Using mobile technology to foster formative assessment on clinical extramural studies - an educator's perspective of getting started

Introduction Students of the Veterinary Medicine programme in University College Dublin (UCD) are required to undertake 24 weeks of clinical extramural studies (CEMS) in a range of working environments to develop their... [ view full abstract ]

Introduction
Students of the Veterinary Medicine programme in University College Dublin (UCD) are required to undertake 24 weeks of clinical extramural studies (CEMS) in a range of working environments to develop their competencies and clinical skills. Mobile technologies afford the opportunity to capture CEMS supervisor feedback in real-time to enhance student competency development.

Methods
This presentation will focus on a case study of the UCD School of Veterinary Medicine’s process of choosing and implementing a mobile technology to foster formative assessment (FA) on CEMS. This case study aims to

1. Investigate the characteristics of mobile technologies that could support FA.
2. Identify the process that are required to ensure its effective implementation.

Data were collected from stakeholders to identify key requirements and technology characteristics. A list of criteria was compiled, against which commercial products were evaluated. The process of implementing the chosen technology was documented and reviewed. The process was reflected upon from the perspective of the Educational Technologist and academic staff.

Results
Characteristics of mobile technologies that could support FA on CEMS were defined. These include: offline capability; competency framework; flexibility to rapidly develop work-based assessment forms; usability and technical specifications. Following an evaluation process, a mobile technology was chosen. In 2015, it was rolled out to six cohorts of students.

Key Findings and Implications for Education
Mobile devices are rich in opportunity for students to capture real-time supervisor feedback in a clinical context however challenges exist to select and rollout this technology.

Keywords
Mobile technology, formative assessment, veterinary medicine, clinical skills