in both the uk and the us , medical education , including assessment , has been transformed over the last 30 years , driven by changes to the medical environment in which graduates will work .
there has been a shift away from the traditional apprenticeship model of learning in medicine : the student is no longer considered an empty vessel to be filled by those who have obtained the desired competencies   instead it is now widely recognised that medical education is preparation for the multitude of demands of professional practice .
traditionally , clinical competence has been assessed by measuring students ' ability to recall and apply knowledge .
before they embark on careers as medical professionals , students must demonstrate their competence in terms of professional attitudes and skills as well as knowledge .
this means medical schools need to have the tools and understanding to systematically , appropriately and reliably assess the competence of medical students .
assessment is a term that refers to a spectrum of activities that take place in the learning environment to measure the learning that has taken place . in its broadest sense
it can be considered as  about getting to know our students and the quality of their learning .
it can be formal , informal , formative or summative , objective or subjective , learning can be measured against peer or against a pre defined criteria and conducted by the learner , his peer or the teacher .
every assessment that is provided gives a clear message to the learner about what they should learn and how they should go about that learning .
learners can , to some extent , escape from the effects of poor teaching , by creating their own learning strategies and opportunities ; however , if they wish to graduate and practice , they can not escape the effects of inadequate assessment .
it is a powerful driver of student learning and so it is important to get it right ( see supplementary material for the qualities of a  good assessment  ) .
libyan doctors and medical students are calling for changes to teaching and assessment methods at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels . in december 2006
staff from university college london 's academic centre for medical education ( acme ) were invited by the libyan board of medical specialties ( lbms ) in tripoli to facilitate the first of a series of one - day workshops on assessment and to initiate the discussions about developing a contemporary assessment strategy .
this article outlines the course and the outcomes of preliminary discussions between academics from the uk , participants in the assessment courses and representatives from the libyan board of medical specialties regarding the future of assessment in libyan medical education .
the one day course aimed to increase participants ' knowledge of up - to - date assessment theory and methods and to promote discussion about the future for assessment in libyan medical education .
the objectives of the course were that by the end of the training day participants would : have explored the definition and purpose of assessmentbe familiar with key concepts in assessmenthave a framework for selecting and using appropriate assessments in their own settinghave considered their role as an assessorbe familiar with the objective structured clinical examination ( osce ) assessment methodhave practiced three contemporary assessment techniques 
  have explored the definition and purpose of assessment be familiar with key concepts in assessment have a framework for selecting and using appropriate assessments in their own setting have considered their role as an assessor be familiar with the objective structured clinical examination ( osce ) assessment method have practiced three contemporary assessment techniques the day consisted of a morning of interactive sessions facilitated by acme academics and practical workshops to develop skills in the afternoon , comprising the following elements : an overview of assessmentselecting appropriate assessmentsappropriate assessor behaviouran introduction to the oscea multiple choice questions ( mcq ) writing workshop .
participants practiced writing useful , reliable and valid written examination questionsa mock osce workshop : participants played roles of students and examiners on a 4 station osce .
an overview of assessment selecting appropriate assessments appropriate assessor behaviour an introduction to the osce a multiple choice questions ( mcq ) writing workshop .
participants practiced writing useful , reliable and valid written examination questions a mock osce workshop : participants played roles of students and examiners on a 4 station osce .
the day was rounded off with discussions between uk and libyan academics and medical educations on how assessment should be taken forward in libyan medical education .
the group discussed : how assessment should change to fit in with contemporary medical education in libyawhat assessment 
toolkit might workhow assessors and candidates should be prepared for assessments 
  how assessment should change to fit in with contemporary medical education in libya what assessment  toolkit might work how assessors and candidates should be prepared for assessments
in both the uk and the us , medical education , including assessment , has been transformed over the last 30 years , driven by changes to the medical environment in which graduates will work .
there has been a shift away from the traditional apprenticeship model of learning in medicine : the student is no longer considered an empty vessel to be filled by those who have obtained the desired competencies   instead it is now widely recognised that medical education is preparation for the multitude of demands of professional practice .
traditionally , clinical competence has been assessed by measuring students ' ability to recall and apply knowledge .
before they embark on careers as medical professionals , students must demonstrate their competence in terms of professional attitudes and skills as well as knowledge .
this means medical schools need to have the tools and understanding to systematically , appropriately and reliably assess the competence of medical students .
assessment is a term that refers to a spectrum of activities that take place in the learning environment to measure the learning that has taken place . in its broadest sense
it can be considered as  about getting to know our students and the quality of their learning .
it can be formal , informal , formative or summative , objective or subjective , learning can be measured against peer or against a pre defined criteria and conducted by the learner , his peer or the teacher .
every assessment that is provided gives a clear message to the learner about what they should learn and how they should go about that learning .
learners can , to some extent , escape from the effects of poor teaching , by creating their own learning strategies and opportunities ; however , if they wish to graduate and practice , they can not escape the effects of inadequate assessment .
it is a powerful driver of student learning and so it is important to get it right ( see supplementary material for the qualities of a  good assessment  ) .
libyan doctors and medical students are calling for changes to teaching and assessment methods at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels . in december 2006
staff from university college london 's academic centre for medical education ( acme ) were invited by the libyan board of medical specialties ( lbms ) in tripoli to facilitate the first of a series of one - day workshops on assessment and to initiate the discussions about developing a contemporary assessment strategy .
this article outlines the course and the outcomes of preliminary discussions between academics from the uk , participants in the assessment courses and representatives from the libyan board of medical specialties regarding the future of assessment in libyan medical education .
the one day course aimed to increase participants ' knowledge of up - to - date assessment theory and methods and to promote discussion about the future for assessment in libyan medical education .
