Assessment Of Professional Skills Research Articles

Psychology Students’ Experiences of the Objective Structured Clinical Examination as an Assessment of Professional Skills in Psychology

A challenge for professional psychology programs is the assessment of students’ professional competence. Despite its potential, objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) has not gained widespread use in the psychological field. However, at Umeå University and Örebro University in Sweden, the OSCE has been introduced at the Clinical psychology programs to assess professional competence. The aim of this study was to explore students’ perceptions of whether and how, preparing for and performing the OSCE benefits their professional learning and prepares them for clinical practice. A web-based questionnaire was administered to 88 psychology students who completed the OSCE and field training. Most of the students perceived the OSCE as a valuable experience that benefits their learning. The OSCE prepared them for clinical practice through practical hands-on training, and by providing essential experience in client interaction, increasing students’ confidence in the role as a psychologist. Students also reported that feedback from the OSCE was crucial for their ongoing learning, but that the authenticity of the examination can be improved. Based on these findings, recommendations for future OSCEs in professional psychology include appropriate preparations, providing constructive feedback as well as striving for high authenticity in the tasks of the OSCE stations.

Utility of large language models for creating clinical assessment items.

To compare student performance, examiner perceptions and cost of GPT-assisted (generative pretrained transformer-assisted) clinical and professional skills assessment (CPSAs) items against items created using standard methods. We conducted a prospective, controlled, double-blinded comparison of CPSA items developed using GPT-assistance with those created through standard methods. Two sets of six practical cases were developed for a formative assessment sat by final year medical students. One clinical case in each set was created with GPT-assistance. Students were assigned to one of the two sets. The results of 239 participants were analysed in the study. There was no statistically significant difference in item difficulty, or discriminative ability between GPT-assisted and standard items. One hundred percent (n=15) of respondents to an examiner feedback questionnaire felt GPT-assisted cases were appropriately difficult and realistic. GPT-assistance resulted in significant labour cost savings, with a mean reduction of 57% (880 GBP) in labour cost per case when compared to standard case drafting methods. GPT-assistance can create CPSA items of comparable quality with significantly less cost when compared to standard methods. Future studies could evaluate GPT's ability to create CPSA material in other areas of clinical practice, aiming to validate the generalisability of these findings.

Designing an International Large-Scale Assessment of Professional Competencies and Employability Skills: Emerging Avenues and Challenges of OECD’s PISA-VET

Globally, vocational education and training (VET) is considered important for ensuring the supply of skilled labour to the economy and economic competitiveness but also for helping the next generation with the transition to working life and integration into society. However, despite this importance, there are no international comparative studies on the effectiveness of the very different VET systems. In March 2024, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) published the ‘Analytical and Assessment Framework’ for PISA-VET, an international study on professional competencies and employability skills in VET. In this paper, some of the lead experts that contributed to the framework provide an outline of the aims of the initiative, the target groups, the assessment approaches as well as strength and weaknesses to stimulate discussion in the scientific community. VISA-VET aims to deliver comprehensive data, inform decision making, facilitate peer learning between countries, and promote the image of VET, in general. Target populations are learners toward the end of their VET programmes in the occupational areas of automotive technicians, electricians, business and administration, health care, or tourism and hospitality. Assessment approaches to domain-specific professional skills are simulation-based questions, digital simulations, and live or recorded demonstrations. The professional skills assessments are expanded by the assessment of employability skills and comprehensive data collections on national contextual and system-level factors. This paper discusses the selection and breakdown of occupational areas, the various assessment approaches and possible supplementary studies. Its overall aim is to initiate a broader discussion in the scientific community about the design of and expected insights from PISA-VET.

An assessment of professional competencies and skills required for library professionals of management institutions in Kerala (India)

PurposeThis study aims to explore various skills of library professionals working in management institutions of Kerala State, India.Design/methodology/approachA survey method was used by distributing online questionnaire as a data collection tool. The questionnaires were distributed to the library professionals working in management institutions in Kerala State, India.FindingsThe study’s results revealed that the library professionals were competent with managerial, communication and interpersonal skills. Conversely, they were lacking skills in statements such as institutional repository, web 2.0 and social networks. Their familiarity level with reference management tools, research and academic ethics, electronic publishing and management of open-access resources, were also not satisfactory. They need knowledge of other ICT skills such as designing and maintaining in-house databases, video conferencing tools, advanced troubleshooting creating and managing metadata, handling RFID technology and knowledge in solving issues while organizing webinars. Based on the findings, the study has suggested some recommendations which will enable the government/institutions to take appropriate measures to improve their skills.Practical implicationsThis study will enable the policymakers to identify in which area the library professionals are weak and develop a strategy and framework for increasing the level of their skills.Originality/valueThis study provides the views of the library professionals working in management institutions in India and warrants the library professionals to enhance their skills, especially on research ethics and publications and ICT skills.

