Prof Richard Fuller MA MBChB FRCP FAcadMed

Deputy Dean, School of Medicine; Honorary Consultant Stroke Physician Institute of Life Course & Medical Sciences

Research

Assessment innovation - sustainable, sequential testing; OSCE innovation and national examinations

My research interests focus principally around assessment and measurement, with an active portfolio of publications and conference papers. Current research focuses on the ‘personalisation’ of assessment, to support individual learner journeys. This is underpinned by work from research collaborators, focusing on the application of intelligent assessment design in campus and workplace based assessment formats, assessor behaviours, mobile technology delivered assessment and the impact of sequential testing methodologies. This has led to the delivery of over 200 high quality scholarship outputs in the last 10 years (papers, invited presentations, specialist workshops at leading education meetings, plenaries and academic consultancy). Impact from this work has been significant, influencing policy and practice nationally and internationally (e.g. the growth in sequential testing formats and research, OSCE design and particularly quality analysis).

Current research activity includes:

1) Sustainable assessment, learner behaviours and the impact of sequential and adaptive testing methodologies
2) The impact of (mobile) technology on assessment innovation and learner support (with a particular focus on transition points and deployment of adaptive assessment)
3) Performance testing of small cohorts
4) Test design and standard setting - focusing on scoring, conjunctive standards and the impact of borderline regression methodology
5) Assessor scoring, variance and the use of video components in OSCE - and the possible support of equating (NIHR funded project led by Dr Peter Yeates, Keele)
6) Implementing and evaluating national licensing tests

UK based Collaborators/Partners
I work with a multi-institutional group of colleagues across the Universities of Leeds (Professor Trudie Roberts, Dr Matthew Homer, Dr Godfrey Pell and Dr Jennifer Hallam), Liverpool (Mrs Bee Collier and Dr Viktoria Joynes) and Keele (Dr Peter Yeates) across activities 1-5

International Collaborators
I work with the International Medical University, Malaysia (Professor Vishna Nadarajah), in partnership with Dr Viktoria Joynes, focusing on Activity (2). Myself and Dr Matthew Homer (Leeds) work with an Australian consortium led by Monash University, exploring the implementation of a national licensing assessment for the Australian Nursing and Midwifery board. Work evaluating the Indonesian national licensing exam is undertake in partnership with Dr Rachmadaya Nur Hidayah (Faculty of Medicine Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia) and Professor Trudie Roberts (Leeds).


Assessment enhancement - national consensus guidelines, policy and practice in Technology Enhanced Assessment in Health Professions Education

Technological advancements have revealed previously unimaginable possibilities to innovate assessment practice. The use of technology through all parts of the educational assessment 'lifecycle' (including immersive design, adaptive testing and authentic simulation) allows educators to focus on increasingly personalised assessment and feedback. Nevertheless, the potential benefits of artificial intelligence are counter balanced by complex ethical and academic dilemmas about the use, misuse and misapplication of machine based learning/learning analytics.

These advances present an ideal opportunity to refresh the international Ottawa consensus guidance in Technology Enhanced Assessment - and this work focuses on theory informed practice, demonstrable impact and widely accessible resources o support all learners, faculty and institutions. This work sits as part of the 2020 Ottawa conferences which seek to transform healthcare through excellence in assessment and evaluation.

Collaborators: Richard Fuller (group leader; Liverpool; UK), Vishna Nadarajah (IMU, Malaysia), Tamsin Treasure-Jones (Learning toolbox, http://ltb.io/company/), Colin Lumsden (Manchester, UK); Eeva Pyörälä (Helsinki, Finland), Christof Daetwyler (Drexel, USA),Viktoria Joynes (Liverpool, UK)

Research Students - recent graduates and current supervisees

Recent and current research students (undergraduate and doctoral) include:

• Gillian LEVER (BSc Medical Education, University of Leeds: Student performance anxiety/coping strategies in the OSCE 2014; Subsequent AMEE platform presentation)
• Zain VELJI (BSc Medical Education, University of Leeds: Impact of cumulative testing in early years clinical science teaching 2015)
• Joe GLEESON (BSc Medical Education, University of Leeds: What do students do with feedback? 2016; Subsequent AMEE platform presentations)
• Sami ALNASSER (PhD Medical Education, University of Leeds: Non verbal behaviours and assessor judgments. Supervised to completion. PhD Awarded 2016; Subsequent AMEE platform presentations )
• Rachma HIDAYAH (PhD Medical Education, University of Leeds: Multiple perspectives on the introduction of a National Licensing Examination. Supervised to completion. PhD awarded 2018. Subsequent AMEE doctoral report – highly competitive selection; multiple conference presentations and papers)
• Rachmad BEKTI (PhD Medical Education: Perspectives on Medical Professionalism)
• Mohammed AL-QUARNI (PhD Medical Education: Competency based education)
• Khaled ALMISNID (PhD Medical Education: Improving the OSCE)