Involvement In Assessment Research Articles

Shared Risk Formulation in Forensic Psychiatry.

Patients in forensic mental health care have a difficult journey through inpatient rehabilitation and re-integration into the community. Risk assessment guides this progress, usually with clinician-based processes that use structured risk-assessment tools. Patients' understanding of their own risk is important to inform risk assessment and the chances of successful rehabilitation. The emergence of shared decision-making approaches provides an opportunity to consider shared risk assessment and formulation. We reviewed the literature to explore models of patients' involvement in risk assessment and the impact on outcomes in forensic mental health care. We conducted searches of three databases (Medline, PsychINFO, and EMBASE) to identify papers that employed shared risk understanding for violence risk. Additional records were identified through review of citations, with articles being selected using a predetermined set of inclusion and exclusion criteria. We found five studies that met the inclusion criteria for patient involvement in risk assessment with measurement of construct or predictive validity. The studies employed diverse methodologies, but they suggest that patient involvement in assessing risk is feasible when correlated with staff ratings. There is encouraging evidence of the predictive validity of self-rated risk alongside staff-rated risk assessment.

Experiences of using Authentic Assessment with English Language Young Learners

This paper brings about the discussion on findings from an interview with young learners about school-based assessment that takes place in their English language classroom. Their ideas, comments and feelings were recorded and analysed. Literature has pointed out that including learners’ views in learning as well as in assessment will yield better learning outcomes. The discussion will be touching on what the young learners’ think about the ‘new’ assessment that takes place in the classroom and how they want it to be carried out. The results of the study show that there are five emerging themes: a) lack of young learners’ involvement in assessment, b) lack of support from the school administration, c) overwhelming documentation d) need for inclusion of parental involvement, and e) presence of self and peer assessments. Insights from the findings can be an eye-opener for the teachers to carry out improved authentic assessment practices in their classrooms in tandem with the ministry’s aspiration to provide formative feedback that places student learning at centre.

USING STUDENTS’ VOICE TOWARDS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT OF ANGOLAN SECONDARY PHYSIC CLASSES

Educational research points to similar learning experiences across different countries, in particular that physical science tends to be an unpopular discipline among students from secondary school. The use of students’ voice to adapt curriculum and implement innovative teaching practice has been gaining relevance towards the effort of potentiating positive and meaningful learning experiences. The present research discusses the voice of 1139 Angolan students from one public school attending the first cycle of secondary education (7th to 9th grade) considering their physics classes. Students’ voice was accessed through the application of a questionnaire which included open and closed questions, some in the format of statements requiring students to indicate their individual opinion. Descriptive statistics to ten specific aspects of their physics classes points to a global scenario of transmissive teaching and a lack of laboratorial and technological resources. Moreover, laboratorial work, suggested in national curriculum to cover topics in Physics, and students’ involvement in assessment seems to decrease from 7th to 9th grade. Identified patterns revealed to be statistically significant. Based on these results three specific recommendations for educational stakeholders are presented. The consideration of students’ voice in curriculum and school management is particularly innovative, not only but also for Angolan contexts and particularly relevant considering that the Angolan curriculum reform is presently under evaluation. Finally, educational researchers around the world may find relevant insights for their own educational challenges taking into account the milestones associated to the fourth goal of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is focused in assuring a quality education for all. Keywords: Angola, physics classes, secondary education, students’ voice, quality education.

How to strengthen the presence of patients in health technology assessments conducted by the health authorities

The constant development of health technologies, combined with the increase in the cost of treatment, means that States must continually make choices about the introduction of new technologies into their healthcare system and how they are to be funded. In France, the systematic participation of patients in these processes is one of the targets to be met in terms of healthcare democracy. Although, on an international level, patient involvement in these assessments is constantly growing, it is difficult to define due to the presence of unstabilised elements in terms of both terminology and assessment methods. As a result, patient and public involvement in health technology assessments varies considerably from one country to the next, from one field to the next and even from one type of technology to the next. Several types of involvement exist, ranging from studies conducted to collect patient "insight" (experience, perception, needs, preferences, attitudes to treatment and health, etc.) to processes aimed at including patients in assessments (as individuals, as representatives of associations, etc.). Given the scope and complexity of the subject, and the difficulty involved in understanding all the different aspects of health technologies and innovations, the members of the Round Table chose to concentrate on health technology assessments (medicinal products and medical devices) to develop national recommendations on all possible types of patient involvement in the health technology assessment processes conducted by the health authorities in France.

Executive Function Measures for Children: A Scoping Review of Ecological Validity.

