Scholars180: An effective oral presentation assessment for optometry students

Abstract

Oral presentation assessments are multifunctional tools that can potentially test all six cognitive domains of Bloom’s taxonomy. Yet, they are not used as frequently as other forms of assessment in curriculums due to time limitations. Hence, designing effective oral presentation assessments that can overcome this is required. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether Scholars180, an oral presentation assessment developed for optometry students, would effectively help students improve their knowledge of and confidence in the identification and management of ocular diseases. This study utilized a non-randomized pre-questionnaire and post-questionnaire design where the participants (n = 31) were asked to assess their knowledge of ocular diseases before and after the oral presentation. The questionnaire was developed according to the unit outcomes. The responses to each of the 12 Likert-type scale questions on the post-questionnaire with the respective responses on the pre-questionnaire were compared. Students (n = 31) experienced improvements in their knowledge of eye diseases and even more so in their confidence and application of their knowledge. This was indicated by the statistically significant increases in median scores and low interquartile ranges (IQR) of ≤1.0. The peer evaluation also illustrated that students felt that the assessment contributed positively to their learning experience. Teachers require a variety of assessment methods to accurately test the student’s authentic depth of knowledge and achievement of learning outcomes. Scholars180 is an effective assessment that follows constructive alignment and overcomes time limitations, providing teachers an assessment to consider implementing in the future.