Structured online vivas for evaluating professional competency in a capstone allied health course: A pilot study

The aim of this pilot study was to develop structured online vivas as authentic assessments for capstone students enrolled in the medical sonography program in an Australian university. The objective was to evaluate the professional competency of trainee students who were transitioning to graduate as accredited sonographers. Prior to 2020, capstone students, located all over Australia, travelled to South Australia to undertake an on-campus, objective structured clinical examination for practical skills assessment. The interstate travel restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the need for this examination to be conducted in an online mode. The emergency adaptation model employed in 2020 did not assess conceptual understanding and communication skills. To address this gap, structured online vivas were created and implemented through action research with 71 students in November 2021. A response rate of 51% from student feedback and 100% from external examiner feedback helped to enhance future iterations. Structuring of online vivas enabled assessment of professional competency skills, reduced both examiner bias and student anxiety, and promoted academic integrity. Our study discusses the action research process of developing and implementing structured online vivas, student performance, and evaluating student and examiner experiences with online vivas.

MENTORSHIP AND TEACHING CAREER TRAINING

The paper presents the results of a qualitative study carried out -PROF" (POCU/904/6/25/146587) focused on the critical-reflexive analysis of the perceptions of mentor teacher trainers, students of the Prof I training program regarding the experience of their training and the values shared as mentor teachers. Trainers' training for the teaching career mentorship aimed to complete an up-to-date continuous training program, well-articulated, and structured on six topics. These are as follows: teaching career mentorship - from concept to action; elements of adults' education and the teaching career mentorship -values, principles, and characteristics; planning the mentoring activity; the management of the teaching career mentorship process; counselling for training and professional development in the teaching career mentorship, and assessment and validation of professional teaching skills. The conclusions of the study highlight the personal conceptions of the mentor teacher trainers participating in the study as regards the role and the importance of teaching career mentorship to ensure the quality of the work of novice teachers and of teachers who are in professional evolution. Moreover, it focuses on the skills and qualities required for the teaching career mentorship, supported by relevant examples from mentor teachers' teaching experience.

Selection and recruitment of pre-registration occupational therapy students in the United Kingdom: Exploring entry criteria across education providers

Introduction: Since widening access to higher education became a United Kingdom (UK) governmental priority in the 1990’s, occupational therapy has made little progress in diversifying student and workforce populations that mirror increasingly diverse service user populations. This research aims to, for the first time, map entry criteria across UK pre-registration programmes, while considering fair access and exploring who might be missing at the point of enquiry and entry. Method: A cross-sectional quantitative content analysis was conducted of all UK university websites, identifying programme type, academic, professional and alternative entry criteria for 2021/2022. Findings: Five entry routes via undergraduate and post-graduate programmes ( n = 73) offer limited part-time opportunities (n = 11). Visible academic entry criteria appear weighted towards ‘traditional’ qualifications, while assessment of professional skills at application and selection is explicit for over 75% of programmes. 86% (n = 63) utilise interviews at selection, with 33% (n = 24) not publicly acknowledging alternative access routes into the profession. Conclusion: If the profession is to avoid continued stagnation in diversity amongst student populations and successfully reflect service user diversity in the workforce, it is essential UK universities increase parity across academic entry criteria, ensure the visibility of acceptable skills for alternative access and substantially improve flexibility for part-time study.

