdar (University of Toronto). A questionnaire probed their contrasting experiences. Many wrote thoughtful, reflective comments on the exercise, which not only gave them an insight into the difficulties faced by students in the past, but also proved to be a valuable learning experience (average score: 8.6 ± 1.6 SD). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article compares the test results of two different performance-based assessments of critical thinking: a constructed-response task from the Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) and a multiple-choice questionnaire (MCQ). These tests ostensibly measure the same critical thinking skills, such as analysing, interpreting and evaluating information and problem solving. The study utilised a mixed-method approach to explore the differences in students’ ( n = 330) test scores. The results showed that the correspondence between the CLA and the MCQ was fully comparable in 45.5% of the students’ test performances. Ten percent of the students had completely opposite test results. Explanations for the inconsistent results are discussed in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study extended previous work with the multiple-choice procedure (MCP) by examining the monetary value of cocaine and alcohol in dual-dependent patients. Participants made hypothetical choices between pairs of substances and between each substance and a series of monetary values. Results showed that the combination of cocaine and alcohol was preferred over each individual substance. The monetary value at which the substance is no longer chosen was higher for the combination than for one drink or one hit alone. Monetary values showed convergence with dependence-related variables. These findings substantiate the importance of concurrent alcohol and cocaine dependence treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]