For this last blog for block two FOAP, I am going to discuss fostering learning through assessment. Reading literature and journals on this topic has provided ideas for assessment redevelopment for BSc Oral Health Sciences.
Clinical Practice 3 was assessed by written paper covering the learning objectives of the course. The objectives could still be achieved by overhauling the assessment format to an OSCE (Observed Structured Clinical Examination) model.
An OSCE is a summative assessment requiring students to carry out a practical task or written based submission revolving around several stations. A selection of the stations may be manned where students will perform a task or discuss a situation in front of an examiner, or they can be independent such as identifying an object. Students are given an allocated time in which to answer or perform the task and rotate around each station, there is no opportunity to return to a station.
I believe this style of examination fosters a learning approach to assessment. Carless (2007) mentions tasks within assessment should “mirror the real world”. This is easily achievable with OSCE style assessment, for example students within our discipline are required to demonstrate basic life support skills. Creating a situation/role play scenario with a mannequin requires the student to display the correct procedure whilst assessing their ability to adapt their knowledge to suit different patient ailments. It’s good preparation for real-life medical emergencies, where students would be expected to care for a patient and if required perform coronary pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
However, there are areas of the discipline we assess in the traditional “simple models” which don’t foster deep learning within our student cohort. (Ramsden, 2003) Anatomy and physiology (AP) is assessed in two hour, six 20-mark questions in which students state their acquired theoretical knowledge. It is evident that students struggle to adopt deep learning techniques when studying this module through the performance in the examination. The factual content of AP is extensive and requires a lot of discipline by the students to manage their study time effectively to cover all content.
When marking AP, students who perform well on the examination verbatim learn lecture slides, like an actor learns a script, and are in a perfectly correct sequence with the lecture slide content. I can sympathise with students as this method may seem like an only option to retain vast amount of facts. Thus, proving the assessment style requires an overhaul to encourage students to adopt a deep learning approach to their studies.
Both Ramsden (2003) and Carless (2007) suggest that including students in the assessment process can help to foster deep learning. Carless (2007) mentions student inclusion in the paper “institutional quality assurance guidelines”, an example he states that student inclusion in assessment process;
“helped them to prepare for their self-evaluation ” and its purpose was “for students to try and unpack the discourse of assessment criteria and develop a deeper understanding of the qualities of a good assignment.” (Carless, 2007)
This example illustrates that student incorporation in standard setting of course assessment allows students to make an educated judgement on what constitutes a good assessment and
therefore how to study to achieve excellent academic results. I can appreciate this concept works effectively for summative essay type assessments.
In my opinion, the current AP examination requires changing to a completely different assessment style. For example, a 50/50 examination paper of single best answers worth one or two marks each (SBAs) and a separate viva/presentation on a topic, instead of the current six 20-mark short answer questions. The SBAs would allow the student to demonstrate their widely acquired knowledge of AP, with any missed or incorrect questions carrying a minimum penalty. The viva requires the student to present to peers and examiners for 5/10 mins on a topic from AP which the student has chosen in advance to research. Examiners and peers would be able to ask questions on the topic at the end of the presentation, allowing the candidate to demonstrate the depth of knowledge on the chosen subject.
This change to the AP assessment would help students to foster learning through assessment, as it is not solely focused on knowledge regurgitation. Through the presentation, the candidate will be able to demonstrate their own interpretation and understanding of the anatomical or physiological topic of choice. Students are expected to communicate and describe physiological conditions as part of their profession. The viva is the initial preparation towards future conversations they will conduct with patients, thus emulating a real-life situation within the viva assessment. (Carless, 2007) The SBA allows the student to demonstrate a broad knowledge of all topics without a huge loss of marks or potential failure for any minor gaps in knowledge. Students could be incorporated into the assessment by assisting with the development of the marking criteria for the viva/presentation.
UKPSF Dimensions – A3, A4, V1, K1, K2, K3, K5 and K6
Reference List
Carless, D. (2007) ‘Learning-orientated assessment: conceptual bases and practical implications’, Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 44(1), pp. 57-66. Available at: https://www.victoria.ac.nz/education/pdf/david-carless-3.pdf (Accessed: 30 June 2018)
Ramsden, P. (2003) Learning to teach in higher education second edition. Oxon: RoutledgeFalmer.