STRUCTURAL-QUALITY CONSTRUCTION OF ENTERPRISE HR-SERVICES BASED ON INDICATIVE APPROACH

The purpose of the scientific article is to develop methodological and applied principles of structural and qualitative construction of HR service of the enterprise using an indicative approach. The methodological basis of the article is formed on the indicative and target methods of evaluating the appropriateness of HR services, calculation models for determining the level of efficiency of services and departments of the enterprise. Structural and functional modeling of activity of personnel management services was used. The application of the card of assessment of professional skills and competences of HR personnel of the enterprise is formed and substantiated. A map of recording and analysis of evaluation results of specialist competencies has been developed. A table tool for ranking results by criteria and subsystems has been put into practice. The practical value of scientific work is the development of methodological and applied support for economic evaluation and construction of HR services of enterprises. In the future, it is planned to form and apply a standard organizational structure of the HR service, which will be based on the design of twelve subsystems that will allow enterprises to include a particular subsystem in the HR service. Further original research can be formed in the direction of substantiation of the need to separate the HR service into an autonomous structural element of the management system; to introduce economic, social and organizational criteria for evaluating the performance of the HR service, and to ensure the systematic implementation of performance evaluation to guarantee the effective operation of the enterprise.

Design of Assessment Judging Model for Physical Education Professional Skills Course Based on Convolutional Neural Network and Few-Shot Learning.

In recent years, the promotion of quality education and the development of curriculum and teaching materials reform have put forward higher goals and requirements for professional skills in physical education. However, there are still many shortcomings in the nuclear assessment of physical education professional skills, such as lack of clarity in evaluation objectives, lack of scientific in evaluation indexes, lack of systematization in evaluation contents, lack of diversity in evaluation methods, lack of authority in evaluation results, and lack of timely prediction and analysis of students' mastery of classroom teaching skills, thus not giving good play to all the functions that the nuclear assessment should have, thus to a certain extent fettering the further enhancement of physical education. With the development of information technology, artificial intelligence, as a new technology, can guide the improvement of the assessment and judging mode of physical education professional skills courses, and is also an important guiding idea for physical education majors to meet the development demands of information-based society. Based on the analysis of the connotation and characteristics of deep learning, this paper points out the insufficiency of the assessment and evaluation of traditional physical education professional skills courses and proposes a method of assessment and evaluation of physical education professional skills courses based on convolutional neural networks and small sample learning. In the case of a small amount of data in the course assessment, we use a small number of samples to learn, and only need a small number of samples to learn quickly. Using the improvement measures under the teaching concept of deep learning, physical education personnel are required to truly change in terms of professional skills mastery and evaluation. We effectively implement improvement measures, promote the improvement of physical education professional skills, and realize the migration and innovation of sports knowledge and skills.

Assessment of Professional Communication Skills of Healthcare Professionals toward the Patients

Assessment of Professional Communication Skills of Healthcare Professionals toward the Patients

Evaluation Method of Basketball Special Technology in College Sports Specialty Based on Genetic Algorithm

Assessment is an important link and method in the teaching process, it can be used in teaching activities, obtaining feedback information for improving teaching methods, and guiding students to better master the knowledge and skills they have learned. This research mainly discusses the assessment and evaluation method of basketball special technology for college sports major based on genetic algorithms. In this paper, a genetic algorithm is proposed, aiming at the shortcomings of the genetic algorithm that can easily generate local optimal solutions, the genetic algorithm is improved, and the superiority of the algorithm is verified by comparative experiments. Finally, the algorithm is applied to the basketball professional skills assessment data and evaluation data to verify the practicability of the algorithm and my valuable information in a large amount of data in the assessment process. Based on the existing assessment basis, expert interviews, and questionnaire survey results in the assessment and evaluation methods of sports professional basketball special techniques, the necessity and basic principles of the innovation of the assessment and evaluation methods of special techniques are expounded. Then, by building a new system of assessment methods for basketball specialization in sports training majors, we can better explore the teaching objectives, teaching time, teaching content, teaching methods, organizational forms, teaching assessment and other aspects of basketball for sports majors in colleges and universities. Due to the complex nonlinear relationship between the technical evaluation results of basketball experts and professors and their influencing factors, as well as the unique advantages of genetic algorithms, it is feasible to introduce genetic algorithms into the field of basketball technical evaluation. There was no significant difference in the evaluation scores between the basketball special technology assessment model based on a genetic algorithm and the basketball skill assessment experts P > 0.05 . The scientific and effective technical test indicators for young basketball players can also objectively test the quality and effect of teaching and training for different age groups. It is a favorable tool for talent selection and plays a guiding role in grassroots youth basketball training. The content and methods stipulated by the test indicators directly affect the training content and methods of grassroots youth basketball players. This research helps to improve students’ basketball skills and tactics and comprehensive practice ability.

