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Teachers and students perceive the importance of adequate feedback when assessing skills. This is applies to assessing clinical skills but staff and students have differing perceptions of this feedback quality (Taylor, Grey and Satterthwaite 2013). Also, perception of feedback provision can be influenced by the assessment tool being used (Hepplestone, Holden, Irwin, Parkin & Thorpe 2011). In undergraduate dentistry in the UK, for example, students’ clinical competence is assessed on the basis of Clinical, Communication, Professionalism and Management and Leadership domains (see the General Dental Council’s Preparing for Practice document, 2015). Skills in these four domains are observed during clinical instruction and recorded through the use of a paper-based form. However, this form does not explicitly map to specific outcomes mandated by an accrediting body; so, an iPad app based solution was introduced in 2013. This solution is called LiftUpp. Staff and students have different perceptions about the use of LiftUpp and its advantages and disadvantages. This paper aims to inform clinical assessment practice at KCLDI by identifying this difference in perspective. An online questionnaire similar to that of Carless (2006) was designed with two versions: one with statements phrased to elicit students’ views of LiftUpp’s use and the other phrased to elicit teachers’ views of LiftUpp’s use. This approach was complemented by usage analytics and analyses of written feedback provided by teaching staff. Year 3 to Year 5 undergraduate dentistry students (155) and teaching staff (47) participated in the study. The responses reveal students and staff perceive the use of LiftUpp differently in regards to: a) the training staff need to assess students’ clinical skills with LiftUpp; b) the usefulness of the app in providing constructive feedback; and, c) consistency in the use of LiftUpp to assess clinical skills. Also, we conclude that both students and staff have similar perceptions about: a) the usefulness of providing adequate written feedback to students on clinical skills performance; and, b) the disproportionate amount of time required to provide useful feedback through LiftUpp. In this paper we assess LiftUpp’s potential to be an effective assessment and feedback tool and its function as data set for motivating students as well as auditing, recording and monitoring performance, analysing progress and examining patterns of staff behaviour. All of which are relevant objectives in a number of other educational fields outside of dentistry.
Carless, D., 2006. Differing perceptions in the feedback process. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2), 219–233.
General Dental Council, 2015. Preparing for Practice: Dental Team Learning Outcomes for Registration.
Hepplestone, S., Holden, G., Irwin, B., Parkin, H. J., & Thorpe, L., 2011. Using technology to encourage student engagement with feedback: a literature review. Research in Learning Technology, 19(2), 117–127.
Taylor, C. L., Grey, N., & Satterthwaite, J. D., 2013. Assessing the Clinical Skills of Dental Students: A Review of the Literature. Journal of Education and Learning, 2(1), 20–31.
