.\Lm Edumrron Tody (1988) 8, 105-107 !i” Lonpman Group UK Ltd 1988

The journal as an assessment and evaluation tool in nurse education

Philip Burnard

Student centred learning methods continue to be developed in nurse education, in all the disciplines. In this paper, a student centred approach to assessment and evaluation is described through the medium of the journal or diary. The process of setting out the journal is described as are methods of assessing and evaluating the completed work.

There is a growing literature on the use of self assessment and self evaluation methods in nurse education (Kilty 1976, 1977; Burnard 1987). With the increase in interest in student-centred teaching and learning methods is coming the realisation that adults need to be able to identify their own criteria for checking their learning (Knowles 1975, 1978, 1980). This

paper considers one such student-centred evaluation method: the use of the journal (or diary) as a method of self assessment and evaluation.

It is acknowledged at the outset that the two concepts of assessment and evaluation are inextricably linked. To assess is to identify a particular state at a particular time, usually with a view to taking action to change or modify that state. To evaluate is to place a value on a course of action, to identify the success or otherwise of a course of action. Thus assessment is often seen as something that needs to occur at the outset of an educational encoun- ter and evaluation something that occurs at the end. In fact, evaluation necessarily leads on to

Philip Bumard Msc RMN RGN DipN Cert Ed RNT, Lecturer in Nursing Studies, School of Nursing Studies, Untie&y of Wales College of Medicine, Heath Park. Cardiff Manuscript accepted August 1987

reassessment and thus to another educational encounter. In this way the journal described here can be used both as an assessment tool and as an evaluation instrument.

A modified version of the journal has been used at the School of Nursing Studies, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, as part of a continuous assessment procedure during the degree (BN) students’ psychiatric nursing secondment. It has met with varying amounts of success. After an initial period of the students’ feeling that they would not be able to complete the journal, a number found it particularly useful and planned to continue using it throughout other parts of their course. Others continued to find its use difftcult and one found completion

impossible. The instructions for completion of the jour-

nal are simple. Students are required to make weekly entries in a suitable book under the following headings:

Problems encountered and resolution of those problems Likes and dislikes of work experience New learning including new references, skills, disorders, treatments Application of learning to general nursing

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106 NURSE EDUCA’I‘ION TODAY

5. Notes on self-development 6. Other comments.

Clearly, these headings can be varied accord- ing to the needs of the particular group of students using the journal approach. No guide- lines need to be given regarding the amount that is written under each heading. To pre- scribe a particular number of words would appear to be over structuring, although using this approach can lead to large discrepancies in the size of the diary on completion. At Cardiff, this ranged from a few pages for the whole term to a completely full A4 ring-binder!

Students are encouraged to make regular entries and this regularity tends to make the process of keeping the diary easier. Students who try to ‘catch up’ and complete a whole section of the diary at the end of the month have difficulty in recall and generally ex- perience the process as being of less value than those who make regular entries.

There are several methods of using the diary as an assessment/evaluation tool. The first is to use it as a continuous focus of discussion be- tween student and tutor or between student and ward manager. In this way the students’ experience is constantly being monitored and they are able to discuss their progress as they go through their clinical experience.

The second method is to use it as a means of summative assessment at the end of a period of clinical work (Striven 1967). In this case, the following procedure may be used. Both tutor and student sit down and individually ‘brain- storm’ criteria for assessing the journal. Examples of items brainstormed may be: quality of writing, clarity of expression, degree of self disclosure, ability to problem solve and so forth. After this brainstorming process both tutor and student identify three criteria that they wish to use as criteria for assessing the journal. Each then uses those criteria to write notes on their assessment of the journal and then compare those notes. Out of this activity comes a shared view of the journal which incorporates elements of both self and tutor

evaluation. The discussion that follows can be useful to both student.and tutor as a means of offering further feedback on performance. This method can also be used to focus on the students’ writing ability - a particularly fruitful area if the student has to complete term papers or written examinations. At this stage, too, a mark for the diary can be negotiated, if nrce-

ssary, and if the journal forms part of a continuous assessment procedure.

A third method of using the journal is as part of a group discussion, which can be held weekly. This can serve as a means of focusing on shared problems, and also as a method of disseminating new information and learning. The journal can also form the basis of a

seminar group, with each member in turn taking the lead.

A more radical variant of this third method

is to use the journal in a group as part of a self and peer evaluation exercise. Here, each group member, in turn, reads their entry to the group. Once finished reading, that member offers the group their own evaluation of the entry in terms of agreed criteria. These criteria can have been identified via a brainstorming exercise as previously described. Once the self- evaluation aspect of the exercise is complete, the group member invites evaluative comments from other members of the group. This process continues until each member of the group has self disclosed, self evaluated and received feed- back from the group. This method is recom- mended only for groups of students who know each other well and who share a considerable degree of trust!

Probably the most democratic method of deciding upon how the journal will be used is to negotiate that use with the group in ques- tion. This should be done prior to the journal being undertaken so that all students are clear as to who will and who will not have access to the journal. Journal writing calls for a consi- derable degree of self disclosure and it is im- portant that students’ dignity is maintained throughout the exercise.

The journal as part of a total assessment and evaluation system can be a valuable (and very

NURSE EDUCATION TODAY 107

personal) means of students’ maintaining a

constant check on their own learning and

development. The approach can be modified in

a variety of ways to reflect different emphases.

For instance, the bias can be towards practical

skills development, self-awareness, knowledge

base and so forth. Alternatively, students can

be invited to use their own headings in the

journal in order to reflect their own needs and

wants.

It is interesting to consider the various levels

of assessment and evaluation that take place

when this method is used. First, the students

have to reflect on their experience before they

write. Second, they have to convert their

thoughts into words and write the entry in the

journal. Third, another level of assessment

takes place when the journal is discussed be-

References

Burnard P 1987 Self and peer assessment. Senior Nurse 6 (5): 1617

E N B 1982 Syllabus of training: professional Register Part 3: (Registered Mental Nurse). English and Welsh National Boards for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting: London and Cardiff

Kilty J 1976 Self and peer assessment. Human potential research project, University of Surrey, Guildford

Kilty J 1977 Self and peer assessment and peer audit. Human potential research project, University of Surrey, Guildford

Knowles M 1975 Self directed learning. Cambridge Publishing Co, New York

tween student and tutor or student and group.

In this way the students are completing part of

the experiential learning cycle described by

Kolb ( 1984) and reflecting on their experience

in order to make sense of it. They are also

fulfilling the conditions of self-disclosure and

feedback from others that Luft (1969) considers

necessary for the development of self-awareness.

Thus the method offers a valuable educational

tool on a number of levels.

This paper has described one practical

method of self and peer assessment and evalu-

ation through the use of the journal. This

approach is in keeping with the self-directed

learning style recommended by the English

National Board’s 1982 syllabus of training for

psychiatric nurses (ENB 1982) but may also be

adapted for use in many other settings.

Knowles M 1978 The adult learner: a neglected species, 2nd ed. Gulf. Houston, Texas

Knowles M 1980 The modern practice of adult education, 2nd ed. Follett, Chicago

Kolb D A 1984 Experiential learning: experience as the source of learning and development. Prentice Hall, New Jersey

Luft J 1969 Of human interaction: the Johari model. Mayfield Publishing, Palo Alto, California

Striven M 1967 The methodology of evaluation. In: Tyler R, Gagne R, Striven M (eds) Perspectives on curriculum evaluation. AERA Monograph Series on Curriculum Evaluation no. I, Rand McNally, Chicago