Declining Student Performance and Satisfaction following Back-to-Back Scheduling of Foundational Science Exams: Experience at a Large US Osteopathic Medical School

Abstract

Examinations are a significant source of academic stress, particularly in the demanding environment of medical education. In order to reduce the burden of anxiety, burnout and depression among students, medical schools aim at reducing academic stress by exploring alternatives to frequent, high-stakes assessment schedules. The bundling of examinations into integrated block assessments has emerged as a successful strategy to reach this goal, as the resulting reduction in examination days can provide uninterrupted periods of study time that allows for a deeper understanding of material as well as an opportunity for students to take wellness breaks between exams. The present study examines the outcomes of a natural experiment on back-to-back exam scheduling in two related medical school courses post hoc. The outcomes of the scheduling change on the academic performance and satisfaction of examinees were analyzed with a mixed-methods approach. The data show that the transition from a spaced-out to a back-to-back exam schedule was accompanied by a drop in academic performance and student satisfaction with the curricular schedule. The data presented suggest that without proper curricular integration, the block scheduling of exams has negative effects on learning outcomes and student satisfaction.