Navigating The Shift: Online Examination For Medical Students During The Pandemic

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic threw a curveball at medical education, forcing it online.Multiple studies have determined the efficacy of digital technologies for lifelong e-learning, with benefits of distance learning, comfort, and accessibility, as well as drawbacks of inefficiency and challenges with upholding academic integrity.Academic administrations must address the planning and rapid implementation of online assessment.This study was planned to develop a methodology for online examinations which should be at par with the offline examination.This study could help all educationists and distant learning programs to plan and implement e-assessments in their settings.Methodology: Study was conducted on 50 students of preclinical phase of medical curriculum in a medical institute of North India.After developing the standard operating procedure for the conduct of examination, students as well as invigilator faculty were sensitized about the process of examination.Format of online examination was comparable to the process of offline examination.Result and Discussion: Feedback about the process of conduct of examination was obtained from faculty and students on 5 point likert scale.Mean of Most of the Items of the feedback was more than 3.5 i.e between agree and strongly agree with the process.However Mean of the responses of few of the items like internet connectivity and problem in uploading the answer was between 2 and 3 suggesting the technical hurdles during the process. Conclusion:The successful implementation of online examination in the current study demonstrates the feasibility of conducting high stakes examinations in virtual environment The given methodology may be adopted by other universities, schools, and colleges by maintaining academic continuity even in the event of a nationwide lockdown.