Assessing Learning

Module title	Assessing Learning
Module code	HPDM104
Academic year	2021/2
Credits	15
Module staff	Professor Sarah Bradley (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks		6

Number students taking module (anticipated)	20

Module description

Herein we introduce the knowledge, skills and some tools required of teachers' assessing clinical learners, including validity, reliability and utility. You will learn how to design appropriate assessments for testing knowledge, skills and attitudes. You will also learn about face-to-face assessment, such as those appropriate in the workplace, and how to assess work submitted in both written and e-formats.

Your assessment will involve the design of either an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) or a Work-Based Assessment (WBA). You will need to include a short history of your chosen examination, why assessments needed to change and who were the proponents of the changes and critique the assessment that you design using the Van der Vleuten ‘equation’. Your design will be described in a 2000-word essay, excluding tables, forms, patient script, student instructions etc. These should be added as appendices.

Module aims - intentions of the module

Like other modules on this course, this module aims to give you both a sound knowledge base of principles and an understanding of their application in professional practice.

Whilst descriptions of assessment design sound convincing in written accounts – like much of education, the practice and application is considerably different and more challenging – especially in the context of professional practice. Through online pre-course preparation materials, we introduce the principles of assessment. The module then focusses on how these principles are applied in practice.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge, understanding and critical evaluation of the contemporary assessment evidence base in a variety of practical clinical education contexts
2. Critically appraise the utilisation and practical application of a wide range of different assessment tools

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

3. Explain in detail, the educational importance and composition of comprehensive student support before, during and after assessment

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

4. Evidence the professional ability to design and implement an assessment in detail and in context
5. Demonstrate the ability to construct an appropriate practical assessment drawn from your professional skills.

Syllabus plan

Whilst the module’s precise content may vary from year to year, an example of an overall structure is as follows:

What is assessment?

Assessment types

Formative / Summative

Reliability, Validity, Educational Impact etc

Choosing professionally relevant curriculum areas that require assessment (Knowledge, Skills, Attitudes)

Aligning Assessment with Intended Learning Outcomes

Model Assessment techniques

Ways to present the results of assessment

Supporting learners through the assessment process

Professionally determined assessment (e.g. Clinical Skills)

Face-to-face scheduled lectures may be replaced by short pre-recorded videos for each topic (15-20 minutes) and/or brief overview lectures delivered via MS Teams/Zoom, with learning consolidated by self-directed learning resources and ELE activities.
Small-group discussion in tutorials and seminars may be replaced by synchronous group discussion on Teams/ Zoom; or asynchronous online discussion, for example via Yammer or ELE Discussion board
Workshops involving face-to-face classroom teaching may be replaced by synchronous sessions on Teams/Zoom; or Asynchronous workshop activities supported with discussion forum
Skills workshops involving practical skills acquisition demonstrations may be replaced by short pre-recorded videos as pre-learning; or workshop via Teams/Zoom.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
16	134	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled learning & teaching activities	16 hours	All student taught sessions (2x8 hour sessions)
Guided independent study	34 hours	Online pre-course preparation, formative assessment and preparation for practical assessment
Guided independent study	100 hours	Post- course assignment preparation

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Maintenance of logbook discussion		1-5	Oral feedback from Tutor
Practical demonstration of assessment at work with appropriate feedback (video of work-based assessment or role-play). Critical analytical account of process.	30-60 minutes practical demonstration	1-5	Oral and written feedback from peers supervised by module leads.

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
OSCE or WBA Design	100	2000 words	1-5	Written feedback from module leads
	0
	0
	0
	0
	0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
OSCE or WBA Design (100%)	OSCE and WBA Design (2000 words)	1-5	Typically within six weeks of the result

Re-assessment notes

Please refer to the TQA section on Referral/Deferral: http://as.exeter.ac.uk/academic-policy-standards/tqa-manual/aph/consequenceoffailure/

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Introduction to the general principles of teaching and learning

Teaching in Further Education: An Outline of Principles and Practices by Curzon and Tummons (Bloomsbury). An excellent introduction to the principles of teaching and learning for all professionals.
Teaching, training and learning; a practical guide by Reece and Walker (Business Education Publishers Limited). Now out of print, but the 4^th edition (2000) available on online book retailers very cheaply. Remains probably the best practical introduction to teaching.

Application of teaching and learning to clinical professions:

ABC of Learning and Teaching in Medicine by Peter Cantillon and Dianna Wood. (BMJ Publishing). A good basic introduction.
Understanding Medical Education; Evidence Theory and Practice. Edited by Tim Swanwick. (Wiley-Blackwell). An excellent more detailed account with good references to further work. Each chapter is written by leaders in their fields.

These books constitute the core textbooks for this course.

Key words search

Formative, summative, assessment, workplace

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	7
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	01/02/2016
Last revision date	13/08/2021