Education, Dentistry and Social work : Assessment for development of professional competence in a culturally heterogeneous society (Malmö)

Abstract

The aim of the project is to use assessment in developing students’ professional competence during their courses of studies for qualification as social workers, teachers and dentists in a culturally heterogeneous society. The difficulty of uniting theory and practise into a cohesive whole is solved by the use of “simulated” authentic situations. The students describe critical professional situations. These are also described by experts. The students compare their analysis and interpretations with those given by the experts. They are used in self-assessment, group discussion and examination. The situations are characterized partly by specific theoretical knowledge and partly by the obscure. In practice, the concept means that the students describe, analyse and act, compare their own handling of the situation with others’ and articulate their need to further develop their competence. Access to a learning management system (LMS) means that everything is documented and easy to search through. For courses, the project results in a useful model with specific reference to the central connection between theory and practice. In essence the model is common, but adjusted to the different courses of study and the varying requirements of the professions. It can also be used in other courses of stud