Session 6.1: Do students' perceptions of feedback change between year 1, 2 and 3 of a programme?
Health
Mrs Pamela Hindmoor, New College Durham
This study investigated how students on a BSc (Hons) Podiatry programme perceived the purpose of feedback and how this feedback was used. A focus group was used initially to explore students’ views of feedback. The views and opinions which emerged from the focus group discussion were incorporated into the design of a questionnaire which was given to all students on the programme.
The findings from this study suggest that students perceive the purpose of feedback differently depending on the year of study. There is also evidence that students use feedback received differently as they progress through the programme. The data suggests that there is a transition from students using feedback passively to gauge how well they are doing in the early stages of the programme to adopting an active approach in the later stages of the programme.
Session 6.2: Using digital technology to support mentor assessment of student nurse competence in practice
Nursing and Midwifery
Mrs Siân Shaw, Anglia Ruskin University
This paper will describe the successful implementation of an electronic competency-based practice assessment document for 30 first year paediatric student nurses. The aim of the session is to present the outcomes of the trial including the benefits for students mentors and tutors. The challenges encountered during the trial will be highlighted alongside solutions. The outcomes of the project will be discussed including the on-going Health Education England funded (£100 000) project which has extended the trial to an additional 200 second year student nurses.
Session 6.3: Simulation: transforming student learning through additions of innovations in learning teaching and assessment
Nursing and Midwifery
Dr Sharon Edwards, Buckinghamshire New University
Aims of the session:
- Show how nurse simulation can come alive with the integration of a variety of learning and teaching strategies such as ‘real life’ stories ‘live’ actors as patients combined with medium technology manikins.
- Identify how using a variety of assessment approaches such as the use of self can effectively be used to assess nurse’s own performance in a simulation of practice and peer assessment using a control room and videos and combining this with a capstone transformative assessment.
Session 6.4: Assessing the assessment of an evidence base
General
Dr Breda McTaggart, Institute of Technology Sligo
Research and resulting evidence based practice is a key requirement of quality health and social care provision. Within higher education environments the production and publication of this evidence occurs primarily at post graduate level; however there is an increased recognition and dissemination of knowledge produced at undergraduate level. Consideration on the quality of such research outputs was therefore undertaken within programmes of learning in this field resulting in discussions on how to improve the process to make any undergraduate knowledge produced as rigorous as possible. These reflections resulted in the introduction of anonymised marking of the undergraduate thesis. This paper discusses this change outlining the logistical challenges in engaging in this assessment method in a case study learning environment where student and staff relationships are considered key to student success. Identifying some surprises on the way both for staff and students explaining how these are been addressed into the future.
Session 6.5: Supporting difficult decisions: Helping placement supervisors faced with struggling trainees
Interdisciplinary
Dr Ian Smith, Lancaster University
Practice placement supervisors in the field are frequently positioned as gatekeepers to health and social care professions by virtue their role in the assessment of the trainees they supervise. However research in the fields of both medicine and clinical psychology suggests that supervisors in this role struggle to take action to deal with poor performance and to make decisions about failure when appropriate. In this session I will aim increase awareness of the potential barriers supervisors face in making such decisions through presenting both my own and others’ research in this area and then facilitate workshop discussions to develop strategies that could be used to deal with this at individual programme and broader professional levels.
