An autoethnographic analysis: assessment practices on nursing students at the University of Namibia

The study seeks to provide a self-reflection on experiences of administering student assessment activities to students within a health programme at the University of Namibia. The paper covers these objectives: (1) to investigate the role of assessment methods in promoting learning among students at the University of Namibia, (2) to employ Bernstein's knowledge structures in assessment practices among nursing students at the University of Namibia, and (3) to assess the effectiveness of quality assurance initiatives on differentiated assessment for nursing students at the University of Namibia.

The study used an autoethnographic qualitative design to get data from documents and contextual reflections. The data was analysed thematically using a priori from the literature.

This paper revealed that the university priorities the principles of quality assessment practices, and different assessment methods appear to be used. It promotes a decolonised assessment to ensure inclusivity; however, improvement is needed on indigenous knowledge inclusion. The study revealed that both formative and summative assessments are essential. Furthermore, assessment tasks seem to be constructively aligned with the learning outcomes and instructional activities. Lastly, assessments were structured according to knowledge structures, and quality assurance was conducted; students received feedback after each assessment task.

The institution is adhering to assessment principles such as utilizing different assessment methods, utilizing constructive alignment, and decolonizing the assessment. Quality is ensured by adhering to the legislation and providing in-service training to the lecturer. It is recommended that the institution integrate an indigenous knowledge structure in the nursing curriculum.