Assessment of professional skills, game thinking, and training of a high-class football goalkeeper based on a structured fractal approach

In the article structuring possibility of training elements content up to the level of the professional football player (goalkeeper) skill using a fractal approach to form an objective assessment of the sportsman's game actions during a match, competition, training are considered. In the introduction, the need for an objective assessment of the tactical skills and game thinking of the sportsman is actualized by developing assessment tools available for children schools and sections. The component composition of training structure content, including the target-oriented, conceptual, substantive and procedural sections are considered in the main part of the article. A method of fractal analysis of game episodes for assessing the professional skill and game thinking of the sportsman in the dynamic aspect is proposed. Based on a modified entropy analysis of expert assessments of the personal game of goalkeepers, the level of determinism of the state the sportsmen tactical skill was studied

Effects of small‐group learning on the assessment of professional skills through a PBL activity

AbstractWorking on a real project emphasizes an active learning environment such as that used in collaborative pedagogy, where students learn to resolve problems and improve their professional skills. Engineering programs are invested in improving learning by focusing on real hands‐on experience. The crisis caused by COVID‐19 will lead to a reduction in the number of enrollments in many university programs. Therefore, it is important to investigate how the dynamics of small groups will affect the active learning process. This study explores a hands‐on learning activity in the context of a Web Map Service (WMS). It aims to analyze the improvement in professional skills of a group of Geomatics Engineering students with two approaches. Students from a university in Catalonia created a WMS as a team‐based project. Meanwhile, in a university in Galicia, students on the same course and program conducted the same task but individually. Three independent surveys along the course helped to collect the students' opinions and assess their learning experience based on their project evaluations. The conclusion is clear: despite working with small learning groups, collaborative learning using a hands‐on approach improves academic performance, increases motivation, and helps students acquire the necessary professional skills in their careers.

Assessment in the zone of proximal development: simulator-based competence tests and the dynamic evaluation of knowledge-in-action

ABSTRACT The background of this article is an interest in analysing how assessment of professional skills is conducted in higher education contexts, drawing on video data from a course on maritime navigation. The empirical study focuses on a) how students working in a bridge simulator are able to display their knowledge about how to calculate the relation between rate of turn, turn rate and speed when navigating, and b) how their performance is evaluated. The results show that the dynamics of the assessment situation and the interaction between the student and the assessor are decisive in how well students manage the task. When analysing assessment of a professional skill as a concrete practice, knowledge emerges through joint work and cannot be ascribed to the student only. At one level, this may be seen as a threat to the validity of the testing situation, but from a different perspective, the display of knowledge-in-action is always responsive to what happens in the exercise of a professional skill.

The Use of Digital Portfolio to Assess the Student Teachers’ Professional Skills

Nowadays, digital technologies are widely used at all levels of education and are effectively integrated into diverse teaching and learning activities (transmission of information, educational projects, presentations, games, training, modeling, evaluation and competence assessment, etc.). Information and communication technologies are considered in this study as a key element of assessment of teacher student professional skills and competencies during school teaching practice. A digital portfolio is regarded as a form of authentic assessment of teaching practice and a way to improve teaching performance and to contribute to pre-service teachers’ professional growth. The purpose of the research is to analyze the opportunities and potential benefits as well as the disadvantages of using digital portfolio in teacher preparation course and to propose recommendations for the full realization of this method’s potential. The author analyzes the experience of Swiss teachers in using a digital portfolio to assess the results of student teaching practice. The research focuses on the role of the digital portfolio in developing the pre-service teachers’ ability to selfassessment and self-reflection.

A New Tool for Assessment of Professional Skills of Occupational Therapy Students.

The assessment of the acquisition of professional skills is an essential process in occupational therapy students. Until now, there has been no standardized and validated instrument for evaluating these skills in Spanish occupational therapy students. This study reports the development and testing of the psychometric properties of the professional skills in students of occupational therapy during their practical training. Methods: A new instrument was developed to assess the professional skills of occupational therapy students, called CPTO. A total of 69 occupational therapists participated in evaluating 295 occupational therapy students from the University of Granada, between the 2018 and 2021 academic years. Results: Of a total of 79 items, the factor analysis yielded a final solution of 33 items, which explains 70.22% of the variance with the following three dimensions: (1) self-appraisal and professional responsibility (α = 0.951); (2) communication skills and delivering intervention (α = 0.944); and (3) clinical reasoning for assessing and planning the intervention (α = 0.947). The instrument allows students with low, medium, high and excellent clinical skills to be differentiated according to the cutting points established by the quartiles. Conclusion: the instrument has good psychometric properties, and is a useful tool to assess professional competencies in occupational therapy students during their practice placement education.

