Designing programmes of assessment: A participatory approach

Area of Science:

• Health Professions Education
• Assessment in Higher Education
• Dietetics Education

Background:

• Programmatic assessment offers purposeful and meaningful evaluation, but development examples are scarce.
• Current competency-based assessment in dietetics placements may not align with best practices.
• There is a need for effective methodologies to design and implement programmatic assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of a programmatic assessment using a participatory action research (PAR) approach.
• To explore current competency-based assessment practices in dietetics university courses.
• To design an improved programme of assessment through stakeholder collaboration.

Main Methods:

• A participatory action research (PAR) methodology was employed.
• Nine work-based assessors and three academics collaborated over six meetings.
• The process involved exploring current assessment practices and designing a new programme.

Main Results:

• A significant disconnect was identified between current assessment approaches and best practices.
• The PAR methodology facilitated a shared vision and strong leadership for assessment design.
• Participants demonstrated a philosophical shift, supporting the new assessment programme's implementation.

Conclusions:

• Participatory action research (PAR) is a feasible and effective method for designing programmatic assessment.
• This approach successfully engaged stakeholders, enhancing their assessment skills and creating champions for best practice.
• The study provides a novel model for developing robust programmatic assessment in health professions education.