Herrschaft B. — American Board of Internal Medicine
Parshall C. — CBT Measurement
Presented: Association of Test Publishers, March 2015
Abstract: When an exam is administered on computer, the addition of certain elements, like the use of video clips, becomes possible. And video, whether used in the item stem or the response options, has the potential to increase the fidelity of the exam and to improve measurement of key elements from the test construct. As part of ABIM’s ongoing goal of making the exams as close to real practice as possible, several video-related efforts have been pursued.
Video items can serve a variety of purposes, but medical certification videos can be divided into two primary types of scenarios: real encounters and simulated encounters. Real encounters involve real patients and real physicians in a practice or clinical setting, and are most often used when a patient’s physical appearance or condition cannot be accurately portrayed by an actor. Simulated encounters involve standardized actors, filling the roles of patient or physician in a simulated clinical setting, and are most often used when a patient’s physical appearance or condition can be effectively replicated. Simulated encounters might also be used to re-enact scenarios without patients, including the simulation of appropriate (or inappropriate) patient safety techniques, like hand-washing.
Nevertheless, a number of challenges remain, including the challenges of developing ideas for video and item writing. This is a substantially new task and even seasoned item writers may struggle with the new task of writing video scripts. Due to the challenges of item-writing for video, ABIM has been developing a standardized video storyboarding process to support item writers, providing prompts for information that might otherwise be forgotten and building important considerations, like maximizing video utility, into the process. The storyboarding process ensures the consistency and quality of both videos and related items and guides item writers in considering video only if it will add value to the examination rather than using video simply because the technology is available.
This session will include small group activities structured around the tasks of storyboarding and writing a video item. Participants will obtain an understanding of how to develop a standard storyboarding process to apply to their practice area and support their own item writers.
For more information about this presentation, please contact Research@abim.org.