Open AccessPerceptions of Assessment Among Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students of Four Health Science Disciplines
Author(s) -
Wayne J. Wilson,
Anne Bennison,
Wendy L. Arnott,
Clair Hughes,
Rosemary Isles,
Jenny Strong
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the internet journal of allied health sciences and practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1540-580X
DOI - 10.46743/1540-580x/2014.1485
Subject(s) - perception , medical education , health science , task (project management) , psychology , occupational therapy , undergraduate student , undergraduate education , mathematics education , medicine , engineering , systems engineering , neuroscience , psychiatry
The use of different types of assessment to improve student learning needs to be balanced with reports that student perception, rather than the objective features of the task, significantly influences how students approach learning. The present study surveyed 492 undergraduate and postgraduate students from four health science disciplines (occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech pathology, and audiology) at a large Australian university on how helpful different types of assessment had been in assisting their learning. Between 73.4% and 90.4% of the students valued practical exams, individual tasks, written assignments, and written exams requiring application of knowledge. Between 29.1% and 59.7% of the students valued oral presentations, group tasks, portfolios, online assessment, and multiple choice exams. Entry level and type of program were found to influence perceptions. Postgraduate students valued tutorial participation more than undergraduate students (p