Assessment in a health science programme at a South African university: views and experiences of students

Abstract

The importance of assessments in education cannot be over-emphasised. The reason is that assessments not only promote students' learning but also evaluate students' competencies, particularly in the field of health sciences, such as acupuncture. Therefore, it is crucial for higher education institutions to ensure that assessments in their programmes are valid and reliable. However, there is a distinct lack of research focusing on assessments in acupuncture programmes. This study aimed to explore students' views and experiences of an acupuncture programme at a higher education institution within the South African context. The revised Bloom's Taxonomy was utilised as the theoretical lens to understanding students' views and experiences. A qualitative single case study design was employed in this study. The authors followed a purposive sampling strategy to recruit participants from a public university in South Africa. Ten participants were selected for this study. Thematic analysis was utilised in this study. The findings of this study highlighted that participants acknowledged the importance of assessments in the acupuncture programmes. They reported that it was necessary for lecturers to utilise diverse assessment approaches in teaching. The findings of this study further suggested the significance of frequent assessment in promoting students' learning. This study concluded that there is no specific assessment superior to the other. Appropriate assessment techniques should be selected to meet the purpose of the assessment in the programme.