Students and tutors' social representations of assessment in problem-based learning tutorials supporting change

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pedagogy

Background:

• Problem-based learning (PBL) is an innovative medical education method relying on small group study with tutor facilitation.
• Assessing students in small groups, including self, peer, and tutor assessment, presents significant challenges in PBL.
• An undergraduate PBL medical program initiated in 2003 underwent evaluation of its tutorial assessment strategies after two years.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore how students and tutors perceive and make sense of assessment within PBL tutorials.
• To identify challenges and areas for improvement in the tutorial assessment process in a medical PBL program.

Main Methods:

• Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a random sample of ten students and ten tutors.
• Social representations theory was employed to analyze participants' understanding of "assessment in tutorials".
• Qualitative and quantitative content analysis of interview data was performed using text processing software.

Main Results:

• Both students and tutors acknowledged the purpose of assessment but reported insufficient training and confidence.
• The practice of quantifying complex behaviors in tutorials was found to be counterproductive to cooperative learning and self-assessment.
• Tutors perceived students as immature for self- or peer-assessment, while students linked grades to presentation skills and exhibited mutual protection.

Conclusions:

• Enhanced faculty training on PBL tutorial assessment is crucial for program improvement.
• A systematic strategy for evaluating new educational programs is necessary for informed decision-making.
• Effective assessment strategies are vital for successful curricular implementation, review, and reform in medical education.