Strategic and practical measures to ensure equivalence in assessment across international barriers: The Newcastle Experience in the UK and Malaysia

Professor Philip BradleySchool of Medical Education

Teaching and Learning Conference March 2015

NUMed’s mission

• To provide affordable UK undergraduate medical education in Malaysia for Malaysian and International students (not UK or EU)

• Invited to do so by Malaysian government

A Servant of Two Masters

Or maybe more?

NUMed

Newcastle University

GMC

MOHMOHE

MQAQAA

MMCOther

countries?

Accreditation achieved

• The accreditation process had to ensure that we delivered a degree in Malaysia to UK standards

• Therefore equivalence in terms of output was paramount both for our home institution and the GMC

Outcome led curricula

• Newcastle (and hence Malaysian) curriculum had to be compliant with Tomorrow’s Doctors 2009

• However there are multiple pathways to the same outcome

• Equivalent ≠ identical

Measuring output

• We (and all our other stakeholders) have to be assured that UK and Malaysian graduates have all achieved the same outcomes by the end of the course in order that they are fit to act as Foundation doctors (House Officers in Malaysia)

Nature of assessment

• Assessment to outcome• MBBS Finals exam comprises:-– Multiple choice papers using elements shared

across medical schools in the UK – Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCE)– MOSLER (Multiple short cases)– Summative in-course assessments– Professionalism assessment

Methods for ensuring equivalence

Equivalence of exams• NUMed academics attend

Newcastle assessment group meetings and are involved in exam planning (virtually)

• Same exams are set in both sites with minor contextual variants

• Blueprinting of exams is identical

Equivalence of process• OSCEs and MOSLERs are

conducted in English• Training of examiners and

role players used shared materials

• Internal external and external external examiners observe and report

• Exams are sat at the same time and marked electronically

Validation

• Post examination analysis of results to check for examiner variance and cohort differences

• Generalisability studies

Parity of outcome + parity of process + parity of experience

• Identify outcome to be assessed (juggling)

• Define the conditions in which is to be assessed (no of balls. time, location, marking criteria)

• Check that system has been followed

Other equivalences

• Teaching approach• Student identity• Research agenda• Student support• Cultural attitudes• Campus identity• ?

Beware -Educational colonialism

• Something that works in the UK will not necessarily work in an international setting

• UK learners are not the same as international learners

• The UK way is not the only way• And yet…..Newcastle University does not do

franchises• And so – how to maintain the Newcastle

brand????

Task

• In your groups think about things that would need to be done on an overseas campus to make students feel as if they were getting an equivalent ‘Newcastle Experience’

Thank you

philip.bradley@newcastle.ac.uk