Children use executive function (EF) skills within everyday occupations; however, EF poses a difficult and complex construct to measure. Currently, many measures of EF lack applicability to daily life, or ecological validity. The aim of this scoping review was to examine two aspects of ecological validity across measures, assessments, and tasks of EF in children. A scoping review of 355 peer-reviewed articles published between 1996 and 2016 was performed. Searching revealed 43 articles addressing the ecological validity of EF measures for children and 40 measures addressing ecological validity. An increasing number of articles address ecological validity of EF measures. Future research should address the interplay between context and EF performance. In addition, research should begin recognizing the importance of parental involvement in assessments, as well as ways to capture the EF strengths of children.

Learner-Driven Synthesis of Assessment Data: Engaging and Motivating Residents in Their Milestone-Based Assessments

Competency-based medical education empowers learners to use self-assessment to monitor progress and to improve function. Given the difficulties inherent in self-assessment, we propose an externally calibrated, but resident-owned system to facilitate resident involvement in assessment while minimizing the unreliability of self-assessment. Resident-driven synthesis of assessment data applies self-determination theory to foster residents’ intrinsic motivation to improve by involving them in all the steps in the assessment process. Residents would review data, assign milestone levels, complete a program-specific assessment template, and discuss their findings with the clinical competency committee. Inclusion and empowerment of residents could benefit learners and programs alike.

Collaborating with Students to Create Law Assessment: A Case Study

Many students are driven by their perceptions of assessment, and consequently, assessment can be used as a tool to enhance the learning process. The increased focus on student-centred learning in this context has resulted in student involvement in assessment. However, the literature in law focuses primarily on self-assessment and peer assessment, or criteria and marking, rather than student involvement in the creation of assessment content. This article investigates collaborative assessment in the context of legal education by undertaking a case study of staff collaborating with students to create the content of assessment in the undergraduate law subject ‘Evidence’ at the Queensland University of Technology. The case study found through surveys that when students have a degree of choice in the creation of assessment, they feel more confident, engaged and motivated to complete the assessment. Students felt this enhanced their learning experience. This study adds to the literature on student involvement in assessment by specifically considering collaborative assessment in law, which can then inform teaching practices with the aim of enhancing the learning experience for students.

Derivation and Correlation of Human Involvement in Assessment of Demand Scheduling in the Process of Logistics Improvement in an Oil Refinery

Derivation and Correlation of Human Involvement in Assessment of Demand Scheduling in the Process of Logistics Improvement in an Oil Refinery

Wound Care: What the Medical Director Needs to Know

Wound Care: What the Medical Director Needs to Know

Promoting Student Success through Active Involvement in Assessment

One of the goals of assessment is to increase student motivation by highlighting the areas in which they have succeeded and enabling them to notice the areas for improvement (Wiggins 1998). In my y...

Involving users and carers in the assessment of preregistration nursing students' clinical nursing practice: a strategy for patient empowerment and quality improvement?

To examine (1) nursing lecturers' and (2) preregistration nursing students' perspectives of user and carer involvement in the formal assessment of preregistration nursing students' clinical practice. The involvement of service users and carers in the assessment of clinical practice in nursing education is a recent phenomenon. The Nursing and Midwifery Council Standards in the UK clearly reflect a shift in thinking from paternalistic approaches to person-centred approaches. This shift in thinking includes service user and carer involvement in student nursing assessment and there is evidence that this is being developed in several countries. Located in the interpretive paradigm, data from a two-staged, multicentre qualitative study are presented. Interpretive analysis of semi-structured, one to one interviews with nursing lecturers (n=15) and focus groups with nursing students (n=51) across 11 Higher Educational Institutions. There is a strong commitment for working alongside service users and carers in the education and training of nursing students; however, involving service users and carers in formal practice assessment is identified as more challenging compared with other areas of service user/carer involvement. Service user/carers should provide feedback/review or comment, but not necessarily formal, summative 'assessment'. The evidence base for involving users and carers in assessment is limited. Involvement of users and carers in providing feedback to nursing students is welcomed. However, concerns exist about the preparedness of users and carers for formal clinical assessment. Discussion and clarification with clinical mentors and user and carer groups is necessary to understand if they agree with the policy direction of user and carer involvement in the assessment of nursing students. Quality assurance concerns are raised by students and lecturers when involving user and carer in assessing nursing students' clinical skills. Mentors are seen as key to this process, but little is known about their perspectives.

