Impact of Progress testing on the learning experiences of students in medicine, dentistry and dental therapy

AimsTo investigate the impact of progress testing on the learning experiences of undergraduate students in three programs namely, medicine, dentistry and dental therapy.MethodsParticipants were invited to respond to an online questionnaire to share their perceptions and experiences of progress testing. Responses were recorded anonymously, but data on their program, year of study, age, gender, and ethnicity were also captured on a voluntary basis.ResultsA total of 167 participants completed the questionnaire yielding a response rate of 27.2% (n=167). These included 96 BMBS students (27.4%), 56 BDS students (24.7%), and 15 BScDTH students (39.5%). A 3 -Program (BMBS, BDS, BScDTH) by 8-Topic (A-H) mixed analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted on the questionnaire responses. This revealed statistically significant main effects of Program and Topic, as well as a statistically significant interaction between the two (i.e. the pattern of topic differences was different across programs).ConclusionsUndergraduate students in medicine, dentistry, and dental therapy and hygiene regarded PT as a useful assessment to support their learning needs. However, in comparison to students in dentistry and dental therapy and hygiene, the perceptions of medical students were less positive in several aspects of PT.