Self-assessment Process Research Articles

Preparing students for success

With increased demand for skilled professionals in science and technology, universities are broadening entry requirements resulting in students entering these specialised degrees with potential knowledge gaps. This presents an opportunity to uplift student capability through personalised learning journeys, enhancing their university readiness. This report details the Monash College's new maths uplift program, which uses skills analysis tools and self-assessment processes to determine “where students are” on their learning journey, both at entry to the Monash College and through to their first year of university. Mapped to the maths requirements of their chosen degree, this program comprises three key components: (1) a comprehensive Teaching and Learning progression that maps the learning trajectory via six core domains of mathematics, (2) a set of skills analysis tests aimed at different entry and exit points in mathematics, and (3) a large set of self-paced online learning modules recommended to students based on the outcomes of their individual skills analysis tests. The three key components work together to provide a tailored educational experience supporting students towards their destination degrees. This paper reports on the development of this uplift program and presents preliminary findings indicating positive impacts on student preparedness and engagement.

Organizational health literacy in hospitals and primary health care - developing innovative tools

Abstract Background Organizational health literacy (OHL), particularly in health systems, is vital for supporting public health. Self-assessment tools (SAT), critical for quality assessment/improvement and for empowering relevant stakeholders, could support hospitals and primary healthcare services to promote their role in health literacy responsiveness, and support organizations in identifying strengths and areas of improvement. Methods The SAT for OHL in hospitals (OHL-Hos) and in primary healthcare (OHL-PHC) were developed via a participatory process, based on the “Vienna Concept of a Health Literate Healthcare Organization”. Piloting of the tools in European countries shed light on the tools’ depth and the need for revision. The development of short versions followed a Delphi process with experts from ten to thirteen European countries, respectively, from December 2023 - April 2024. Healthcare service diversity within and between countries was taken into consideration as well as cultural/language adaptation. Shortening OHL-Hos followed four steps: 1) prioritization of the most relevant indicators, 2) considering additional resources, 3) consensus process, 4) refinement of the tool and wording. Results The SATs for both healthcare settings are now established. The SAT for OHL-Hos includes a matrix model of eight standards, 21 sub-standards and 75 indicators. The SAT for OHL-PHC includes seven standards, 19 sub-standards and 69 indicators, covering OHL in organizational structures and processes for staff, patients and the community served with specific focus on navigation, communication, and participation. Both SATs are accompanied by a guide to direct organizations through in the self-assessment process. Conclusions The process of identifying OHL needs and opportunities in the health system, facilitated by participatory methods for tool development, led to innovative SATs for OHL which are currently ready for piloting and implementation in European countries.

Transforming systems and improving lives - the social movement of compassion in Wales

Abstract Wales has embarked on a journey towards becoming an adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and trauma-informed nation. In 2021 the Welsh government supported the co-creation and co-production of an all age, all of society framework: Trauma- Informed Wales: A Societal Approach to Understanding, Preventing and Supporting the Impacts of Trauma and Adversity (ACE Hub Wales et al 2021). This framework is not just an operating model, it has the ambition to be a social movement to embed and sustain a culture shift that is rooted in tackling the conditions of inequality in our communities and the work we do in organisations in the clinical and community settings that support, and employ, people who have experienced trauma and adversity in their lives. The starting point is that any of us can have these experiences. The trauma and ace informed toolkit sets out a process of readiness, self assessment, action planning and implementation across six domain areas which include governance and leadership, monitoring and evaluation, policy and practice. Resources and guidance are co-created and co-produced by partners already on the journey, developed and tested in environments to look at trauma-informed physical spaces, communications, workforce development, training and inclusion of marginalised voices. Supporting this work is a national community of practice, promoting good practice, sharing ideas and developing a culture of wisdom supported by reflective practice. This dynamic forum is supported by online and in person capacity and is transforming organisations and sectors including housing, education, substance misuse, criminal justice and health. It places people, compassion, kindness and empathy at the heart and is enabling traumatised systems to understand and meet the needs of the workforce and the people they serve. Key messages • Systems change is sustained by compassion, kindness and love in a social movement supported by the scaffolding of an operating model. • Public Health has a key role to play in co-developing social networks and resources to transform traumatised systems into trauma-informed places that improve lives and health outcomes.

