Nursing students' and preceptors' perceptions of using a revised assessment form in clinical nursing education

Assessment of students' learning is a crucial question when great changes occur in the higher education sector. One such educational reform is the Bologna declaration, the requirements of which have resulted in significant modifications in documents as assessment forms for clinical education. The aim of this study was to investigate students' and preceptors' perceptions of using the revised version of an assessment form, the AssCE form. Using convenience sampling, a questionnaire survey was completed by 192 nursing students and 101 preceptors. Most of the participants found that the revised AssCE form was possible to use during different years of the programme, and factors in the AssCE form were possible to combine with learning outcomes in the course syllabus. Most participants perceived that the scale added to each factor facilitated the assessment dialogue and offered possibilities to illustrate the students' development during clinical periods. Findings also showed that students were most often prepared with self-assessment before the assessment discussions. More information about the use of the AssCE form, also in combination with learning outcomes in the course syllabus, may further support the use of the form and contribute to students' development during clinical practice.