Learning is acknowledged to be a dynamic process of a series of interactions. However,
the assessment of learning, especially within academic profession directed
education has been usually treated as a non-interactive procedure, often limited to
a one-shot control of knowledge comprehension and psychomotor skills. Adaptation
to modern professional environments and life long learning, requires a wider
spectrum of meta-cognitive skills from students, such as the ability to assess ourselves
and identify consequent learning objectives that will steer our learning. The
Interactive Examination is a structured evaluation scheme, which aims to evaluate
student’s skills and competencies while expanding and supplementing the learning
process. The methodology utilises students’ own reflections and self-assessment as
a starting point, followed by an individual assignment and a task of comparing their
suggestions to that of peers or professionals. The differences, prioritising, reasoning
and arguments pointed by students in their comparison documents are analysed
and categorised. Finally, students receive individual feedback on their performance
and learning needs. The students are expected to come out of the process having not
only tested their current competence and understanding, but also having identified
individual learning objectives for the future. This paper will present and discuss
results from a multi-centre evaluation study on the Interactive Examination methodology,
as conducted through a specially designed Internet page during Autumn
2004. The study involved undergraduate students in the faculties of Odontology
and Teachers’ Education, Malmo University, Sweden. The aim of the study is to investigate
student’s perceptions of the methodology through standardised questionnaires
and interview, as well as identify factors of importance for interdisciplinary
applicability of assessment methodologies.
2005.