Abstract:

Active learning and problem-based learning are becoming fundamentals of the contemporary university teaching of biomedical sciences in Spain, and such strategies would also be even more relevant in the forthcoming graduate studies starting in the term 2009-2010. However, the limited resources under which the new studies will be implemented prompt to envisage the application of active learning strategies in large groups of students, what would necessarily restrict the continuous evaluation of the students’ competences. Facing the need of discrete evaluative events of complex competences for large number of students, we have here explored the robustness of multi-conceptual questions (type 1) in multiple-choice conventional quizzes compared to single concept focused questions (type 2). In a 100-question Virology exam (161 students) we introduced both type of questions as exemplified by the following examples:

Type 1: The poliovirus genome has the following structure:
a- dsDNA, b- dsRNA, c- ssDNA, d- ssRNA
The student needs to know that poliovirus genome is ssRNA

Type 2: An enveloped virus will promote syncitia formation if:
a- its fusion protein is activated at low pH, b- its fusion protein is activated at high pH, c- its fusion protein is activated by pH-independent mechanisms, d- the envelope is removed with detergents
The student needs to know that:
- syncitia formation implies cell fusion
- cell fusion is promoted by viral fusion proteins exposed at the surface of infected cells
- pH at the cell surface is neutral and steady
- activation of fusion peptides can be triggered by receptor-induced conformational changes in the fusion protein

The degree of difficulty of type 1 questions was 33.36 ± 16.81 % (n=14) versus 10.7 ± 16.0 % (n= 22) for conventional type 2 questions, while the discrimination levels was 0.42 ± 0.18 versus 0.27 ± 0.21. The higher performance of type 2 questions, the lower dispersion of parameter data and specially the combination of moderate difficulty degree with a good discrimination index indicate that they are appropriate and convenient for the evaluation of complex or related concepts and suitable for the evaluation (as a whole or a complementary test) of complex competences in University-level Virology courses, specially when the number of students is high and the availability of teaching staff too limited for a long-term continued personal evaluation.