In South Africa, the South African Medical Board $($SAMB$)$ conducts medical licensing examinations across the

country. Every six months, around $200,000$ medical students from $450$ training institutions, situated in $75$

different regions, undertake various components of the SAMB's six$-$part medical licensing qualification. The

current examination assessment process, which we will describe below, is both resource$-$intensive and timeconsuming. To address these challenges, the SAMB has initiated a project to investigate the feasibility of

implementing an online marking system. Below is an overview of the proposed system.

Current System:

Currently, after students complete their written examinations, the answer booklets are collected by invigilators

and then dispatched via secure couriers to the SAMB's central office located in Cape Town. From there, these

answer booklets are further sent to designated examiners scattered across the country. After the examiners

have reviewed and graded the answer booklets, they are returned to the central office for an arithmetic

verification process, ensuring that the marks tally correctly.

Once the verification is completed, the marks for each question answered are manually entered into a computer

system. This system not only provides a statistical analysis of the marks but also generates certificates for the

successful candidates. Some of the scripts are sent to external examiners for moderation to ensure that the

approved marking scheme is consistently applied. Additionally, scripts with arithmetic discrepancies are also

sent to examiners for review. All the answer booklets are stored securely at the central office. Presently, there

are six examiners, $500$ markers, and $250$ checkers involved in this process.

Proposed System:

The Online Marking Project $($OLMAP$)$ proposes a substantial transformation of this process. Instead of sending

answer booklets to the central office, they will be sent to a document$-$imaging center in Durban, where the handwritten scripts will be scanned into a computer system. Examiners will be provided with online access through

the Internet, allowing them to allocate specific scripts to individual markers. Once this allocation has taken place,

the scripts become available for online marking. Markers will access the scripts via the Internet and use a

specialized software that enables them to mark the scripts digitally, using simple mouse movements. The

software also automates the calculation of marks, eliminating the need for manual arithmetic checks.

Examiners have the capability to download marked scripts at any time for moderation purposes. This process

is further enhanced by the system's ability to conceal the marks initially given by the original marker, allowing

for a fair and objective moderation process. The system will also generate certificates for successful candidates,

streamlining the entire assessment cycle.

Project Considerations:

Leading the project is Thabo Molefe, the project manager. Thabo is eager to move forward with the project and

has identified a software package called "MediMark," developed by a reputable multinational software company,

which seems to meet all the requirements. He strongly believes that the transition to this software should be

initiated for all medical examination subjects, beginning with the upcoming examination session in $12$ months.

However, concerns have been raised by Dr$.$ Naledi Modise, a seasoned medical examiner, who attended a

demonstration of the MediMark software. Dr$.$ Modise expressed reservations about its performance and usability

in a nationwide context.

The project sponsor, Dr$.$ Lebohang Dlamini, is inclined towards a more cautious and deliberate approach. Dr$.$

Dlamini is concerned about the project's pace and would prefer to conduct a pilot run, initially implementing the

MediMark software for one or two medical examinations. This approach is driven by concerns about the

software's responsiveness, as a slow system could hinder the examination process.

Dr$.$ Modise has suggested that the MediMark software could be tested on the Advanced Surgical Procedures

examination, where examiners are technologically savvy and enthusiastic about adopting new assessment

tools. Unlike Thabo, Dr$.$ Dlamini is in favor of exploring the development of a bespoke solution, either in$-$house

or in collaboration with an external software development company. The ultimate goal is to create a system that

could potentially be offered to other medical examining bodies in the future.

Required:

$1)$ In the context of the South African Medical Board $($SAMB$),$ Dr$.$ Naledi Modise supports

the adoption of a software package, while Dr Lebohang Dlamini is in favour of a

bespoke application. Discuss whether a software package or a bespoke solution

should be used for SAMB.