Cheating in a Dental Practical Exam

Transcription

1 Cheating in a Dental Practical Exam 2018 Higher Education Quality Network Conference Assessment, Integrity, Review Presented by Wendy Currie School of Dentistry Faculty of Medicine and Heath The University of Sydney Page 1

2 Cheating in a Dental Practical Exam Wendy Currie, Susie Dracopoulos & Graham Hendry International Journal for Educational Integrity (2017) 13:5 DOI /s The University of Sydney Page 2

3 Context of Assessment in the Dental School - Our degrees are aligned to the Australian Dental Council graduate attributes (Australian Dental Council, 2016). 1. Professionalism 2. Communication & Leadership 3. Critical Thinking 4. Health Promotion 5. Scientific and Clinical Knowledge 6. Patient Care - To ensure competency, a variety of assessment tasks are used The University of Sydney Page 3

4 Context for practical preclinical assessments The University of Sydney Page 4

5 Context for practical preclinical assessments The University of Sydney Page 5

6 Context for practical preclinical assessments The University of Sydney Page 6

7 Academic Integrity Breaches in the Dental School Written exams reproducing exam papers copying electronic devices concealed notes Assignments plagiarism ghost writing illegitimate collaboration Attendance fraudulent documentation Dental Student Survival Guide The University of Sydney Page 7

8 Academic Dishonesty Report to Academic Board Very small numbers of integrity breaches in the past no cases reported academic integrity breaches % of PG students and 3.03% of UG students - 2 cases of cheating in a dental practical exam The University of Sydney Page 8

9 Profile of the cheating students A &B In the 3 rd year of a 4 year postgraduate degree Doctor of Dental Medicine Marginal to average academic history Had required remediation and reassessment in the past Were currently progressing satisfactorily Refused to admit to cheating, even in the face of irrefutable evidence The University of Sydney Page 9

10 CASE A Practical exam AM Session Objective: to cut a crown preparation on the upper left first molar tooth Student X Was seen to leave exam room and re-enter within 5 minutes. Unusual behaviour during exam End of the exam student submitted his prepared tooth The University of Sydney Page 10

11 CASE A Prepared exam tooth submitted for marking Other students Student X The University of Sydney Page 11

12 CASE B Practical exam PM session Objective: to cut a crown preparation on the upper left first molar tooth Student Y Unusual behaviour during exam Tutor noted that the adjacent tooth was missing during the exam and approached the student The University of Sydney Page 12

13 Review of the literature Ovid Medline search using key words dental student, cheat and dishonest resulted in only 36 articles focussed mainly on perceptions Wide variance in the incidence of cheating 43% dental students admitted to cheating, while 94% believed it occurred (Fuller & Killip, 1979) 30% dental students acknowledged cheating was common (Warman et al, 1994) 86.5% dental hygiene students admitted to cheating at least once during their candidature (Muhney et al, 2008) The University of Sydney Page 13

14 Review of the literature Search terms broadened to include practical exam returned a result of zero Given that there are over 700 dental schools world wide ( this identifies a significant gap in the literature The University of Sydney Page 14

15 Situational Analysis Established a working group of key academics Identified and analysed our current practical assessment processes Developed and communicated new processes to support educational integrity in dental practical exams Evaluated the intervention The University of Sydney Page 15

16 Findings - Every discipline had different expectations for exam conduct - Clinics could be accessed in the lead up to the exam - Invigilation was less than ideal in many disciplines ratio of tutor : student inadequate - Identification of exam teeth was inadequate - Students were aware of the tooth number and preparation type before the exam - Tool boxes (screwdrivers) were accessible during the exam - Invigilators did not provide any verbal instructions at the start of the exam - Invigilators did not know how to deal with emergencies - Invigilators did not know what to do if they suspected academic dishonesty The University of Sydney Page 16

17 Key Finding Inadequate policies and procedures for dental practical exams University policies did not cover the unique aspects The definitions of academic integrity for written exams do not relate in the same way for assessments not involving text Non-text based assessments need the specific parametres defined to uphold academic integrity (Commonwealth of Australia, 2016) The University of Sydney Page 17

18 Development: Phase 1 Development of clear procedural guidelines Attire Prohibited equipment and materials Seating Entering and leaving the exam room Set up time Absences and sick students Emergency evacuations Invigilator guidelines Suggested script for commencement of practical exams Dealing with a case of academic dishonesty The University of Sydney Page 18

19 Prohibited Equipment The University of Sydney Page 19

20 Development: Phase 2 Working with industry OneDental Unique identification of exam teeth with customised stamping Implementation of a tooth vending machine Use of tokens which were exchanged for the exam tooth once the student entered the simulation clinic, thereby maintaining integrity of the task The University of Sydney Page 20

21 Customised Stamping The University of Sydney Page 21

22 Tooth vending machine & tokens The University of Sydney Page 22

23 Evaluation New guidelines and processes enacted in semester Academic integrity placed as a standing agenda item for the Assessment Committee Meeting following each exam period Semester : 100% compliance Semester : Reverting to bespoke methods by some disciplines No cases of academic dishonesty in practical exams since implementation The University of Sydney Page 23

24 Discussion There is a significant gap in the literature specifically related to cheating in a dental practical exam All assessment tasks are susceptible to integrity breaches even authentic assessments Non standard types of assessments may require unique guidelines or policies A student may view an assessment as another hurdle to jump, rather than see it as progression to real patient care The University of Sydney Page 24

25 Discussion Research has found a positive correlation between cheating in medical school and dishonesty in patient care Academic integrity is essential for all graduates who will be responsible for the ethical care of patients Faculty must remain vigilant Faculty should not make assumptions A focus on educational integrity will positively impact on the students developing professionalism The University of Sydney Page 25

26 Thank you The University of Sydney Page 26

27 References Australian Dental Council. (2016). Professional Competencies of the Newly Qualified Dentist Retrieved from entist%20-%20february% pdf Commonwealth of Australia (2016) Plagiarism and related issues in assessments not involving text. Australian Fuller JL, Killip DE (1979) Do dental students cheat? J Dent Educ 43(13): Muhney KA, Gutmann ME, Schneiderman E, DeWald JP, McCann A, Campbell PR (2008) The prevalence of academic dishonesty in Texas dental hygiene programs. J Dent Educ 72(11): Warman E, Harvan RA, Weidman B (1994) Dental students' attitudes toward cheating. J Dent Educ 58(6): World Dental Schools List. Retrieved from The University of Sydney Page 27