ANALYSIS OF PERIODIC SELF-ASSESSMENTS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF HEALTH QUALITY STANDARDS IN TERMS OF MATERIAL MANAGEMENT AS A PREVENTIVE ACTIVITY: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY IN A UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

This study aims to investigate the effects of periodic self-assessments on materials management within the framework of quality management in healthcare. The retrospective study, conducted in a university hospital, evaluates the effectiveness of quality improvement initiatives and compliance with health standards, while examining in detail the effects of these processes on materials management. It also investigates how self-assessment processes improve healthcare service delivery and contribute to materials management processes. Problems identified through Fishbone and Pareto analysis are examined, prioritised and solutions are developed. The findings obtained aim to improve material management processes and increase quality standards in health. The main purpose of the research is to examine the effects of periodic self-assessments on materials management in order to improve the quality of healthcare services. The findings emphasise the importance of maintaining quality standards in health services and systematic handling of periodic self-assessments. Problems identified by Fishbone and Pareto analysis are analysed by root cause analysis and solutions are developed. This approach aims to contribute to the development of materials management processes and to the improvement of quality standards in healthcare. The results of the research are an important guide for practitioners, managers and policy makers in the fields of quality management and materials management in health services.

The RESPOND Teacher Professional Profile and Portfolio for Global Competence

This paper presents the first product of the RESPOND European Erasmus+ project on the mutually sustaining relationship between teacher professional development and overall school development. The focus is on the RESPOND Teacher Professional Profile and Portfolio for Global Competence, developed as a tool for building a teacher professional profile and promoting a self-assessment process within a framework of sustainable teacher professional development in professional learning environments and communities. The paper presents an overview of the RESPOND project, illustrates each of the components of the profile and portfolio, and concludes with a reflection on the aims and the intended impact of the tool.

The First Nations Health Authority's Self-Assessment Aligning With the British Columbia Cultural Safety and Humility Standard.

The First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) completed a self-assessment of the organization's alignment to the British Columbia Cultural Safety and Humility Standard in collaboration with Elder Th'et-simiya and a group of Sisemó:ya Change Champions from across the organization (FNHA and HSO 2022). This article details the organization's processes, including the determination and selection of methods, self-assessment tools used and the lessons learned throughout. Other health and social services organizations are encouraged to use these learnings to guide their own self-assessment processes for continuous learning and development.

A self-assessment maturity matrix to support large-scale change using collaborative networks in the New Zealand health system

BackgroundA maturity matrix can be a useful tool for organisations implementing large-system transformation (LST) initiatives in complex systems. Insights from implementation of a local LST initiative using collaborative networks, known as Alliances, highlighted a tool was needed to help health system leaders prompt discussions on how and where to focus their change efforts. In the New Zealand (NZ) health system, Alliances were introduced to integrate the planning and delivery of health care between primary and hospital care.MethodsThe aim of this research was to use insights from Alliance members to develop a learning tool that collaborative networks could use to assess and improve their readiness for change. We constructed a maturity matrix using the knowledge of senior NZ health system leaders, in a workshop setting. The maturity matrix was empirically tested and refined with three Alliances and with feedback from the NZ Ministry of Health Māori Health Strategy and Policy team.ResultsThe maturity matrix described the 10 key elements that had been found to support successful implementation of LST initiatives in the NZ health system, along with success indicators and different stages of maturity from beginning to excellence. Testing of the maturity matrix with three Alliances suggested that it functioned as a learning tool and stimulated collective thinking and reflection. The Māori Health Strategy and Policy team commented on the importance of such a tool to increase health system leaders’ responsiveness to improving Māori health outcomes. Comparisons with similar international matrices revealed common elements with ours. A strength of our maturity matrix is that it is specific to the NZ context and is the first practical tool to implement large-scale change in the health system that incorporates principles of the Government’s treaty with Māori, the indigenous people of NZ.ConclusionsThrough a regular self-assessment process, use of the maturity matrix may create feedback loops to support deliberate learning and knowledge sharing for senior health system leaders and collaborative networks. The maturity matrix fills an important gap in the NZ health system and contributes to implementation science literature internationally.OtherThis study was approved by the Victoria University of Wellington Human Ethics Committee (Ethics Approval Number 27,356). The research was supported by the Victoria University of Wellington research grant (222,809) and from the University of Auckland Department of Medicine research fund (H10779).

