Students' views on the assessment processes used in paediatric intensive care nursing courses

This paper presents one element of the findings from a large study of paediatric intensive care nursing (PICN) education. The findings are discussed using a case study of one PICN course. The case study related to students' views on the assessment processes used, and the extent to which these were perceived to measure their skills and knowledge. The findings are not intended to be generalizable, but may give an indication of issues which should be considered in other courses. The study demonstrated that course members recognized the need for assessment of theory and practice, and for clear assessment criteria. However, they believed the assessment processes could themselves detract from their learning, and were not convinced that the assessment processes used accurately measured their skills and knowledge in relation to PICN practice. There was also a suggestion that practice assessments should be designed to measure competence in a more specific manner. In relation to the concept of self-assessment, there was some evidence that students would underassess their achievements using this approach.