ASSESSMENT OF VOCATIONAL SKILLS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES IN VET: A REVIEW OF INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES

There is a growing need for valid tools for assessing skills and certifying qualifications in the context of increasing labour migration and mobility. Due to the growing internationalization of business activities, companies are interested in standardized skills assessments that ensure valid and comparable ratings of job applicants and employees. At the same time, assessment of professional or vocational skills, which are highly domain-specific and numerous, remains challenging, especially in terms of comparability. Therefore, objective skills assessment tops the list of challenges faced by national VET systems. This paper presents an overview of practices and tools for assessing vocational skills and VET learning outcomes, and covers the following issues: a) current practices and challenges in measuring vocational skills and learning outcomes in VET; b) initiatives for internationally comparable assessment of vocational skills, including PISA-VET and WorldSkills competitions; c) national initiatives for assessment of VET learning outcomes in the cases of Germany and Russia; d) labor market- and industry-driven initiatives in skills assessment for job seekers and qualification assurance. This paper contributes to the literature on skills assessment by providing a more comprehensive picture of approaches to skills assessments, including well-established ones and emerging initiatives outside the field of measuring learning outcomes in education.

Evolution of Objective Structured Clinical Examination- Actual to Virtual

Objective Structured Clinical/Practical Examination (OSCE/OSPE) has come a long way since its inception by Harden RM in 1975. Literature offers many studies and reviews about its applicability in assessment and impact in learning outcomes. The present review traces the variants of OSCE as it has evolved over time with need and contextual variations, though still being sought after as one of the most valid tools in assessment of clinical and professional skills. The article reviews various forms viz., Group OSCE, Team OSCE, Objective structured assessments of technical skills, Shadow OSCE, Inter-professional OSCE, Inter-professional OSCE with Allied Embedded Actors, Reverse OSCE, Culture OSCE, e OSCE, Tele OSCE and Virtual OSCE in terms of the method and utility. Inspite of numerous variations, the principle of OSCE remain intact i.e., an effective tool to foster learning and attainment of clinical/practical competencies by direct observation of skills, timely and developmental feedback. The manuscript also gives an example of blueprint for assessment of skills wherein such OSCE variations can be planned depending on the nature and objective of assessment.

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National inter-rater agreement of standardised simulated-patient-based assessments

Purpose The forthcoming UK Medical Licensing Assessment will require all medical schools in the UK to ensure that their students pass an appropriately designed Clinical and Professional Skills Assessment (CPSA) prior to graduation and registration with a licence to practice medicine. The requirements for the CPSA will be set by the General Medical Council, but individual medical schools will be responsible for implementing their own assessments. It is therefore important that assessors from different medical schools across the UK agree on what standard of performance constitutes a fail, pass or good grade. Methods We used an experimental video-based, single-blinded, randomised, internet-based design. We created videos of simulated student performances of a clinical examination at four scripted standards: clear fail (CF), borderline (BD), clear pass (CPX) and good (GD). Assessors from ten regions across the UK were randomly assigned to watch five videos in 12 different combinations and asked to give competence domain scores and an overall global grade for each simulated candidate. The inter-rater agreement as measured by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) based on a two-way random-effects model for absolute agreement was calculated for the total domain scores. Results 120 assessors enrolled in the study, with 98 eligible for analysis. The ICC was 0.93 (95% CI 0.81–0.99). The mean percentage agreement with the scripted global grade was 74.4% (range 40.8–96.9%). Conclusions The inter-rater agreement amongst assessors across the UK when rating simulated candidates performing at scripted levels is excellent. The level of agreement for the overall global performance level for simulated candidates is also high. These findings suggest that assessors from across the UK viewing the same simulated performances show high levels of agreement of the standards expected of students at a ‘clear fail,’ ‘borderline,’ ‘clear pass’ and ‘good’ level.