Northern Nevada Public Health: Utilizing the Public Health Workforce Calculator and Workforce Capacity Self-assessment Tools to Develop a Framework for Workforce Investment.

Health departments nationally are critically understaffed and lack infrastructure support. By examining current staffing and allocations through a Foundational Public Health Services (FPHS) lens at the Northern Nevada Public Health (NNPH), there is an opportunity to make a strong case for greater investment if current dedicated full-time equivalents are inadequate and to guide which investments in public health workforce are prioritized. To assess the use of the Public Health Workforce Calculator (calculator) and other tools to identify and prioritize FPHS workforce needs in a field application. Field application of the calculator in conjunction with the use of FPHS workforce capacity self-assessment tools. NNPH. NNPH and Public Health Foundation (PHF). From June 2022 through April 2023, PHF collaborated with NNPH, serving Washoe County, to provide expertise and assistance as NNPH undertook an assessment of its workforce needs based upon the FPHS model. Comparison of the calculator output with FPHS workforce capacity self-assessment tools. The calculator and the FPHS capacity self-assessment process yielded complementary FPHS workforce capacity gap data. The use of a structured and transparent process, coupled with additional tools that included prioritizing needs, provided a viable and sustainable process for public health workforce investment planning. NNPH successfully utilized the results to bolster a supplemental funding request and a state public health appropriation. The use of the calculator and an FPHS workforce capacity self-assessment in a facilitated and structured process such as that used by NNPH to identify staffing priorities may hold promise as an approach that could be used to support decision-making and justification for infrastructure resources when funding for public health increases in the future.

A self-feedback model (SEFEMO): secondary and higher education students’ self-assessment profiles

ABSTRACT While self-assessment is a widely explored area in educational research, our understanding of how students assess themselves, or in other words, generate self-feedback, is quite limited. Self-assessment process has been a black box that recent research is trying to open. This study explored and integrated two data collections (secondary and higher education) that investigated students’ real actions while self-assessing, aiming to disentangle self-assessment into more precise actions. Our goal was to identify self-assessment processes and profiles to better understand what happens when students self-assess and to design and implement better interventions. By combining such data, we were able to explore the differences between secondary and higher education students, the effects of external feedback on self-assessment, and to propose a model of ideal self-assessment (SEFEMO). Using think-aloud protocols, direct observation and self-reported data, we identified six main actions (read, recall, compare, rate, assess, and redo) and four self-assessment profiles. In general, secondary and higher education students showed the same actions and very similar profiles. External feedback had a negative effect on the self-assessment actions except for the less advanced self-assessors. Based on data from more than 500 self-assessment performances, we propose a model of self-feedback.

Project-Based Learning as a Catalyst for Developing Reflective Thinking in Students

Project-based learning serves as an effective method for fostering reflective thinking among students. This research examines the impact of project-based learning on the development of reflective skills in higher education students. The study analyzes the fundamental principles and methods of project-based learning and their correlation with the development of reflective thinking. It emphasizes that project-based learning offers students the opportunity not only to acquire theoretical knowledge but also to apply it in practice, thereby enhancing their understanding of the material. Special attention is given to the process of reflection, including self-analysis, self-assessment, and self-correction, which are integral parts of project-based activities. The methods for stimulating students' reflective thinking within the context of the learning process are discussed. The significance of these skills for students' successful adaptation to the rapidly changing world and professional careers is underscored, as they train students in critical thinking, self-analysis, and continuous self-improvement.

