Assessment of a Marking Guide for Evaluating Pharmacy Undergraduate Students' Reflective Portfolios

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Reflective writing is generally recognised as a valuable learning skill that promotes critical thinking and self-reflection. Research has shown that the complex nature of this activity, can lead to discrepancies in evaluation and disagreement among markers, resulting in unfair academic outcomes. Therefore, a reliable evaluation tool is needed to assist markers in evaluating reflective portfolios. Aim This study aimed to develop a useful marking guide for reflective portfolios and to examine its impact on the assessment of and provision of feedback on reflective portfolios of pharmacy students at the University of Strathclyde. Methods A marking guide was designed to evaluate reflective portfolios. Portfolios were evaluated in two rounds. In each round, markers were asked to assign marks to two portfolios and provide feedback. The first round was completed with the previous marking guidelines and the second with the newly designed marking guide. Finally, a brief questionnaire was distributed to assess the markers’ perceptions of the marking guide. Key findings The findings show that the marks assigned to reflective portfolios vary greatly. There were no significant differences in the results before and after the introduction of the marking guide. However, the results showed that the markers focused more on assessment criteria with the new marking guide than with the previous guide. Also, All markers found the marking guide to be helpful for assessing reflective portfolios. Conclusions The marking guide helped markers with the provision of feedback but not with the allocation of scores. Issues have been identified relating to current practice for reflective portfolios evaluation. This research has affirmed the value of a marking guide. However, additional studies with larger sample populations are merited to ascertain the marking guide’s rigour and reliability. Keywords Reflective writing, pharmacy undergraduates, portfolios, marking guide, and rubric.