OLA Features Improve Participants’ Experience
2021;14(2):9
Online Longitudinal Assessment (OLA) has many features that provide flexibility in how diplomates participate. The question decline option, four-week question availability, and My OLA History allow for a more customized and meaningful experience. Here are details about how these features work.
Declining a Question
Most diplomates have the option to decline up to 10 questions per year. The opportunity to decline a question is only available after a diplomate has chosen to answer a question. The next available question is displayed when the diplomate clicks the “Answer Now” button on the question ready page. The diplomate can see the question, answer options, and images or other media associated with the question. At this point, the decline option becomes available.
Choosing to decline a question uses a question opportunity (most diplomates receive 104 per year), but the question is not scored, so declining does not impact OLA performance. This remains true as long as diplomates have enough remaining question opportunities to complete their annual progress requirement. Diplomates may choose to decline a question for any reason, but most report using the option for questions that are outside their normal scope of clinical work. Less than three percent of OLA questions have been declined, but it’s nice to know the option is there.
Four-Week Question Availability
Every week, most diplomates are issued two OLA question opportunities. The OLA annual progress requirement for most diplomates is to answer 52 questions per year. Each question opportunity is available for four weeks after it is issued. Therefore, diplomates can choose to answer questions as soon as they are available or wait and answer up to a month’s worth at one time. They should keep in mind, however, that after a question expires, they have lost that opportunity. Toward the end of the year, diplomates who haven’t answered questions regularly should pay attention to how many opportunities they have left and when those questions expire.
My OLA History
Diplomates who want to see an archive of their latest 250 answered questions can do so by clicking on the “My OLA History” tab at the top of the OLA home page. Here, answered questions are sorted by date, answer (correct vs. incorrect), confidence rating, and clinical practice area (only for diagnostic radiology). “My OLA History” also includes question rationales and references as well as the date the question was answered.
