Twenty-fifth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

For some time now Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have recognised the need to move away from surface learning (lower order skills, such as retention of knowledge and understanding of content) and to develop higher order skills such as analysis, synthesis and evaluation. Changes to our methods of assessment provide a better opportunity to test these skills. The Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) assessment tool also permits the testing of the student’s application of knowledge into the ‘real world’ of nursing practice; level of understanding; attitudes; decision making; communication and critical thinking skills. All are core characteristics of a professional nurse. This concept of the OSCE links well with the theme of creative assessments in that it enables the assessment of more than one specific domain in an innovative way, moving away from the rigidity of traditional assessment approaches. In addition this form of assessment process can be easily adopted by other practice based disciplines as an innovative way in which to assess individual student’s level of knowledge, understanding decision making and psychomotor skills.