Assessment of two evaluation methods in cognitive domain for dental students in orthodontic department: CBT versus PBT

Abstract

¯Abstract Background: The computer-based testing (CBT) is now an accepted tool for assessment in fields of higher education but there is a lack of empirical research in the usefulness of computer in evaluation of medical sciences. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the dental students performance test scores with computerized and paper-based testing (PBT). Methods: This analytical study was carried out on 46 dental students at orthodontic department of Yazd University of medical sciences in 2004. The new software with selected questions and commercial paper-based testing were used for CBT and PBT, respectively. Analysis of data was carried out using t-test and correlation test of Spearman. Findings: There was a significant correlation between CBT and PBT for students scores (r=0.6, p=0.000), however, no statically significant correlation was found between mean scores obtained for CBT and PBT. Conclusion: Our results indicated that the CBT could be reliably used for the purpose of student ranking but care should be taken in using it for grading