BOSTON UNIVERSITY INSTRUCTIONAL

INNOVATION CONFERENCE
Friday, March 2, 2012
 Presented By:
 
Mark S. Ferriero, BA, DDS, MAGD
Clinical Associate Professor
Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental
Medicine
Department of General Dentistry
ferriero@bu.edu
 Purely objective exams (e.g. case-based or context-free
MCQs) have been a constant, a staple in education for
decades. In clinically-oriented educational
environments (e.g. medical, dental, pharmacy, PT),
additional/adjunct testing styles are quite beneficial,
even necessary for success. OSCE (Objective
Structured Clinical Examination) testing, in one form
or another, has been used in medical school education
worldwide for over 100 years. In dental education, this
style of exam has been used predominantly in the
study of Gross Anatomy. Students are asked
questions based on visual cues or markers on human
cadavers (e.g. "Identify this nerve." or "What is the
insertion point of this muscle?"). In recent years, dental
education has benefited greatly from the OSCE.
 By way of definition, style and design explanation,
example, and Q & A, I propose to enlighten/inspire other
educators in this testing medium. There is much to be
learned through correctly processing and responding, in a
timed fashion, to simple visual, multi-media, and media-
like cues/information/stimuli (e.g. an X-ray, a song, a
phlebotomy video, a painting, National Licensure Testing
question). I have been using the OSCE for over 6 years in
my Pre-Doctoral Occlusion course in the dental school with
much positive feedback. Students' resultant clinical
comprehension and NDBE (National Dental Board
Examination) success in this discipline have greatly
improved. The National Dental Examining Board of
Canada (NDEB) utilizes the OSCE as 50% of its licensure
examination. OSCEs can be administered & evaluated on
the web (e.g. Blackboard 8)
Candidates are assessed using exactly the
same stations or cues with the same
marking scheme. Candidates get
marks/points for each step that they
perform/answer correctly. This makes
the assessment of clinical skills more
objective rather than subjective.
 Stations/cues have specific tasks. Where
simulated patients are used, detailed
scripts are provided to all candidates,
including emotional data. Instructions are
carefully written/spoken to ensure that
candidates are given specific tasks to
complete or questions to answer. The
OSCE is carefully designed to include all
elements of the curriculum.
 An OSCE is designed to apply
clinical and theoretical
knowledge. Where theoretical
knowledge is required, questions
are standardized.
 DEFINITION:
An OSCE is a modern type of examination
often used in the health sciences (e.g.
medicine, chiropractic, PT, radiography,
nursing, pharmacy, dentistry) to test clinical
skill performance and competence in skills
such as communication, clinical
examination, medical procedures,
prescription-writing, manipulation
techniques, and interpretation of results.
6
¹ONLY 5% of Pharmacy Students in the
USA take OSCE Prep Study Courses!
 An OSCE comprises a series of short, timed
stations or visual cues. Candidates respond
objectively. All candidates take the same exam.
This is an improvement over traditional exams
because stations are standardized enabling fairer
comparison. Complex procedures, techniques,
etc. can be assessed without endangering patients
(if applicable) or requiring the use of multiple
cues.
²Which of the following is the most likely anatomical
structure/diagnosis for the radiographic entity shown?

A. Normal tooth
B. Developing root apex
C. Hypercementosis
D. Tooth fracture
E. Periapical cemento-osseous dysplasia
F. Complex Odontoma
G. Dens invaginatus/dens-in-dente
H. Ameloblastoma
WHAT MANDIBULAR 1. IDENTIFY THIS PIECE
POSITION IS OF EQUIPMENT.
SEEN IN THESE FULL 2. LIST 3 OF ITS USES.
DENTURES?
ADEA
2500

2328

2000

1746 1744

1603

1500

1166

1018
1000

553 548 537

508 507
500
435 428

0
Case- Context- Daily Clinical Tech Lab Student Essays Oral Long- Procedural Research Computer- OSCEs
Based Free MCQ Clinic Comp Skill Evals Self- Exams Term Units Projects Based
MCQ Evals Exams Assess Clinic Sims
Evals
ASSESSMENT METHODS
All indicators point to the validity, efficacy, and
even necessity of the OSCE as a critically
important, versatile evaluation tool in clinical
sciences & other arenas of education. An OSCE
comprises 50% of the National Dental &
Pharmacy Boards of Canada. The State of
Minnesota now accepts the NDEB of Canada for
dental licensure. Nonetheless, OSCEs seem
mysterious and under-utilized. Competency
Based Education (CBE), as indicated by the
ADEA, is predicated on their stylized and
integrated use.