Liz Farmer¹
Amanda Barnard¹ and Maxim Morin²
1 Australian Medical Council
2 Medical Council of Canada

Background
Assessment delivery has undergone a profound transformation with the integration of remote exam delivery methods. Online assessment delivery and processes for International Medical Graduates (IMGs) have been used by the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) for 3 years (proctored written examinations conducted outside a test centre), and at the Australian Medical Council (AMC) (online clinical examinations) since the post Covid phase beginning in 2021. Since March 2021 there have been 2,524 IMGs take the AMC online clinical examination. 

Discussion
Despite the necessity, and/or attractiveness of the online approach in assessment, it is also challenging and controversial. The title ‘Beauty and the Beast’ sums up the current status of our practice and experiences with online assessment formats for high stakes assessment processes by licensing authorities. 

Learning from our experiences will help participants to shape future use of online assessment delivery to improve its validity and fit to the needs of health professional assessment more broadly and in high stakes international medical graduate assessment. 

The relevant body of literature is limited (Morin et al., 2021; Weiner & Hurtz, 2017), thus the symposium will help share and enhance future research agendas and ongoing practice. 

Symposium format
The symposium will take the approach of a cutting edge and highly topical debate. 

The AMC and MCC will reflect on their own hands-on experiences and present relevant data that has not yet been published. The presenters will debate arguments for and against the use of online examinations and this will include the candidate perspective. 

Participants will then work in facilitated small groups to discuss the emerging advantages, issues and challenges for practice and research. Group feedback will continue in the debate format. 

Take-home messages 

An open forum discussion will explore diverse viewpoints and summarise the major takeaway points and research ideas raised in the symposium. 

References (maximum three) 

Morin, M., Alves, C., & De Champlain, A. (2021). The Show Must Go On: Lessons Learned from using Remote Proctoring in a High-stakes Medical Licensing Exam Program in Response to Severe Disruption. Journal of Applied Testing Technology, 23(Special Issue), 15–35. 

Weiner, J., & Hurtz, G. (2017). A comparative study of online remote proctored versus onsite proctored high-stakes exams. Journal of Applied Testing Technology, 18(1), 13–20. http://jattjournal.com/index.php/atp/article/view/113061