Blended Learning: The impact of blackboard formative assessment on the final marks and students' perception of its effectiveness

Objective: To explore the impact of Blackboard (Bb) formative assessment on the final score in the endocrine module and determine the medical students' perception of the impact and effectiveness of Bb. Methods: This exploratory case study was carried out at the King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (SA). Blackboard was used in the course management and formative assessment of third-year medical students and three years of data was collected (2016, 2017, 2019). In the last week of the module before the final exam, a formative assessment test that comprised of 50 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) was posted on Bb each year. All the students filled a questionnaire regarding their perception about the impact and effectiveness of Bb. Results: Overall, summative exam scores were significantly higher than the scores in formative assessment (p<0.001). A substantial positive correlation was observed between students' marks in the online (Bb) MCQ exam and their final exam marks (p<0.001). Regarding the features of Bb, most often used by the students' were course resources uploaded on the Bb, assignments, online quizzes, and others. Majority of the students were satisfied with the use of Bb in this module. Conclusions: The majority of the students liked this blended learning (BL) method and conceded the impact and effectiveness of Bb. The formative online assessment on Bb improved the students' performance in the final exam and a positive correlation was noted between students' marks in online (Bb) exams with their final exam marks.