Comparison in the quality of distractors in three and four options type of multiple choice questions

Nourelhouda A A Rahma,1 Mahdi M A Shamad,2 Muawia E A Idris,1 Omer Abdelgadir Elfaki,3 Walyedldin E M Elfakey,4–6 Karimeldin M A Salih3,7 1Pediatrics Department, University of Bahri, College of Medicine, Sudan; 2Dermatology and Venereology Department, University of Bahri, College of Medicine, Khartoum, Sudan; 3Medical Education Department, King Khalid University, College of Medicine, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Pediatrics, University of Bahri, College of Medicine, 5Medical Education Department, 6Pediatrics Department, Albaha University, College of Medicine, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; 7Medical Education Department, University of Bahri, College of Medicine, Pediatrics, Khartoum, Sudan Introduction: The number of distractors needed for high quality multiple choice questions (MCQs) will be determined by many factors. These include firstly whether English language is their mother tongue or a foreign language; secondly whether the instructors who construct the questions are experts or not; thirdly the time spent on constructing the options is also an important factor. It has been observed by Tarrant et al that more time is often spent on constructing questions than on tailoring sound, reliable, and valid distractors. Objectives: Firstly, to investigate the effects of reducing the number of options on psychometric properties of the item. Secondly, to determine the frequency of functioning distractors among three or four options in the MCQs examination of the dermatology course in University of Bahri, College of Medicine.Materials and methods: This is an experimental study which was performed by means of a dermatology exam, MCQs type. Forty MCQs, with one correct answer for each question were constructed. Two sets of this exam paper were prepared: in the first one, four options were given, including one key answer and three distractors. In the second set, one of the three distractors was deleted randomly, and the sequence of the questions was kept in the same order. Any distracter chosen by less than 5% of the students was regarded as non-functioning. Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 (Kr-20) measures the internal consistency and reliability of an examination with an acceptable range 0.8–1.0. Chi square test was used to compare the distractors in the two exams. Results: A significant difference was observed in discrimination and difficulty indexes for both sets of MCQs. More distractors were non-functional for set one (of four options), but slightly more reliable. The reliability (Kr-20) was slightly higher for set one (of four options). The average marks in option three and four were 34.163 and 33.140, respectively. Conclusion: Compared to set 1 (four options), set 2 (of three options) was more discriminating and associated with low difficulty index but its reliability was low. Keywords: option, distractors, reliability, discrimination, MCQ

Measurement of the educational environment in MBBS teaching program, according to DREEM in College of Medicine, University of Bahri, Khartoum, Sudan

Karimeldin MA Salih,1,2 Muawia EA Idris,1 Omer A Elfaki,3 Nasir MN Osman,4 Saada M Nour,5 Hind A Elsidig,6 Rahamatalla M Toam,7 Walyeldin EM Elfakey1 1Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Bahri, Khartoum, Sudan; 2Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Bisha, Bisha, Saudi Arabia; 3Department of Health Professional Education, Medical College, University of Batterjee, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 4Department of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, University of Bahri, Khartoum, Sudan; 5Department of Microbiology, College of Medicine, University of Bahri, Khartoum, Sudan; 6Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, University of Bahri, Khartoum, Sudan; 7Faculty Registrar, College of Medicine, University of Bahri, Khartoum, Sudan Introduction: Learning environment might be defined as anything that can affect the learning directly or indirectly. During the era of accreditation and quality assurance, we are badly in need to evaluate our program strength and pick possible areas for curriculum reform.Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the perception of medical students in the University of Bahri (UB) about the educational environment and analyze the variation of this perception with gender, level of study, type of intake, type of certificate, and accommodation.Methodology: This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine, UB, in Sudan during July–August 2017, enrolling 347 students. Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure (DREEM) questionnaire was used as a survey tool for this study.Results: Overall DREEM average score of 125.2997/200 is perceived. This score is distributed in all DREEM subclasses.Conclusion: Having some negative perceptions is a huge burden on policymakers, administration, and all stakeholders to revise the whole educational environment at the UB with special efforts needed for curriculum revision, faculty development, mentoring, and other skills development. Keywords: DREEM, measurement, educational environment, perception