the objectives of the course were that by the end of the training day participants would : have explored the definition and purpose of assessmentbe familiar with key concepts in assessmenthave a framework for selecting and using appropriate assessments in their own settinghave considered their role as an assessorbe familiar with the objective structured clinical examination ( osce ) assessment methodhave practiced three contemporary assessment techniques 
  have explored the definition and purpose of assessment be familiar with key concepts in assessment have a framework for selecting and using appropriate assessments in their own setting have considered their role as an assessor be familiar with the objective structured clinical examination ( osce ) assessment method have practiced three contemporary assessment techniques
the day consisted of a morning of interactive sessions facilitated by acme academics and practical workshops to develop skills in the afternoon , comprising the following elements : an overview of assessmentselecting appropriate assessmentsappropriate assessor behaviouran introduction to the oscea multiple choice questions ( mcq ) writing workshop .
participants practiced writing useful , reliable and valid written examination questionsa mock osce workshop : participants played roles of students and examiners on a 4 station osce .
an overview of assessment selecting appropriate assessments appropriate assessor behaviour an introduction to the osce a multiple choice questions ( mcq ) writing workshop .
participants practiced writing useful , reliable and valid written examination questions a mock osce workshop : participants played roles of students and examiners on a 4 station osce .
the day was rounded off with discussions between uk and libyan academics and medical educations on how assessment should be taken forward in libyan medical education .
the group discussed : how assessment should change to fit in with contemporary medical education in libyawhat assessment 
toolkit might workhow assessors and candidates should be prepared for assessments 
  how assessment should change to fit in with contemporary medical education in libya what assessment
the deans of the libyan medical schools have agreed that there is a need for change in assessment practices .
the lmbs endorsed this need for change and a lively discussion produced agreement on the following principles : libya needs to update assessment methodsplanning is key to successful developmentsthose in positions of responsibility for assessment must commit to the process of changeosces should be used throughout medical education ( undergraduate , postgraduate and education of professions allied to medicine)training and support to write and validate mcqs are requireda single comprehensive question bank should be created and used by all medical schools .
for each mcq , a standard should be set when it is entered into the bank and stored in the question bank as well , in order to identify hard and easy questionsassessors should be trained in assessment behaviors , particularly to help them behave in an objective and standardized manner .
crucially they need to understand the curriculum being tested and need to be able to give effective feedback.candidates should be given opportunities to learn about and practice assessments so that they understand assessments that they are expected to take , and have access to learning tools and resources to prepare themassessments must be fairresources are necessary to implement change on a wide scaleall key assessors must attend the acme assessment coursedespite the challenges to be faced , changes in assessment must be made as soon as possible 
  libya needs to update assessment methods planning is key to successful developments those in positions of responsibility for assessment must commit to the process of change osces should be used throughout medical education ( undergraduate , postgraduate and education of professions allied to medicine ) training and support to write and validate mcqs are required a single comprehensive question bank should be created and used by all medical schools . for each mcq
, a standard should be set when it is entered into the bank and stored in the question bank as well , in order to identify hard and easy questions assessors should be trained in assessment behaviors , particularly to help them behave in an objective and standardized manner .
crucially they need to understand the curriculum being tested and need to be able to give effective feedback .
candidates should be given opportunities to learn about and practice assessments so that they understand assessments that they are expected to take , and have access to learning tools and resources to prepare them assessments must be fair resources are necessary to implement change on a wide scale all key assessors must attend the acme assessment course despite the challenges to be faced , changes in assessment must be made as soon as possible it was agreed that concrete steps need to be taken and that the faculty of libyan medical schools need to identify : the time frame for change and key personnel who will take a lead in the change processresources and requirements to implement these changesa time frame for piloting the osce at one medical school 
  the time frame for change and key personnel who will take a lead in the change process resources and requirements to implement these changes a time frame for piloting the osce at one medical school
medical education is changing the world over and it is essential for libyan medical educators to keep abreast of local and international demands that are made of today 's healthcare providers .
medical educators have a responsibility to train professionals who are able to provide excellent clinical care . today
this means they need to understand and integrate clinical knowledge , skills and attitudes in order to be able to diagnose effectively and perform safely in the context of developing good relationships with patients and colleagues .
participants on this pilot course overwhelmingly agreed that there was much to be done and that change needed to happen .
participants debated how to take things forward and agreed that libya is ready to make changes to assessment .
this will require tools , equipment , time to change , training for all involved and , above all , it needs commitment to change .
 assessment is a powerful driver of student learning : it gives a message to learners about what they should be learning , what the learning organisation believes to be important , and how they should go about learning . 
 assessment tools allow measurement of student achievement and thereby give teachers insight into their students ' learning , and enable teachers to make systematic judgements about progress and achievement . 
 it is vital then that assessment tools drive students to learn the right things as well as measure student learning appropriately . 
 any attempts to reform curricula and teaching methods must consider the role of assessment in the learning process.libyan doctors and medical students have been calling for changes to teaching and assessment methods at undergraduate and postgraduate levels . 
 a team from the academic centre for medical education at university college , london have been running workshops in conjunction with the libyan board of medical specialties since 2006 to discuss strategic aims of assessment in medical education in libya for the 21st century and to deliver an assessment skills course to libyan educators . 
 this article outlines the course and the outcomes of preliminary discussions between academics from the uk , participants in the assessment courses and representatives from the libyan board of medical specialties . as a result of these discussions 
 it was agreed by all that libyan medical school assessment methods need updating and , despite significant challenges , changes in assessment must be made as soon as possible . 
 there is a real need for support in both addressing these changes and for practical training for assessors in contemporary assessment methods . 
Introduction
Current context
Assessment course aims and objectives
Course content and format of the day
Result of the discussion regarding the future of undergraduate assessment in Libya
Conclusion