Strengthening partnerships: The involvement of health care providers in the evaluation of authentic assessment within midwifery undergraduate education
Categorie(s):
Health
Author(s):
Amanda G. Carter, Mary Sidebotham, Debra K. Creedy, Jennifer Fenwick, Jenny Gamble
a b s t r a c t
Collaborative partnerships between health care providers and academics are essential in the provision of
quality undergraduate midwifery programs. While health care providers often contribute to clinical
assessment and teaching in midwifery programs, they are rarely involved in assessment design and
evaluation.
This paper describes the evaluation of an assessment task designed to develop critical thinking skills in
final year undergraduate midwifery students. Health care providers' involvement sought to confirm the
authenticity and validity of the assessment task and facilitate further engagement.
A mixed method descriptive study design was used. After reviewing a sample of student work, health
care providers completed a 20 item survey and participated in a focus group. Survey items were based on
the domains of Educational Acceptability, Educational Impact and Preparation for Practice. Participants
gave high scores for each domain and commented positively on the innovative nature of the assessment,
students' ability to undertake in-depth analysis of complex cases, and development of student's critical
thinking skills. Participants also reported greater confidence in students' competence and the program.
Involving health care providers in evaluation of an assessment task validated the assessment,
contributed to clinicians' perceptions of student credibility, and fostered strong links between the program and industry.
ISSN:
1471-5953
eISSN:
1471-5953
Description:
Nurse Education in Practice enables lecturers and practitioners to both share and disseminate evidence that demonstrates the actual practice of education as it is experienced in the realities of their respective work environments, that is both in the University/faculty and clinical settings. It is supportive of new authors and is at the forefront in publishing individual and collaborative papers that demonstrate the link between education and practice.