Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development

Background: The standards set by accreditation bodies for student assessment during higher education, such as those of the National Commission for Academic Accreditation & Assessment (NCAAA), are necessary in formulating educational programs. These serve as a benchmark for how colleges or universities are assessed and reflect students’ learning. Following the implementation of these guidelines, the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, within the Faculty of Medicine in King Abdulaziz University (KAU), established assessment strategies appropriate to their curriculum, which were valid and reliable, thus enabling students to be fairly assessed throughout their undergraduate course. Since KAU is currently preparing for accreditation by the NCAAA, this study was a necessary undertaking to ensure that the assessment strategies designed by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology are aligned and conform to the NCAAA student assessment guidelines, thereby outlining the standard of expected performance and learning outcomes for students.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the assessment plan of the obstetrics and gynecology clerkship for undergraduate medical students within the Faculty of Medicine, KAU, in comparison to the standard criteria for student assessment as implemented by the NCAAA.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted, which employed two questionnaires containing questions based on the NCAAA guidelines. The surveys were distributed among the teaching staff and students rotating for 12 weeks within the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, KAU, from September to November 2013. In total, 100/116 (86.2%) students and 26/36 (81.25%) teaching staff participated in the study.

Results: Two sets of results were obtained regarding the student assessment practices in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, KAU, one from fifth-year medical students and the second from the teaching staff. The results showed that the majority of student respondents agreed that the department conformed to the guidelines and standards as set out by the NCAAA. However, the statistics gathered from the teaching staff participants implied that although the department is adhering to the standards, further improvements are still required in terms of the implementation and design of assessment strategies.

Conclusions: Adherence to the NCAAA student assessment guidelines and its strict implementation are vital to achieving effective learning outcomes among obstetrics and gynecology students. Faculty staff need be appropriately trained in the field of exam preparation and assessment. Further improvements to the existing student assessment strategies used by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, KAU, are recommended.