A Scoping Review of Integrated Exams as a Testing Modality

Class of 2021 Abstract, Report and PosterObjective: A cumulative exam is a testing modality that combines learning objectives and questions from different courses into a single exam. This differs from the traditional testing methods of deriving exam content from a solitary course, with each course conducting its own assessments. The integration of cumulative exams within academic programs requires increased coordination between courses and support from academic leadership. The effect of cumulative versus single course exams on student academic performance is not clear. A scoping review was conducted to examine how cumulative examinations compare to the traditional test taking approach with respect to student academic performance. Methods: Following the Preferred Reporting Items Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines, this scoping review included studies comparing cumulative exams to traditional examination processes. An electronic search was conducted using six databases: PubMed, ERIC, SCOPUS, cINAHL, PsychINFO, Academic Search Ultimate, and Education Full Text; additionally, an electronic search for grey literature was conducted within Pharmacy Education Certification websites [i.e., Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP)] and Proquest (for dissertations & theses). The search criteria were developed/validated by an academia librarian, and two academia pharmacists. Following an initial title search and removal of duplicates, abstracts were reviewed and full-text articles were assessed to confirm studies met inclusion criteria. From the studies that met eligibility for the scoping review, data were collected utilizing a standardized data extraction tool by two independent reviewers to come to consensus, and a third reviewer that reviewed articles not in consensus. Results: After 853 duplicates were removed, the initial search included a total of 5137 articles which underwent a screening process leading to the inclusion of 3 articles. Conclusions: Integrated exams can be comparable to traditional exams in terms of academic performance, but more studies need to be conducted to determine superiority between the two modalities.This item is part of the Pharmacy Student Research Projects collection, made available by the College of Pharmacy and the University Libraries at the University of Arizona. For more information about items in this collection, please contact Jennifer Martin, Librarian and Clinical Instructor, Pharmacy Practice and Science, jenmartin@email.arizona.edu