Practical Skill Assessments - we need to talk about video

This presentation details the opportunities afforded by video submission for assessment of practical skills and the challenges presented by the different platforms used within the School of Nursing and Human Sciences (SNHS),... [ view full abstract ]

This presentation details the opportunities afforded by video submission for assessment of practical skills and the challenges presented by the different platforms used within the School of Nursing and Human Sciences (SNHS), DCU.

Video was the chosen method to enable over 200 undergraduate nursing students submit a demonstration of an assessable skill. The academics had carefully considered the implementation of video assessment to replace a face-to-face practical skill.

This transition presented quite a few challenges for the SNHS academic staff, technical staff and students. The main challenge was to ensure that all of the videos recorded by the students could be submitted by them and viewed by academics. Technical staff had to deal with varied speed bumps along the way: from the different phone operating systems (including skins), through the inevitable peril of one student filming many of his/her colleagues videos on one phone and onto the practicalities of reviewing videos in tandem with an electronic marking sheet.

This led to the development of comprehensive, step-by-step print and video guides for students, a technical demonstration and subsequent drop-in sessions for the students and the supply of extra equipment to assist academics during the marking procedure.

It is a process that is reaping benefits within SNHS, DCU as students can use technology at hand to deliver videos for assessment throughout stages of the undergraduate curriculum.