Investigating computer-based formative assessments in a medical terminology course

Research has been conducted on the effectiveness of formative assessments and on effectively teaching medical terminology; however, research had not been conducted on the use of formative assessments in a medical terminology course. A quantitative study was performed which captured data from a pretest, self-assessment, four module exams, and a final exam for 48 students to explore the effectiveness of formative assessments in an online medical terminology course. The students enrolled in the course were randomly divided into two groups and assigned a self-assessment for one of two modules of course content. Data indicate that the inclusion of self-assessment opportunities did not influence summative exam scores. However, there may have been a positive relationship between completing the self-assessment multiple times and the final exam score