Formative Assessment in Teaching and Learning Anatomy: Perception of Teachers in a Medical College of West Bengal

The goal of continuous formative assessment (cFA) is to enhance learning. cFA gives feedback to teachers on teaching lacunae. Disadvantages are also there, including shortage of academic staff and implementation. From 2019, CBME curriculum implemented by MCI necessitated continuous formative assessment along with summative assessments. The aim of this study is to study perceptions of teachers towards cFA. This is a Cross Sectional study, performed during a period of 6 months in a medical college of West Bengal. Majority of students studying in 1st phase MBBS and all teachers of Anatomy Department participated. Standardized structured questionnaire was developed, distributed among participants, collected back and analysed. All faculty -members opined that cFA helps to improve students' performance and gave teachers feedback regarding their teaching lacunae. They said they consultedabout topics, and gave feedback to students, which helped students perform better in future.Teachers were content with current frequency of cFA; they regarded formative assessment to be more helpful in learning than summative assessment.In general, majority of the faculty members accepted utility of cFA in academics.