A self-assessment guide for readiness to govern

PurposeThis viewpoint introduces a “Readiness Self-Assessment Guide” that can be used as a diagnostic tool to help health service governors and managers, particularly in Low-Middle Income Countries, or those in the early stages of developing their governance program.Design/methodology/approachThe approach uses the conceptual framework for governance developed by Barbazza and Tello (2014).FindingsThe Guide is based on five foundational elements or components of governance that frame the actual governance activities. The self-assessment process uses a sequence of real-world examples to help users of the Guide assess their organization’s “readiness” or current capacity to strengthen quality. A simple scoring process allows users to rate their organization’s progress through potential evolutionary steps. The resulting analysis is intended to be the starting point of a structured discussion among team members about priorities, enabling factors and constraints.Practical implicationsAssessment of the institutional context is a fundamental step that will enable quality teams to select the appropriate tools for their priority concerns. This Readiness Self-Assessment Guide can be used as part of that diagnostic assessment.Originality/valueThis paper is empirically derived from the author’s experience as a consultant helping health service organizations and governing authorities to develop health governance programs in several countries.

Understanding L2 student writers’ self-assessment in digital multimodal composing: A process-oriented approach

While previous research has investigated student perceptions of the benefits of self-assessment in print-based L2 writing tasks, little research has delved into students' self-assessment processes in technology-enhanced L2 writing tasks, which may create new opportunities and challenges for self-assessment. Drawing on multiple sources of data, including student interviews, classroom observations, and documents, this multiple case study examines how Chinese university students of differing L2 proficiency assess their own digital multimodal composing (DMC) projects. The findings revealed that L2 student writers were involved in the processes of determining performance criteria, self-directed feedback seeking, self-reflection, and taking action in their DMC self-assessment. The findings also indicated that while the high-proficiency students' self-assessment process was more cyclical, the middle- and low-proficiency students’ self-assessment processes were more linear, and they also exhibited differing features in their specific DMC self-assessment processes. This study provides insights into conceptualizing models of student self-assessment in L2 writing and adds to our understanding of how to assess student performance in technology-enhanced L2 writing tasks.

Building a Trustworthy Data Repository: CoreTrustSeal Certification as a Lens for Service Improvements

Objective: The university library aims to provide university researchers with a trustworthy institutional repository for sharing data. The library sought CoreTrustSeal certification in order to measure the quality of data services in the institutional repository, and to promote researchers’ confidence when depositing their work.Methods: The authors served on a small team of library staff who collaborated to compose the certification application. They describe the self-assessment process, as they iterated through cycles of compiling information and responding to reviewer feedback. Results: The application team gained understanding of data repository best practices, shared knowledge about the institutional repository, and identified areas of service improvements necessary to meet certification requirements. Based on the application and feedback, the team took measures to enhance preservation strategies, governance, and public-facing policies and documentation for the repository.Conclusions: The university library gained a better understanding of top-notch data services and measurably improved these services by pursuing and obtaining CoreTrustSeal certification.

Differentiating mental models of self and others: A hierarchical framework for knowledge assessment.

