Peer assessing in Higher Education: perspectives of students and staff

The aim of this paper was to provide a brief overview of contemporary peer assessment literature and to report the findings of a project investigating the subjective experiences and attitudes of students and staff who participate in a peer assessment task. Twenty-four students, a lecturer and a subject coordinator participated in the study. Students completed pre- and post-peer assessment task surveys and the lecturer participated in a one-on-one interview. While students predominantly agreed that peer assessment was a positive and worthwhile experience, three themes emerged for future consideration, these are: validity and objectivity, confidence, and workload

A systematic review of research on outrigger canoe paddling and racing

Purpose: Research on outrigger canoe paddling performance is in its infancy and only began in the late 1990s. This paper systematically identified and reviewed previously published peer-reviewed articles and theses, and summarized the findings with the aim of defining the current state of knowledge on the sport. Method: Using a systematic review, searches were conducted on PubMed MEDLINE, Academic Search Premier, Cochrane Library databases and Google Scholar for articles published up to June 2014. A standard systematic review process was applied to sift abstracts and full texts to obtain and extract data on study characteristics, measurements and recommendations. Results: Twenty-seven articles by eleven lead authors were identified. There was fairly close consensus on anthropometrics, peak physiological measurements, stroke variables, injury prevalence and paddle design. Most non-injury studies relied on small data sets and had limited statistical power. Conclusions: The results identified in this review provide a starting point for more systematic research that identifies and quantifies performance predictors in outrigger canoe racing

A systematic review of research on outrigger canoe paddling and racing

Purpose: Research on outrigger canoe paddling performance is in its infancy and only began in the late 1990s. This paper systematically identified and reviewed previously published peer-reviewed articles and theses, and summarized the findings with the aim of defining the current state of knowledge on the sport. Method: Using a systematic review, searches were conducted on PubMed MEDLINE, Academic Search Premier, Cochrane Library databases and Google Scholar for articles published up to June 2014. A standard systematic review process was applied to sift abstracts and full texts to obtain and extract data on study characteristics, measurements and recommendations. Results: Twenty-seven articles by eleven lead authors were identified. There was fairly close consensus on anthropometrics, peak physiological measurements, stroke variables, injury prevalence and paddle design. Most non-injury studies relied on small data sets and had limited statistical power. Conclusions: The results identified in this review provide a starting point for more systematic research that identifies and quantifies performance predictors in outrigger canoe racing

Balancing the COVID-19 disruption to undergraduate learning and assessment with an academic student support package: implications for student achievement and engagement

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic-induced emergency pivot to online teaching and assessment, an Academic Safety Net was implemented at a regional Australian university to provide academic student support. Bayesian hierarchical models were used to compare student performance between 2019 and 2020. More students withdrew from subjects in 2020, while fewer students remained enrolled but failed. While there was no overall year effect for overall student achievement, exam achievement increased and on-course assessment achievement decreased in 2020. When achievement was analysed according to an assessment task change, a year effect emerged, with the magnitude and direction of the effect dependent on the task changes. The results indicate that the enrolment component of the Academic Safety Net was an effective equity measure that enabled students an extended opportunity to self-withdraw in response to general impacts of the pandemic; while the results component protected the integrity of results awarded during the emergency pivot

Developing the next generation of occupational therapists: use of learning communities to facilitate student understanding of authentic occupational therapy tasks

Background: Active engagement in activities using critical thinking to understand assessment requirements is known to improve students' performance. This project aimed to facilitate occupational therapy students' understanding of professional report writing based on practice education. Method: A series of workshops were run with a cohort of occupational therapy students in their first and then their second year of studies. Workshops focused on students co-creating assessment handy hints with activities progressively graded to increase student independence. Activities included critique of exemplars and student peer-to-peer critique of assignment drafts. Evaluation and ana lysis was through an online survey containing likert scale and open ended questions. Discussion/Outcomes: A higher proportion of responding first year students than second year students felt: 1) the workshops provided clarity of assessment expectations; and 2) exemplars of a high and low grade assisted in understanding assessment standards. A higher proportion of responding second year students than first year students felt: 1) the workshops provided an opportunity to develop and/or demonstrate their ability to contribute effectively to team-based tasks; and 2) the workshops were useful for their learning. Different student engagement styles also emerged: prescriptive, facilitative and se lf directive. Conclusion: Outcomes and reasons for participating in assessment handy hints workshops were different between first and second year and also between students within the same year. This project assists in understanding where resources can be directed in order to facilitate the development of occupational therapy students into our next generation of occupational therapists

Developing the next generation of occupational therapists: use of learning communities to facilitate student understanding of authentic occupational therapy tasks

Background: Active engagement in activities using critical thinking to understand assessment requirements is known to improve students' performance. This project aimed to facilitate occupational therapy students' understanding of professional report writing based on practice education. Method: A series of workshops were run with a cohort of occupational therapy students in their first and then their second year of studies. Workshops focused on students co-creating assessment handy hints with activities progressively graded to increase student independence. Activities included critique of exemplars and student peer-to-peer critique of assignment drafts. Evaluation and ana lysis was through an online survey containing likert scale and open ended questions. Discussion/Outcomes: A higher proportion of responding first year students than second year students felt: 1) the workshops provided clarity of assessment expectations; and 2) exemplars of a high and low grade assisted in understanding assessment standards. A higher proportion of responding second year students than first year students felt: 1) the workshops provided an opportunity to develop and/or demonstrate their ability to contribute effectively to team-based tasks; and 2) the workshops were useful for their learning. Different student engagement styles also emerged: prescriptive, facilitative and se lf directive. Conclusion: Outcomes and reasons for participating in assessment handy hints workshops were different between first and second year and also between students within the same year. This project assists in understanding where resources can be directed in order to facilitate the development of occupational therapy students into our next generation of occupational therapists

