Competency-Based Assessment for Clinical Supervisors: Design-Based Research on a Web-Delivered Program

Rachel Bacon, Lauren Therese Williams, Laurie Grealish, Maggie Jamieson
2015 JMIR Research Protocols  
Clinicians need to be supported by universities to use credible and defensible assessment practices during student placements. Web-based delivery of clinical education in student assessment offers professional development regardless of the geographical location of placement sites. Objective: This paper explores the potential for a video-based constructivist Web-based program to support site supervisors in their assessments of student dietitians during clinical placements. Methods: This project
more » ... as undertaken as design-based research in two stages. Stage 1 describes the research consultation, development of the prototype, and formative feedback. In Stage 2, the program was pilot-tested and evaluated by a purposeful sample of nine clinical supervisors. Data generated as a result of user participation during the pilot test is reported. Users' experiences with the program were also explored via interviews (six in a focus group and three individually). The interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematic analysis conducted from a pedagogical perspective using van Manen's highlighting approach. Results: This research succeeded in developing a Web-based program, "Feed our Future", that increased supervisors' confidence with their competency-based assessments of students on clinical placements. Three pedagogical themes emerged: constructivist design supports transformative Web-based learning; videos make abstract concepts tangible; and accessibility, usability, and pedagogy are interdependent. Conclusions: Web-based programs, such as Feed our Future, offer a viable means for universities to support clinical supervisors in their assessment practices during clinical placements. A design-based research approach offers a practical process for such Web-based tool development, highlighting pedagogical barriers for planning purposes. (JMIR Res Protoc 2015;4(1):e26)
doi:10.2196/resprot.3893 pmid:25803172 pmcid:PMC4376162 fatcat:4nwfpfjdhbezdkjfjogefjxyiq