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[1] Web-Based Examinations Come of Age

Toronto, Ontario

Certification programs are commonly embraced in the computer community, where one can obtain formal credentials from Microsoft, CompTIA or other authorities in a specific area of technical expertise such as knowing how to use Linux or Windows 2000, or how to program in C or HTML. Most certification program examinations cost between $100 and $200 US and are administered by computer at proctored testing sites around North America just like the current LMCC examination facing Canadian medical graduates.

Brainbench.com and its poorer cousin ecertifications.com are websites offering inexpensive but unproctored web-based examinations for individuals seeking certification in a particular knowledge domain. Brainbench is the best developed, offering some 350 examinations covering everything from Internet security to telephone etiquette (the later and similar office-related examinations being aimed at evaluating potential filing clerks, receptionists and secretaries). While the selection of examinations is richest in the computer arena, it also offers a surprising number of health-care related examinations aimed at paramedics and nurses who wish to demonstrate their continuing professional development. Some of the certification exams are particularly easy for anesthesiologists - I effortlessly passed examinations on medical terminology, CPR and a number of other medical topics, although my biochemistry knowledge was way too faded for me to pass that particular exam.

Both web-based certification programs are quite inexpensive - examinations are currently free at ecertifications.com, and cost $20 US each at Brainbench.com, with an option for a $100 US annual subscription allowing as many examinations as you wish to take. (Until recently examinations were also free at Brainbench.) In the case of the ecertifications site, successful candidates are offered an instant e-certificate in PDF format that is almost suitable for framing (provided you print it out on certificate-quality paper); successful Brainbench candidates are sent a real signed certificate in the mail in addition to having their certifications displayed online by entering the appropriate transcript number (such as 1791881, my number).

Brainbench also has a comprehensive discussion forum whereby one can make suggestions or do a little bragging. A number of individuals, obviously technically well-rounded, have collected large numbers of Brainbench certificates in what has become a friendly contest among folks across the globe to collect the largest number of unique certifications. However, enthusiasm for collecting these certifications fell dramatically once Brainbench started charging. Regardless, so far a small handful of individuals among the over three million Brainbench users have broken the rarified "100 certifications" barrier.

The Brainbench site also offers a number of useful educational resources for individuals who wish to prepare for an examination. These include information on newsgroups, web sites and discussion forums that may be of value. In addition, Brainbench offers sample examinations (based on retired questions) that may be purchased.

The unproctored character of the examination process with Brainbench and ecertification.com is a concern to some, as cheating is very easy. Also, the examinations are "open-book" in nature, and allow one to draw on paper and electronic resources as needed. This has led a number of people to question the value of certifications of this kind. However, employers can eliminate these concerns by simply testing candidates at their own premises under the watchful eye of a local proctor. Also, there is no reason why a proctoring process could not be added in the same way as a number of open universities operate, with candidates arranging for a suitable proctor (such as a high-school principal) to be present to attest that the examination was completed honestly. Indeed, with web cam technology and other remote monitoring technologies now on the horizon, there is little reason why the proctor will need to be physically close to the test candidate!

I fully expect that this technology will soon be adapted for medical education purposes. For instance, clinical clerks might take the written portion of their anesthesia examination in this way, under the proctorship of the departmental secretary. If several universities were to coordinate their efforts, the size of the question pool could be made quite large and all questions could be scientifically validated - something rarely done in current anesthesia clerkship examinations. Universities could also see how their students do relative to other universities and take corrective actions where deficiencies are identified.

The possibilities offered by web technology in education is truly striking. For more insights into what one can expect in the future, take a look at some of the efforts also underway on the web at medschool.com, freetutorials.com, med2learn.com, click2learn.com, blackboard.com and worldwidelearn.com.

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