Postgraduate Formative Assessment: Student Perspective.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Assessment drives learning. It serves as a tool for student motivation, retention & transfer of learning. At our institute we have started postgraduate formative assessment as a part of improvement in teaching learning in postgraduate study. Method: Present quantitative, cross-sectional study was conducted at Government Medical College, Bhavnagar. During 2013-14, 75, third-year post graduate students of different 20 department of the Government Medical College, Bhavnagar had been assessed in this manner. The instrument (questionnaire) was distributed to all of these students. Result: The majority of students (92.96%) are of opinion that exam was well organised, 90.14% felt that it has gave confidence in them for their subject. More than 85% agreed that formative assessment has motivated them to learn subject more (88.73%) either by stimulating learning (87.32%) or by identifying the deficiencies in learning (85.92%). Regarding content of assessment, students were of opinion that assessment were focused on leaning objective (87.32%) and having broad coverage of subject (85.32%) leading to increase competence in respective subject. Conclusion: Feedback was pivotal in establishing important dialogue between students and teachers, creating a student-supported learning environment. Emphasis has been placed on front loading formative approaches in the first semester to ensure that students actively engage with feedback and act on it to feed forward, and develop transferable and metacognitive skills to facilitate both transition and academic progression.