Upgrading and expanding online Histology quizzes for first year Medical and Dental students at the University of British Columbia (UBC)

Histology is an integral part of the curriculum at UBC's Medical/Dental school. Online quizzes are used by students to deepen their understanding of course material. Our objective was to revise, update and expand the existing Histology quizzes for laboratories in the Principles of Human Biology (PRIN) block of the curriculum. Specifically, we ensured the learning objectives and materials of the course were comprehensively represented in the quizzes, the questions represented exam type questions, and students were given an opportunity to integrate their learning of Histology with other material in the PRIN curriculum. Seven quizzes were chosen for revision and two cumulative review quizzes were composed. Expansion of the quizzes included: multi‐part and “look‐alike” questions, moveable slides, “bridging questions”, and feedback in the answer sections. Quizzes were written in the Respondus® program, reviewed by project supervisors and individual Histology instructors, then uploaded onto the Faculty of Medicine website. An online survey was launched for the incoming first year Medical/Dental students in order to assess the impact of these quizzes on student learning. Results of the survey will be collected and assessed at the end of the PRIN course (January, 2011). Funding for this project was provided by The University of British Columbia Faculty of Medicine Summer Student Internship Program. Grant Funding Source : UBC Faculty of Medicine Summer Student Internship Program