Assessment of Work-Integrated Learning: Comparison of the Usage of a Grading Rubric by Supervising Radiographers and Teachers

Introduction Professional work-integrated learning (WIL) that integrates the academic experience with off-campus professional experience placements is an integral part of many tertiary courses. Issues with the reliability and validity of assessment grades in these placements suggest that there is a need to strengthen the level of academic rigour of placements in these programmes. This study aims to compare the attitudes to the usage of assessment rubrics of radiographers supervising medical imaging students and teachers supervising pre-service teachers. Methods WIL placement assessment practices in two programmes, pre-service teacher training (Avondale College of Higher Education, NSW) and medical diagnostic radiography (Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW), were compared with a view to comparing assessment strategies across these two different educational domains. Educators (course coordinators) responsible for teaching professional development placements of teacher trainees and diagnostic radiography students developed a standards-based grading rubric designed to guide assessment of students’ work during WIL placement by assessors. After ~12 months of implementation of the rubrics, assessors’ reaction to the effectiveness and usefulness of the grading rubric was determined using a specially created survey form. Data were collected over the period from March to June 2011. Quantitative and qualitative data found that assessors in both programmes considered the grading rubric to be a vital tool in the assessment process, though teacher supervisors were more positive about the benefits of its use than the radiographer supervisors. Results Benefits of the grading rubric included accuracy and consistency of grading, ability to identify specific areas of desired development and facilitation of the provision of supervisor feedback. The use of assessment grading rubrics is of benefit to assessors in WIL placements from two very different teaching programmes. Conclusion Radiographers appear to need more training in the rubric\u27s use, whereas teachers are found to generally use it appropriately. There are implications drawn from this finding that are applicable to health science and medical education in general

Being a university teacher: Teaching in professions

University teachers are a heterogeneous group, reflective of the society from which they are drawn, but can be considered in three loose groupings. One group is made up of people who are primarily educators and who hold educational qualifications in support of their academic roles. Another group hold qualifications in a health profession such as nursing and forego their professional practice in order to become full-time university teachers

Understanding the place of assessment standards: a case study in medical diagnostic radiography

This chapter presents a case study of an attempt to deal with the issue of assessment in clinical placements. A solution was to establish an Australian national standard in assessment for all educators involved in the particular discipline of medical diagnostic radiography. Rather than reinventing the wheel, the Australian national standard already established for speech pathology (Ferguson, McAllister, McAllister, & Lincoln, 2006) was used as a guideline. This chapter, therefore, summarises the experience of developing national assessment standards in the discipline of medical diagnostic radiography. The authors believe the lessons learned can be applied to many other health professions

Academic perceptions amongst educators towards eLearning tools in dental education

This paper reports an explorative study about academic educators’ perceptions towards learning management systems (LMS) and eLearning tools as used in dental education. Fifty-five educators participated in an online survey which explored their views on eLearning tools within the context of their own professional training background and teaching needs. In general, educators felt that the eLearning LMS (also known as WebCT/Blackboard) was a tool that suited their teaching and learning needs in terms of flexibility, interactivity and accessibility despite a significant level of self-reported lack of competence in the technology. The paper describes current eLearning professional development initiatives in light of these findings

Management of dental emergencies by medical practitioners : recommendations for Australian education and training

Dental emergencies commonly present to EDs and primary care consultations. The medical practitioner is often ill-prepared in the primary management of dental emergencies because of a lack of education in this field of practice. A published work review covering the nature, incidence, education and training surrounding this topic is presented together with recommendations for Australian practice

Managing dental emergencies : a descriptive study of the effects of a multimodal educational intervention for primary care providers at six months

Background: Clinicians providing primary emergency medical care often receive little training in the management of dental emergencies. A multimodal educational intervention was designed to address this lack of training. Sustained competency in managing dental emergencies and thus the confidence to provide this care well after an educational intervention is of particular importance for remote and rural healthcare providers where access to professional development training may be lacking. Methods: A descriptive study design with a survey instrument was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief educational intervention for primary care clinicians. The survey was offered immediately before and at six months following the intervention. A Wilcoxon signed rank test was performed on pre and six month post-workshop matched pair responses, measuring self-reported proficiency in managing dental emergencies. The level of significance was set at p < 0.001. Confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for participants who scored an improved proficiency. Results: The educational intervention was associated with a significant and sustained increase in proficiency and confidence to treat, especially in oral local anaesthesia, management of avulsed teeth and dental trauma, as reported by clinicians at six months after the education. This was associated with a greater number of cases where dental local anaesthesia was utilised by the participants. Comments from participants before the intervention, noted the lack of dental topics in professional training. Conclusions: The sustained effects of a brief multimodal educational intervention in managing dental emergencies on practice confidence and proficiency demonstrates its value as an educational model that could be applied to other settings and health professional groups providing emergency primary care, particularly in rural and remote settings

Can a four-hour interactive workshop on the management of dental emergencies be effective in improving self reported levels of clinician proficiency?

Background: Management of dental emergencies is a clinical problem facing many primary care providers who have often received little training in this area. Aim: This study evaluated the impact of a four-hour interactive workshop on clinicians' self reported proficiency in managing common dental emergencies. Method: A descriptive study design using a questionnaire type survey instrument was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief interactive workshop. Results: The workshop positively impacted proficiency, especially in oral local anaesthesia, management of avulsed teeth and dental trauma. Open comments from participants focused on the lack of dental topics in professional training. Recommendations: Further education is required in the management of dental emergencies such as odontogenic infections, dental local anaesthesia, trauma, intra-oral haemorrhage and in dental nomenclature. Conclusions: An effective interactive workshop intervention employing blended instructional techniques may help improve the management of dental emergencies and patient outcomes