Good Practice in Australian Physiotherapy Education

Assessment is known to drive learning, so for learning objectives to be met, assessment must reflect those objectives to allow students to demonstrate the nature of their learning. (Gibbs 1995). Where integration of various aspects of learning is important, a challenge exists to find ways of teaching and assessing which provide opportunity for that integration to occur and its importance and relevance to be appreciated. A further challenge is to find a way of assessing students, which is in itself a continuation of learning and an enjoyable experience. A possible solution can be found in the concept of "performance" in the form of role-play.
Students in year one undertake a course with major themes in 'communication', 'understanding disability' and 'developing professionalism'. It is anticipated that by the end of the course students will have acquired both knowledge and skills. To test the integration of knowledge and skill and the ability to actually apply them in a real world situation, students are organized into self -selected groups of six students and required to develop a role -play response to a given scenario. In the role play, the dialogue and actions are to be used to illustrate the group's awareness and acknowledgement of human / patient rights, their understanding of communication skills and their ability to make caring attitudes explicit to a patient. A short summary report is prepared and presented to clarify which elements of the play represent fulfillment of these objectives. The play and the verbal presentation are part of the assessed exercise, which includes a two- minute question time. Total time for the presentation is 12 minutes. Students receive this information by handout, which also includes information on the assessment criteria. A copy is posted to the Web CT.
 
Groups are given their scenario once all students are allocated. The scenarios are developed by the teaching staff and raise a range of issues that require attention to patient rights, good communication skills, professional conduct and sensitivity and compassion in patient or client management. Individual mark sheets for each scenario are prepared, reflecting the expectation of the issues to be raised.
Students allocate the workload and responsibilities within their group and are required to sign an acceptance of the shared mark based on equity of load carried. The group scenario presentation has an assessment weight of 15%.
 
Question time allows both the students and the examiners, who have taught in the course, an opportunity to clarify issues or to extend the learning of the group around issues that arise from the handling of the scenario.
There has been strong group cooperation and commitment to the exercise. There is strong evidence of integration of the learning and skill development as well as strong indication by the use of humor (and cross dressing !), that student learning has been an enjoyable experience in modules of a course that are heavily focused in small group discussion and peer supported learning.
 

Each student is required to work with two other students and make a video of themselves performing three physiotherapy assessment and treatment techniques taught in the first semester. One student acts as the patient, while the other student controls the video camera and also critiques the "student therapist" using the assessment sheet utilized during practical examinations of this subject.
 
Once the video is complete the "student therapist" is required to watch the video and complete a self-evaluation of their performance using the assessment sheets.
At least one week later the video process is repeated. The same or different techniques are chosen to be performed. The student therapist self-evaluates the performance on the second video and receives a written evaluation from the observing student.
 
The student is then required to compile a report based on the observing students critique and their self-evaluation of both video sessions. The report briefly summarises each technique, provides an in-depth critical appraisal of their performance, discusses what was done well and what needs improvement, compares the observation between the student observer and their own self-evaluation and includes a section about changes over time (from video one to video two).

Theoretical framework - of essential content material pertaining to Physiotherapy in Women's Health and the principles of adult learning and student-centered teaching: lectures and practical classes that modeled adult-learning interactive principles and practices, and a detailed resource manual.
Experience in the principles and practices of self-directed learning, interactive teaching and peer and self-assessment:
 

• Formulation of a criteria list for evaluation of the presentations. This is complied from their responses to the question - " Think back on your past learning experiences. What factors made some of them particularly effective, meaningful and long-lasting?"
• Research in pairs of an allocated topic and formulation of interactive teaching strategies for their content area. They also have free access to a resource room equipped with a range of reference material - books, articles, tapes, videos - and teaching aids for use in classes.
• Class outline - written assignment of class objectives, content, teaching methods and ideas for evaluation of effectiveness. This is handed in for assessment and feedback, and any necessary adjustments can then be made before they give their class.
• Presentation of their class material - role-playing as a childbirth educator, presenting their topic area to their tutorial group who in turn were role-playing as expectant parents.
• Peer evaluation via provision of anonymous feedback - using the previously student established criteria list, students give anonymous written feedback to each other regarding which factors s/he managed well in their class segment and what needed to be improved.
• Self-evaluation of their own teaching.