Using Ongoing Outcomes Based Assessment and Monitoring to Drive Intervention in AAC

Communicative competence using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) was defined more than 25 years ago (Light, 1989; Light & McNaughton, 2014). Outcomes-based assessment guiding intervention was identified as an important component in AAC (Schlosser & Raghavendra, 2004). However, assessment guiding intervention and documenting outcomes has not been widely implemented in AAC services over the recent time period. As speech-language pathologists (SLPs), we must more objectively assess and document performance for students using AAC. Use of objective measurements can direct intervention and document successful development of communicative competence. One component of ongoing assessment involves development of progress monitoring tools aligned with key indicators of growth in AAC competence. Another involves communication partners' support and interaction with those using AAC (Mitchell & Alvares, 2015). There is consensus in the literature that family involvement in assessment and intervention is associated with positive outcomes. (Angelo, 2000; Kovach, Moore, & Frisbie, 2015; Lund & Light, 2007; Thistle & Fosco, 2013). This paper discusses outcomes-based assessment and monitoring that directs intervention, and the importance of communication partners in the process. It provides examples of outcomes-based assessment and monitoring tools, their application in intervention planning directed toward desired outcomes and communicative competence development.

Assessment as the Site of Power: A Bourdieusian Interrogation of Service User and Carer Involvement in the Assessments of Social Work Students

The centrality of service user and carer involvement in social work education in England is now well established, both in policy and practice. However, research evidence suggests their involvement in student assessments is underdeveloped and under researched. This study focused on the positioning of service users and carers in relation to other stakeholders involved in the assessments of social work students in England. Using narrative research methodology, 21 participants, including service users, carers, social work students, social work employers and social work educators, were offered a semi-structured individual interview. Participants’ narratives revealed different power relations among those involved in social work students’ assessments and a lack of confidence among service users and carers in making failed assessment recommendations. The paper concludes by arguing the case for social work educators and service user organisations to provide joint training to support service users and carers in their role as assessors of social work students.

Utilization of Dabigatran for Atrial Fibrillation at 3 Tertiary Care Centres.

The outpatient management of stroke prevention for patients with atrial fibrillation has recently been published and provides insight into the benefits and risks of the new direct-acting oral anti-coagulants. However, real-world use of these agents for hospital inpatients requires additional study. To determine prescribing patterns for dabigatran at 3 Canadian hospitals, specifically adherence with the hospitals' prescribing restriction limiting dabigatran to patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation and creatinine clearance above 30 mL/min (primary outcome) and assessment of age-related prescribing, prescribing of medications with defined contraindications or potential for interaction when given concurrently with dabigatran, and use of risk stratification tools (secondary outcomes). A retrospective chart review of patients for whom dabigatran was prescribed from August to October 2011 was performed at 3 hospitals in Toronto, Ontario. Descriptive statistics were used for all outcomes assessed. Overall, dabigatran was prescribed for 69 inpatients, of whom 16 (23%) were new users (dabigatran initiated during hospital admission) and 53 (77%) were prior users (dabigatran prescribed before admission to hospital). Fifty-eight patients (84%; 14 new users and 44 prior users) received dabigatran according to the hospitals' prescribing restriction. For the remaining 11 patients, dabigatran therapy did not meet prescribing restrictions for use because of valvular disease or presence of prosthetic valve (10 patients [14% of the total sample]) and impaired renal function (1 patient [1%]). Among those whose dabigatran therapy met the prescribing restrictions for use, amiodarone and acetylsalicylic acid were the most common concurrently prescribed medications (17 patients [29%] and 14 patients [24%], respectively). Stroke and bleeding risk were documented for only 27 patients (47%) and 10 patients (17%), respectively. At the study hospitals, dabigatran was appropriately prescribed for the indication of nonvalvular atrial fibrillation in patients without renal impairment in most cases. However, greater consideration of cardiac history (including valvular disease and presence of prosthetic valves), drug interactions, and documentation of risks and benefits is warranted. These research findings highlight the importance of and opportunity for pharmacist review and involvement in assessment and selection of patients with indications for anticoagulant therapy, particularly when agents are new to the market.

The Role of Leadership and Culture in Creating Meaningful Assessment: A Mixed Methods Case Study

With increased demands for institutional accountability and improved student learning, involvement in assessment has become a fundamental role of higher education faculty (Rhodes, 2010). However, faculty members and administrators often question whether assessment efforts do indeed improve student learning (Hutchings, 2010). This mixed methods case study of a faculty inquiry project explored how factors linked to organizational context (Kezar, 2013) are related to commitment to assessment and to use of assessment data by faculty members. Results indicated key best practices, such as developing faculty leaders and communities of practice to exchange ideas. The study provides insights for institutional administrators and faculty members seeking to develop a culture of assessment.

