Perspectives and Attitudes of Emergency Medicine Educators Towards E-Assessment Technologies

Abstract

Aim: The widespread use of distance education due to the pandemic has accelerated distance assessment and evaluation technologies (E-assessment). While educators and trainees promptly adapt to distance learning platforms, several factors can affect the adoption of e-assessment models. This study aimed to identify these factors affecting the perspectives and attitudes on e-assessment technologies among emergency medicine educators. Material and Methods: A survey on self-efficacy, self-confidence, and attitudes toward E-assessment technologies was conducted on ninety emergency medicine educators. In this questionnaire-based study, educators of emergency medicine residency training programs with different academic ranks who work in emergency departments involved in emergency medicine residency training were included. A pool of questions was created from the questionnaires with the concepts of “self-efficacy”, “self-confidence”, “attitude”, “educational need” and “computer-use self-efficacy”. The items were evaluated with a 7-point Likert scale. Correlation, validation, reliability and factor analysis were performed. Results: There was a statistically significant difference among computer-use skills, especially regarding self-confidence (p=0.02) and self-efficacy (p=0.01). No significant difference was found in terms of attitude (p=0.877). Advanced computer skills had higher levels of self-confidence and self-efficacy for E-assessment. There was a significant difference in self-confidence (p=0.001) and self-efficacy (p=0.001) regarding increased E-assessment experience. Forty-four percent of the participants had ethical concerns, 30% were not concerned about this issue, and 25.6% were partially concerned about screen sharing. Conclusion: Experience, computer-use skills and self-efficacy, and E-assessment education are the key factors that may be related to self-confidence and self-efficacy and may indirectly affect attitudes toward E-assessments in emergency medicine education. Since it is important to monitor and evaluate the training processes, the adaptation of the trainers to this technology is possible by increasing their computer skills and experience to ensure this continuity in conditions such as pandemics.