Learning and assessing competence in reflective practice: student evaluation of the relative value of aspects of an integrated, interactive reflective practice syllabus

Although the literature is rich with information on the value of reflective practice, there is a paucity of information on techniques to assess whether professionals have learnt this essential skill. In this article, we describe the introduction and evaluation of an innovative, integrated, interactive approach to teaching and assessing competence in reflective practice using an online self directed learning package. As part of a new staff start up scholarship of teaching and learning grant project in an Australian university, we converted an existing one day reflective practice workshop for undergraduate nursing students to an interactive online learning package that could also be applicable for students in other health professions. The assessment of learning in the package was integrated with overall clinical competence assessment using Tanner's Clinical Judgement Model and Lasater's Clinical Judgement rubric to enable immediate online feedback to students on their progress. In this article, we focus on those aspects of the package that students evaluated as most beneficial to their learning, specifically immediate feedback by lecturers guided by Lasater's rubric