Assessment workshop Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University 14 November 2006

ASSESSMENT THE ACHILLES’ HEEL OF LEARNING?

PURPOSE TO DISCUSS THE PROCESS OF ASSESSMENT IN NURSING EDUCATION OUTCOMES Is there a need for change regarding assessment in South Africa? Find innovative ways to assess theory Re-visit the design of practical assessment tools

FORMAT OF WORKSHOP INTERACTIVE WE ARE ALL CO-LEARNERS GROUP WORK LOTS OF FEEDBACK

ASSMT 04 THEORYPRACTICA Innovative AssessmentAssessment Tools Assessment Methods

SAQA: “The National Qualifications Framework (NQF) is a framework on which standards and qualifications, agreed to by education and training stakeholders throughout the country, are registered.” “The National Qualifications Framework (NQF) is a set of principles and guidelines by which records of learner achievements are registered to enable national recognition of acquired skills and knowledge, thereby ensuring an integrated system that encourages lifelong learning.”

ASSMT 04 Design and development of outcomes based assessments Demonstrate an understanding of design principles of outcomes based assessment Design outcomes based assessments Develop assessment activities Design and evaluate assessment guides

UNIT STANDARDS NSB Regulations define a unit standard as: “Registered statements of desired education and training outcomes and their associated assessment criteria together with administrative and other information as specified in the NSB regulations.” All learners are compared to the same standards It is clear what learners should know assessors should assess against moderators should moderate against

Critical Crossfield Outcomes Are generic life skills e.g. problem solving, teamwork, communication Have been neglected

Theoretical Assessment Is there an alternative to written examinations?

Practical/Clinical Assessment Longstanding problem of overcoming the risk of observer bias Resulted in the development of a plethora of clinical assessment tools which have subsequently been abandoned : ‘a long and tortured history’ [Wooley] More recent methods tend to involve continuous observation and incorporate reflection on practice The ‘specific competencies model’ is the most structured approach and the one that is favoured in nursing education today.