Efficacy of Near-Assisted Learning (NAL) in Improving Students' Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) Grades

Efficacy of Near-Assisted Learning (NAL) in Improving Students' OSCE Grades: A Single-Blinded RCT

Status

Completed

Phases

Study type

Interventional

Source

ClinicalTrials.gov

Registry ID

NCT04177979

Acronym

SRMC

Enrollment

Registered

2019-11-26

Start date

2019-04-06

Completion date

2019-04-30

Last updated

2019-11-26

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Cost, Peer Group, Problem-based Learning

Keywords

Near-assisted learning, Cost, Education environment, OSCE, Problem-based learning

Brief summary

This study aims to evaluate the impact of near-assisted learning (NAL) on first-year medical students' objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) grades in a problem-based learning (PBL) environment.

Detailed description

In this randomized controlled trial, 1st year medical students were recruited in the study along with selected highly-performing, trained peer-instructors. The participants were randomly allocated to two groups, an intervention group supervised by the instructors and the control group that had to practice independently. They would attend OSCE sessions and had their performance evaluated, later on, in an exam. In addition to comparing their performance with each other, scores of the previous batch were considered in the comparison.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALNear-assisted learning through trained peers

Students randomly allocated to this group were overseen during sessions by trained peer instructors.

Study design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Intervention model

PARALLEL

Primary purpose

OTHER

Masking

SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

The OSCE assessors were blinded

Intervention model description

Randomized single blinded trial

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

MALE

Healthy volunteers

Yes

Inclusion criteria

* 1st year medical students. * Medical students of Sulaiman Alrajhi Colleges. * Males.

Exclusion criteria

* Students of other academic levels. * 1st year medical students of other universities. * Females.

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) Score	Less than a month	After the sessions, the study sample participated in the final osce exam. Their scores were compared. The minimum value was 0 while the maximum value was 100. The higher the score the better students had performed

Countries

Saudi Arabia

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026