Self-assessments in nursing play a vital part in the education process, as it gives the student a chance to view what they did well and what they need to imporvel.
Hi Sharon - Thanks for your post to the forum. Do you find that students are generally realistic in their self-assessments? Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I think a student's self-assessment is useful to help direct the communication style with the student. In addition to getting insight to what the student has learned and maybe how they learn, I am looking for how committed they are to my class. If it appears they do not have an open and positive attitude toward learning the material in my class, I can try to bring real world examples to this student which hopefully give them a better appreciation for why learning this material will help their career.
Debi Makidon
Hi Debi - Thanks for your post to the forum. I like that you are looking at your students to determine their committment to their own learning. Unless they WANT to learn, there is little that we can do. How to give them that thirst for learning is another challenge! Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
One way it can be effective is by show the students what they have learned in the process so far and to show what are areas they need more work. Also it will help to show what their ultimate goal.
I teach a pastry class, and before I grade a student's cake or sugar showpiece, I first ask them what they think of of their project. Before I share my input, I like to hear how they assess themselves, including what they would do differently next time. I don't always agree with what students say about their work--actually, students are usually much more critical of themselves than I would be. They almost always point out every flaw, including things I wouldn't have noticed myself. I think the students get a lot out of critically analyzing their own work. I try to get them to look at it objectively, so they can see what they would improve upon next time.
How can student self-assessments be used effectively in career college settings?
Self assessments are effective tools in having the student gain an honest assessment of themselves. Have them find out where they are in the training process, and then have them outline the training objectives and develop a plan to reach those goals. Have the student decided how to get there from here
The objective is for the student to train themselves to have an honest assessment of their skill level, not to have their assessments verify the instructor’s opinion.
Self assessments give the student ownership of their training.
Hi Robert- Thanks for your post to the forum. Yes, self-assessment can be very empowering for students. Once they know where they are in terms of progress,they can decide on the steps that they need to take. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Student self assessments provide the instructor with an idea where the student feels he is and his level of confidence in going into the next topic. If the majority of the students are not comfortable then the instructor knows he may need to reasses his delivery or adjust the content.
Self assesament Is used to take inentory of hpw much they know and what is left to do.
Adult learners use self assessment so they can plan ahead.
Self assessments are also used in a job setting. I believe it helps the evaluator assess the student's ability to know their strengths and areas for development.
HI Mary- Thanks for your post to the forum. You make a good point- our graduates will be asked to self assess in the workplace so having them do so as students is good practice. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Give them a none graded quiz without knowing and then see were they at and what the need help with. Even talk about it in classroom to see how everyone feels what the learned so far.
I think this is a good topic to bring up, I feel that sometimes the instructor knows the student better than the student knows themselves! I feel student feedback is great, especially for catching problems before they start but I also feel that the instructor feedback is also valuable for showing the students where they may benefit from improvement.
Opportunities and resources for self-assessment can get students thinking themselves about their strengths and weaknesses. Self-awareness is so important in any area of life...it gives us a framework on what to base our self-assessments on.
Self-assessments help the students realize how much they have learned thus far. I usually try to give them this assessment at the beginning of the course, have them specify which items they do/do not know. Then as the course goes on, I bring these back out to show their learning progress. It helps them to really appreciate the course itself.
Whenever I have used self-assessment, students appear overly critical and place too much emphasis on their short-comings. (Other instructors have also mentioned this in previous statements.) We also must remind students to recognize their strengths.
Student self assessments are a valuable tool to give a non pressured look at what the students understanding of the course material really is from the viewpoint of the learner.
By having them list strengths and weaknesses, positive points and even items that they have questions about, we as educators can get a better picture of what they really know, how they view the material, the course and how serious they are about their education in general.
I believe they know more than they usually give themselves credit for when it comes to learning and retention of material. Often I will ask my students to recall and report on material they have learned or give an assessment of their knowledge in a particular subject and When we review the material you can see in their faces the amazement of knowledge that has actually been stored and recalled. This moment or epiphany is neat to observe.
When students are able to self assess their progress and short falls it helps a person feel more responsible for their success and failures. It helps learners have a more personal vested interest in their future progress because the assessment is based upon their own feelings. They can be used effectively to further plan the areas that need to be addressed more thoroughly for hands on competency based outcomes
It can build self confidence in the student seeing their success,, it can also stimulate a student to dig in a little more to improve his position.
