Assessment of Rubrics for Health Science Education at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea

ABSTRACT

@#This study carried out at the University of Papua New Guinea investigates undergraduate medical imaging science (MIS) students’ perceptions of the usefulness of individualised feedback using a rubric. In the first semester of 2017, 15 fourth year students in the research proposal design course were assigned to an assessment rubric, which comprised a detailed description of how their work was to be graded. Students were instructed to submit an initial draft of their writing. Electronic feedback was then provided to support the revision process. The benefits of the rubric and feedback were evaluated at the end of the semester using a paper-based survey, which provided participating students with the opportunity to critically reflect on the learning experience. The majority (93.3%) of the students were satisfied that the feedback on their draft proposal assisted their understanding on research methodology concepts which informed their progress with respect to achieving the assessment learning outcomes. This study has demonstrated that the use of a rubric as a formative assessment tool has had a positive impact on students’ learning experience. Reflection on the results of this study will lead to further refinement of the existing rubric and the development of others.