Approaches to assessment in CLIL classrooms: Two case studies

AbstractThis article presents two case studies that show how learner involvement and collaboration in assessment are valid pedagogic tools to encourage learner reflection and engagement, particularly where a very traditional approach to language learning is the norm. The authors, who teach in universities in Japan, discuss different but related approaches to assessment in CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) classrooms. The first case study describes how assessment in the classrooms in focus requires more engagement on the part of learners as they must work things out for themselves. Collaborating with classmates, which entails discussing assessment decisions, can foster language development. If learners engage in informal discussion about their learning performance, they can review previous learning, affirm progress, and make suggestions about future learning goals and how to improve their learning outcomes. In the authors’ view these processes help learners to develop self-regulation and self-efficacy. The second case study involves students developing collaboration skills during project work in which they are also involved in the assessment process. They give slide and poster presentations, write reports, and analyze scientific information while collaborating with their classmates. During this process they are also responsible for self- and peer-assessment. As a result of their collaboration they acquire language, but they also develop the ability to collaborate further. The article concludes by briefly discussing learner involvement and collaboration, and the central role that feedback practices can play in learning.

Weaving RIE with Te Whāriki: re-thinking family involvement in assessment of learning dispositions

Families play important roles in children's learning. Yet, teachers' values and beliefs may sway how families may participate in assessment of their child's learning within early childhood education. This paper reports on a qualitative case study in a New Zealand early childhood setting that explored teachers' views about involving families in assessment of infants’ and toddlers’ dispositional learning. Methods comprised interviews with five teachers, researcher field notes and documentation about children's learning. Findings suggested that teachers’ views about learning dispositions, teaching and assessment positioned families as consumers of, rather than participants in, assessment. Theoretical tensions arose between Gerber's Resources for Infant Educarers (RIE) approach that guided teachers' philosophy and practice and Te Whāriki, the mandated early childhood curriculum of New Zealand. The paper argues that weaving RIE with a national curriculum framework requires teacher engagement in critical thinking and discussion regarding actively involving families in assessment.

Mentoring and tutoring your students through self-assessment

This paper describes practical procedures in mentoring/tutoring students through self-assessment (SA) to establish and maintain partnership in learning. High school teachers (n = 10) allow their students (N = 515: 359 males) to engage in activities that help them identify standards and/or criteria to apply to their work and make judgements about the extent to which they have met them. Although there are issues with student involvement in assessment and it is known/accepted that staff has the final say, students are mentored and tutored through a laddering process of decision-making that involves the use of SA modules. Detailed procedures for conducting SA training sessions and ways of formatively and summatively evaluating progress are presented in an easy-to-follow format. A final question and answer section further clarifies issues that some readers may have. Parents, teachers, students and other stakeholders may benefit from the methods outlined in this paper.

Service user involvement in risk assessment and management: The Transition Inventory

Drawing on self-prediction theory and the positive benefits of increasing health service user participation in risk assessments, the Transition Inventory (TI) was developed. It is an aid to the assessment of areas that people anticipate will be of difficulty in the next stage of transition, for example from open hospital to the community. The aim of this paper is to determine reliability and convergent/discriminant validity data for the TI and its subscales, including behavioral impulsivity, social pressure, substance misuse, financial/employment, leisure, negative affect, interpersonal and family concerns and social alienation. Eighty-eight male offenders coming towards the end of a period of imprisonment were asked to complete the TI. Their results were compared with the staff-rated Measures of Criminal Attitudes and Associates (MCAA) scale, alcohol blame and causation of crime items. Comparisons with the MCAA's antisocial intent scale, which is a future-orientated scale, and the associates scale allowed for convergent/discriminant validity to be examined with TI scales. With a community offender sample, TI results were used to predict researcher ratings. The TI scales demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Overall, the MCAA's antisocial intent scale had higher correlations with the TI than with a nonfuture-orientated scale. TI scales also demonstrated convergent validity with other measures and preliminary predictive validity with researcher ratings. The TI provides a way to increase service user involvement in the assessments that determine when and how they transfer to settings where they will have more independence.

Assessing assessment quality: Criteria for quality assurance in design of (peer) assessment for learning – A review of research studies

The interest in assessment for learning ( AfL) has resulted in a search for new modes of assessment that are better aligned to students’ learning how to learn. However, with the introduction of new assessment tools, also questions arose with respect to the quality of its measurement. On the one hand, the appropriateness of traditional, psychometric criteria is being questioned in the context of assessment for learning. On the other hand, it has been argued that new criteria need to be formulated to acknowledge the unique features of assessment for learning. The issue dealt with in this review is what quality criteria are specifically relevant to AfL. Studies using (peer) assessment for learning were evaluated with regard to use of quality criteria under two perspectives: their recognition of educational measurement criteria, as well as their consideration of student involvement in the assessment of learning. The selected studies were analyzed to determine what specific criteria were utilized in (successive parts of) the assessment cycle (i.e., the process of construction, administration and follow up of an assessment). Our results indicate that quality criteria are dissimilarly connected to the distinct steps of an assessment cycle, which holds as well for the attention given to student involvement in assessment for learning.