Developing an accurate model of another agent's knowledge is central to communication and cooperation between agents. In this article, we propose a hierarchical framework of knowledge assessment that explains how people construct mental models of their own knowledge and the knowledge of others. Our framework posits that people integrate information about their own and others' knowledge via Bayesian inference. To evaluate this claim, we conduct an experiment in which participants repeatedly assess their own performance (a metacognitive task) and the performance of another person (a type of theory of mind task) on the same image classification tasks. We contrast the hierarchical framework with simpler alternatives that assume different degrees of differentiation between mental models of self and others. Our model accurately captures participants' assessment of their own performance and the performance of others in the task: Initially, people rely on their own self-assessment process to reason about the other person's performance, leading to similar self- and other-performance predictions. As more information about the other person's ability becomes available, the mental model for the other person becomes increasingly distinct from the mental model of self. Simulation studies also confirm that our framework explains a wide range of findings about human knowledge assessment of themselves and others. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The effect of self-assessment on student competence in physiotherapy clinical training: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundSelf-assessment is a method that allows students to reflect on and critically evaluate their performance, increases students’ involvement in learning, and improves academic achievement. In physiotherapy (PT) education, clinical training is a crucial component, guided by clinical educators (CEs), who assess and provide feedback, fostering student development. Limited research has investigated the impact of self-assessment on PT clinical training outcomes. This study aims to assess the effect of mid-term self-assessment during PT clinical training on students’ competence and on level of agreement between students’ self-assessment and CEs’ assessment at the end of the training.Methods23 CEs and their 52 undergraduate PT students participated in the study. The students underwent eight weeks of clinical training in outpatient PT clinics in groups of two or three. For each group, one CE performed student assessment at the mid-term and the end of the training using the Assessment of Physiotherapy Practice (APP) form, an assessment tool used to evaluate clinical competence in PT clinical training. One student from each group was randomly assigned to join the intervention group (IG). These students completed a self-assessment process at the mid-term of the training. All students were asked to complete a self-assessment form at the end of the training.ResultsThe median CE’s evaluation score halfway through the training was 80 [50–96] and 91 [65–100] at the end of the training, with no significant differences between the two groups. The level of agreement between the student and CE’s evaluation at the end of the training was not significantly different between the groups (p = 0.05). It noted that students who scored themselves higher than their CEs tended to have lower APP scores than others, based on CEs’ assessment. These students were found to have less academic experience. Nevertheless, those from the IG improved significantly, based on the CE’s assessment, during the second half of the training, compared to the controls.ConclusionThe main finding of the present study is that student participation in self-assessment during PT clinical training is advantageous, mainly for individuals undergoing their initial clinical training and in the early stages of their academic studies.

Teachers’ Perceptions of Institutional Quality Assurance in Higher Education: A Case of a Bangladeshi Public University

The fundamental target of the self-assessment is to assist institutions to in improving the quality of education and setting priorities in improvement plan as per requirements of relevant stakeholders and following the vision of a nation which requires a huge self-inspiration of faculty members’ within the organization. Universities in Bangladesh have already completed a self-assessment programme and this paper aims to investigate faculty members’ perception and perceived change impact of organizational self-assessment process on academic units using both qualitative and quantitative approaches. The SAC members’ perception on the self-assessment process is collected using likert scale. Overall, mean score implies that SA members are convinced with the standards set for SA process. Organizational improvement priorities and perceived change impacts are identified through Nvivo and in-depth interviews respectively. Although there are some priorities set by them cannot be executed without a grant, only a few departments are chipping away at their improvement plan. However, it is reported that, there is a big change happened in the affective domain of faculty members. Teacher’s World: Journal of Education and Research, Vol. 48(2), Dec 2022, p.67-82

대학생의 성취목표와 학업참여가 자기평가 수행에 미치는 영향 탐색 및 성별에 따른 차이 분석

The student self-assessment is considered as a formative assessment process in which students reflect on and judge the quality of their learning and appropriately modify it, and it is also a representative strategy for assessment as learning(AAL). The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of achievement goals and academic engagement on college students' self-assessment practice and explore their gender differences. For this purpose, the data of 317 college students were analyzed, and the results are as follows. First, it was found that the learner's mastery goal had the most positive effects on student self-assessment practice by mediating cognitive or agentic engagement. Second, the higher the cognitive or agentic engagement, the higher the tendency to perform self-assessment by self-monitoring external resources(SEFM). Relatively, the higher the cognitive engagement, the more frequently the use of internal resources(SIF), while the higher the agentic engagement, the higher the tendency to obtain information by asking questions to others such as professors, parents and friends(SEFI). Third, in the internal process of self-assessment, SEFM, SEFI, and SIF, which are feedback-seeking behaviors, showed statistically significant direct effects on self-reflection. Fourth, multigroup structural model analysis confirmed gender differences in detailed pathways. Finally, through the results of the study, the necessity of preparing a plan for cultivating self-assessment literacy in an efficient and adaptive way for each learner was discussed.

