Best practice assessment methods for the undergraduate psychology program: A narrative review of the literature
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(Published version)
Date
2024
Authors
Halliday, S.
Callaghan, P.
Lavis, T.
Chur-Hansen, A.
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Journal article
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Australian Journal of Psychology, 2024; 76(1):2395521-1-2395521-18
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Sarah Halliday, Peta Callaghan, Tiffany Lavis, Anna Chur-Hansen
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Abstract
Objective: To determine if best practice guidelines exist for assessment methods throughout the undergraduate psychology program, and whether there are recommendations on how to scaffold these methods effectively and appropriately over the three-year degree. Methods: A comprehensive database search and review of journal articles, books, and grey literature relevant to higher education assessment and evaluation, and their focus on psychology, was conducted. From this, six articles, eight books, and one report were deemed relevant to the current research, with all but one published in the United States. Results: Four common themes arose from the findings: 1) assessments should be based on learning outcomes, 2) there are many considerations when creating assessments at a course and program level, 3) best practice assessment method: authentic assessment, and 4) recommendations for scaffolding assessment methods across the three-year program. Recommendations for scaffolding assessment methods related to the areas of scientific inquiry, psychological literacy, critical thinking, and problem-based learning. Conclusion: This review highlights that much more work is needed to identify the assessment methods that are best suited to each level in the undergraduate psychology program, and how to effectively scaffold and evaluate these methods over the three-year degree.
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© 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent