Conducting online OSCEs aided by a novel time management web-based system

Sep 20, 2026

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Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are critical for assessing medical students, but remote delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic is challenging, especially for coordinating student movement between stations. A dynamic, secure, time-management website was developed to list permitted stations and their start/end times, enabling remote control of entry and monitoring of progress. Successful online exams demonstrated feasibility, cost effectiveness, and satisfaction, with outcomes comparable to traditional OSCEs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

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Shaban et al. BMC Medical Education (2021) 21:508 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02945-9](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-021-02945-9) RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access Conducting online OSCEs aided by a novel time management web-based system Sami Shaban 1*, Irfan Tariq 1, Margaret Elzubeir 1, Ahmed R Alsuwaidi2, Alsajir Basheer 1 and Mohi Magzoub 1 Abstract Background: Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) are an essential part of the assessment process for medical students. They have traditionally been face-to-face assessments, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, medical schools have been forced to attempt to carry them out remotely. OSCEs are difficult to carry out online due to rotation management aspects which make it difficult to synchronize movement of students from one station to another. Methods: The authors have developed a dynamic OSCE time management website which aids in solving the movement synchronization issue. This secure website enables participants to view the list of stations they are allowed to enter, and the start and end time of each station. OSCE administrators can control time of entry and monitor progress of the OSCE remotely. Results: The authors have used the system to conduct several exams successfully, showing the feasibility and cost effectiveness of this method, as well as user acceptance and satisfaction. In contrast to traditional OSCEs, students are set up in individual virtual rooms for the whole exam while examiners, simulated patients and proctors rotate between them. Conclusions: This online OSCE implementation shows feasibility, cost effectiveness and acceptance of this method. The authors found that student outcomes are comparable to traditional OSCEs conducted in the past. There was no significant difference in student marks in one exam compared to last year, while marks were slightly higher in two exams, potentially due to lack of physical exam stations. An unresolved drawback is the inability to assess physical exam stations online, although having students verbally describe what they would do in physical exam situations may be a partial solution. Keywords: OSCE, Time Management System, Online OSCE, Web OSCE, Virtual OSCE, COVID-19 Practice points 1. OSCEs are difficult to conduct online due to rotation management aspects which make it difficult to synchronize movement of students (or examiners and SPs ) from one station to another. 2. An OSCE time management website can aid in solving the movement synchronization issue. * Correspondence: [sami.shaban@uaeu.ac.ae](sami.shaban@uaeu.ac.ae) 1Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, PO Box 17666, Al Ain, UAE Full list of author information is available at the end of the article 3. Participants must be able to view the list of assigned stations along with start and end time. 4. OSCE administrators must be able to control time of entry and monitor progress of the OSCE remotely. Background Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCEs) area well-established tool for providing authentic, simulated, performance-based assessments in pre- and postregistration health professions education [1, 2]. OSCEs also facilitate learner in-person practice prior to clinical © The Author(s) . 2021 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4 . 0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by

FAQs

Why are OSCEs difficult to conduct online?

Online OSCEs are difficult because rotation management makes it hard to synchronize movement of students, examiners, and simulated patients from one station to another.

What does the proposed time-management system do?

The system provides a secure interface where participants can see the allowed stations and their start/end times, while OSCE administrators can control entry time and remotely monitor progress.

How did student performance compare with traditional OSCEs?

Student outcomes were comparable to traditional OSCEs. There was no significant difference in one exam compared with the previous year, while marks were slightly higher in two exams.

Sep 20, 2026

Uploaded by Graffin