Abstract:

Virology students at the Autonomous University of Barcelona attend 45 hours of theoretical lectures (conventional lectures and active learning activities) and 15 hour of laboratory practice. We evaluate the knowledge acquired through both aspects of teaching through a single, multiple choice quiz containing questions (around 15 %) dealing with laboratory practice (problems and protocols), and others (around 85 %) to evaluate non practical competences. Since both set of questions are not evaluated in independent exams and the weight of laboratory queries in the global qualification is low, we wondered at which extent the students could consider the revision of protocols and the preparation of this practical part of the examination avoidable. If so, we should consider the implementation of two independent tests, to be passed independently, as a better alternative to the current situation. To evaluate the robustness of the mixed test strategy, we have analyzed the relevant parameters resulting from a mixed exam performed by a more than 160 students of the same course. As observed, although the number of non answered questions and the difficulty index are slightly higher in the practical part, discrimination indexes are indistinguishable when comparing both parts. This fact prompts us to assume that the students perceive the practical part as equally important as the theoretical aspects of the course, and that the preparation of this aspect is not neglected during exam preparation. We therefore conclude that the mixed exam version, globally evaluated, is robust and reliable enough for the evaluation of conceptual and practical competences as a whole.