Planning for sedentary behaviour interventions: office workers' survey and focus group responses

Aims: As sedentary behaviour is becoming more prominent in office-based work environments, this study aimed to explore office workers' perception of sedentary behaviour, explore potential behavioural strategies to reduce sedentary behaviour in the workplace and identify barriers which may hamper behaviour change. Methods: A total of 140 office workers were recruited and surveyed from the same workplace. The survey included questions regarding perception of relationship between sitting time and health. Following the survey, 12 employees also participated in focus groups to identify potential sedentary behaviour intervention strategies and barriers. The responses from the survey and focus groups were thematically analysed. Results: In total, 88% of all participants surveyed agreed that there was a relationship between sitting time and their health. The most prominent theme identified was musuloskeletal complaints followed by general health and weight gain or obesity. The focus groups identified that interventions targeting reducing siting time should include education, supportive and knowledgeable managers, and a variety of behaviour change strategies to address individual preferences and barriers. Conclusion: Multiple behavioural strategies were identified, which appear to be appropriate for sedentary behaviour change

The assessment partnership –assessing student readiness to practice

Assessment is a critical component of the educational paradigm. Teaching, learning and assessment need to be aligned to optimise learning outcomes (Boud, 1995), and ensure graduates are safe and competent to practice in their professions (Eva, 2007; Holmboe et al. 2010; Van der Vleuten, 1996). In this session we will present and critically evaluate the roles of the student, the University, clinical supervisor/s, and the professional body in ensuring graduates' readiness to practice. In order to maximise their learning, students need to take active roles in the learning process. We will report on research on the use of ePortfolios in which students collected and presented evidence that demonstrated their competency. Embedded in this research were students' reflections around their learning. Assessment of clinical competency in the university environment has been criticised for lacking fidelity (ie: not being real, believable, or reflecting the work environment). Clinical employers want to be assured that graduates are "work ready". We will explore several creative, innovative, evidence-based strategies to increase the fidelity of university assessments so that assessors can be more assured of students' preparedness to enter the workplace. Clinical placements offer excellent opportunities to assess students' performance in the environments in which they will eventually work. Although having greater fidelity than the university setting, significant threats to the validity of assessment remain in these environments. Particularly concerning are: variability between supervisors' judgments, and the unpredictability of clinical workplaces such that we cannot ensure that all students experience placements of the same difficulty of challenge. In this section we will present and critically evaluate a range of workplace assessments, allowing participants to consider what might work in different environments. We will further discuss ways in which assessments might be changed to manage threats to validity

Theoretically and empirically-informed narrative descriptions of competency development

Background: Determining whether a student has demonstrated readiness to enter their profession, particularly in professions where semi-autonomous practice is required on graduation, is challenging. Discourse regarding performance assessment has moved from measurement and psychometric validity towards the value of qualitative approaches and narratives to support sound judgement of readiness for practice. The objective of this study was to develop narrative descriptions of competency development. The research questions were: (i) how do experienced clinicians describe students who are developing their clinical competency, and (ii) how do they describe a student who is ready for semi-autonomous professional practice? We investigated these questions within the profession of clinical exercise physiology (CEP). CEP is a role emerging health profession in Australia and therefore is in the early stages of articulating its understanding of readiness for practice and related assessment of performance. Summary of Work: A social constructivist theoretical perspective informed the methodology. Across three focus groups, 17 CEP clinicians with clinical educator experience were asked to describe (i) what students who are developing their clinical competency 'look like' and (ii) what students who were ready for professional practice 'look like'. Data saturation was reached at the third focus group. A thematic analysis identified the behavioural constructs describing competency development which were then used to write three narrative descriptions of points along a competency continuum. These narrative descriptions were further evaluated and refined through semi-structured interviews. Summary of Results: The behavioural constructs which informed the narrative descriptions included: consistency, managing complexity, flexibility, safe practice, independence and insight into own performance. Participants considered the narrative descriptions to accurately describe the continuum of competency development and a student who is ready for professional practice. Discussion and Conclusions: The narrative descriptions fit with contemporary discourse on assessment in clinical workplace settings. The narrative descriptions may be useful in providing support for quality judgements of students' performances in the workplace setting. That is, the narrative descriptions could be used as reference points by those constructing their judgements of student performances. Take-home Messages: The broad behavioural constructs in the narratives may be relevant to other health professionals' practice

Front loading the curriculum: early placement experiences enhance career awareness and motivation for students with diverse career options

Deciding which career path is right for undergraduate students can be challenging and positive outcomes are linked to early work placements. The aim of the current study was to explore the student experience following the introduction of early career-based awareness-raising and reflective learning opportunities in first-year sport and exercise science-based students. Students met with the first-year coordinator to discuss career progression and career aspirations. From this meeting, students were allocated a placement. Following the placement visit, students submitted a reflection piece addressing their experiences at the placement site with six themes identified including: 1) positive experience; 2) degree selection; 3) exposure and reinforcement of practices; 4) career awareness; 5) supervisor impact; and 6) negative experience. The provision of early placement for students in an observational capacity appears to be beneficial to first year experience to assist in consolidating their choice of degree