A comparative study of objectively structured and traditional viva voce for second-year MBBS students

Background: The traditional viva voce (TVV) has been criticised for its subjectivity and susceptibility to academic and non-academic biases related to both teachers and students. To address these concerns, the objectively structured viva voce (OSVV) format has been proposed. This study compared the effectiveness of OSVV with that of TVV and explored the perceptions of second-year MBBS students and faculty members towards OSVV.Method: A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted with ۱۰۲ second-year MBBS students. Each student underwent both TVV and OSVV assessments. The mean scores obtained through both methods were calculated. A Likert scale-based questionnaire was administered to students and faculty members to assess their perceptions of OSVV. The results were analysed using percentages and frequencies.Results: The mean score achieved in OSVV (۱۲.۸۰ ± ۱.۷۳) was significantly higher than that in TVV (۱۱.۳۰ ± ۱.۸۰). A total of ۷۶.۴% of students strongly agreed that OSVV was fairer than TVV. All faculty members (۱۰۰%) strongly agreed that OSVV was a more structured method, comprehensively covering the syllabus across various levels of difficulty.Conclusion: OSVV was found to be a more effective and equitable method of viva assessment compared with TVV. Both students and faculty members perceived OSVV as a fairer and more structured approach. While some participants considered it stressful and time-consuming, these concerns can be mitigated through ongoing training and orientation for both students and faculty.

کلیدواژه ها:

Assessment tool ، Traditional Viva Voce (TVV) ، Objectively Structured Viva Voce (OSVV)