Structured or Traditional? Student and Faculty Perceptions of the Objective Structured Viva Examination in Anatomy Education in Eastern India
Rajasri Chunder, Suvarna Sande, Vaibhav AnjankarBackground:
In medical education, traditional viva examinations are often criticized for their subjectivity and lack of standardization, whereas Objective Structured Viva Examination (OSVE) is considered to enhance fairness and objectivity in oral assessment. Despite its proven educational value, evidence from Eastern India remains scarce. This study explores perceptions of 1 st -year MBBS students and faculty regarding OSVE implementation in Anatomy in Eastern India.
Materials and Methods:
A convergent mixed-method design was conducted among 108 1 st -year MBBS students and seven anatomy faculty members at a medical college in Eastern India. Two validated feedback questionnaires (content validity was high (S-CVI/Ave = 0.94 for students; 1.00 for faculty; Cronbach’s α showed high internal consistency for students) were administered postassessment. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, while inductive content analysis was done with the qualitative responses.
Results:
A majority of students (50%–76%) agreed that OSVE was fair, structured, and covered a wide range of knowledge, although some variability in responses was observed. Faculty responses demonstrated high agreement across items (86%–100%). Qualitative content analysis identified five key categories, which supported and explained quantitative findings, particularly in relation to fairness, structure, and time-related concerns.
Conclusion:
Both students and faculty perceived OSVE as fair, transparent, and educationally valuable. Despite logistical challenges, strong endorsement supports OSVE as a credible tool for Anatomy assessment under competency based medical education. Findings align with other perception-based studies emphasizing OSVE’s fairness and validity.