An assessment model in outcomes-based education and training for health sciences and technology

[摘要] English: The promulgation of the SAQA Act No. 58 of 1995, following the newdemocracy in South Africa, is regarded as the impetus for change inhigher education. It was consequently recommended that highereducation institutions should implement the Outcomes-based educationand training (OBET) approach. The literature review conducted in thisstudy emphasised the move towards assessment in the OBET approach inmedical and health care education. Assessment in higher education hastherefore become an essential issue to deal with. Likewise, the need foreducators in Health Sciences and Technology to become empowered withthe principles of assessment in the OBET approach was identified.A study was conducted to revisit current assessment practices in HealthSciences and Technology at the Technikon Free State and the Universityof the Free State, with the OBET approach as background. The aim of thestudy was to compile an assessment model in OBET for Health Sciencesand Technology. With the assessment model, the change to assessmentin the new approach in higher education in Health Sciences andTechnology could be facilitated.A questionnaire for the structured interviews was designed, based onessential elements of assessment identified in literature on assessmentand the OBET approach. The structured interviews were conducted with16 headhunted academics from Health Sciences, Technology and highereducation studies from the University of the Free State and the TechnikonFree State respectively from July to August 2002. The information fromthe structured interviews, supported and supplemented by the literature onassessment and the OBET approach, was subsequently used to compile aproposed assessment model.The statements of the proposed assessment model were fed into thequestionnaire for the Delphi process. A three-round modified Delphiprocess, conducted from February to August 2003, was applied to rate thestatements of the proposed assessment model according to essential,useful or unnecessary statements of an assessment model. The aim wasto attain consensus on the ratings of the statements, with consensusdefined as 80 percent of the Delphi panel in agreement. Additionally, theDelphi panel could rephrase and/or comment on the statements of theproposed assessment model. The Delphi panel, consisting of 10members, represented five different areas in higher education andassessment. Findings of the Delphi process and the literature onassessment and the OBET approach were used to compile the finalassessment model in OBET for Health Sciences and Technology.The findings of the structured interviews indicated that the participants inthe study were knowledgeable about the range of innovative(performance) assessment methods. However, the participants pointedout that they lacked the knowledge and skills to optimally make use ofthese innovative assessment methods. This was evident from the fact thatfewer than 50 percent of the participants used an appropriate range ofinnovative assessment methods in the questionnaire. However, it shouldbe noted that the OBET approach had not been implemented in therelevant programmes at the participating institutions at the time of theinterviews. Even so, the information obtained from the structuredinterviews was adequate to compile the proposed assessment model inOBET for Health Sciences and Technology.The outcome after three rounds of the modified Delphi process used in thestudy, was that consensus on 60 percent of the statements of theproposed assessment model had been attained. The statements were allrated as essential elements of an assessment model, with the majority ofthe statements achieving consensus between rounds I and II of the Delphiprocess.The final assessment model was presented as 65 essential and six usefulstatements in seven categories. With the exception of two statements, allthe statements rated by the Delphi panel were included in the finalassessment model. This was based on the ratings of the statements ofthe assessment model by the Delphi panel and verified by literature onassessment in the OBET approach.The willingness of the participants in the study to share information onsuccesses and failures experienced in assessment practices contributedpositively to the design of the assessment model. This assessment modelin OBET for Health Sciences and Technology was developed, designedand compiled to perform integrated and quality assessment in theprogramme. The generic assessment model should provide a programmewith direction to practise meaningful and holistic assessment in the OBETapproach. In addition, using the assessment model in OBET for HealthSciences and Technology should add value to learning. Likewise, bymeans of the assessment model, assessment should be repositioned atthe centre of learning activities in higher education.The information from the structured interviews proved useful to compileand develop the proposed assessment model. The three-round modifiedDelphi process was an effective research methodology to validate andbenchmark the statements of the proposed assessment model. Inaddition, the assessment model could become a valuable educational toolwith which assessment in Health Sciences and Technology could berepositioned as a process that matters to academics, learners, theinstitution, accrediting bodies, as well as current and future employers.

[发布机构] University of the Free State