Ethical pinch-points: Effectively communicating ethical consideration in research design

This presentation aims to communicate the first two year’s work of the UK Statistic Authority’s Centre for Applied Data Ethics (CADE), present key ethical considerations to researchers working with population, administrative and other secondary data, and describe the innovative methods that have been used to review over 700 pieces of research in those two years.
 The CADE was established in February 2021 with the aim of enabling researchers and statisticians, both within government and outside of it, to effectively address potential ethical issues in their use of data for the public good. To assist researchers in practically applying data stewardship principles to their research, an ethics self-assessment tool has been developed. The ethics self-assessment process aims to offer researchers an easy-to-use framework to review the ethics of their own projects throughout the research cycle, whilst promoting a culture of “ethics by design”.
 In two years’ worth of use, the self-assessment tool has been widely adopted across government, academia and the commercial and charities sectors. Analysis of the work that has been supported by this tool has revealed several topics where researchers could further develop their own research. Well designed and communicated research that demonstrates consideration of these factors enables quicker and safer access to data. In response to these findings, CADE have developed specific guidance pieces to assist the analytical community in considering these ethical concerns in their research design and communicating them effectively to ethics bodies and the wider public to ensure effective and consistent data stewardship practices.
 This presentation will support delegates by going into detail in the defining and realising of public good in research, engaging public audiences with research, and considering (and demonstrating) the public view in research design. It will also aid delegates by providing them with a framework that they can use to demonstrate consideration of traditional ethical concerns and also ethical concerns in new, emerging and currently unknown fields.

Physician Assistant Faculty Perceptions Regarding Ongoing Self-assessment and Accreditation.

While the processes of ongoing self-assessment and accreditation provide significant benefits to physician assistant (PA) programs, faculty members are often challenged by the required procedures and standards set by accreditation agencies. This study explored faculty perspectives regarding the processes of ongoing self-assessment and accreditation in PA programs. A qualitative research design centered around semistructured interviews was used. A total of 26 participants were recruited, including PA program directors, associate program directors, directors of assessment and accreditation, past Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant commissioners, accreditation consultants, deans, and PA Education Association leaders. Semistructured one-on-one interviews were conducted by 8 members of the research team through Zoom video conferencing. Data were collected until saturation was reached. The interview recordings were transcribed and analyzed independently by 3 researchers. The transcripts were imported into NVivo, a qualitative data analysis software, for coding and inductive thematic analysis. Six emergent themes were identified under 2 major categories: facilitators and challenges. Facilitators for conducting continuous programmatic review and analysis include it takes a village, internal and external support, and sustained faculty development, whereas challenges are lack of knowledge and time, unclear expectations, and inflexibility. The study highlights factors associated with facilitating the ongoing self-assessment process. However, a number of challenges were also identified. The study suggests opportunities for intervention at the program, institution, and profession level.

Self-assessment of health: how socioeconomic, functional, and emotional dimensions influence self-rated health among Italian nonagenarians

AbstractSelf-Rated Health (SRH) is currently one of the most popular indicators of population health. Studies show that SRH has a strong association with physical functioning, well-being, and mortality across a variety of populations and ages. Despite its wide use, the different elements that act and interact when an individual assesses their own health are still not clear. To date, only one study has focused on the process of self-assessment of health among the oldest-old individuals. The aim of this paper is to explore direct and indirect effects of socioeconomic status, presence of disease, functional health, and emotional health on the good self-assessment of health among Italian nonagenarians. By applying Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) on Mugello Study data, we find a strong direct effect of both emotional and functional health on SRH, confirming their key roles in the process of self-assessment of health among the oldest-old individuals. Furthermore, we find indirect effects of socioeconomic status, presence of disease, and functional health on SRH. This is in line with existing literature on younger adults and elderly people.