Information only becomes knowledge through human agency. The
slide provides a more complex albeit still incomplete picture of stealth
action.
As a simple example, we are all familiar with the public record of
the tick box assessment schedule and how it does not provide assurance
that a) the assessor has actually seen the student; b) that assessors know,
understand and agree with the assessment criteria and definitions; c) that
each assessor assesses in the same way; e) that the activities carried
out by the student fit the realities of contemporary clinical practice;
or that f) students can effectively explore, analyse, critique and engage
in action informed by the very best, very latest research. On the
surface all we have are the ticks and signatures of the typical assessment
document. Hidden are all the slippages of meaning, the shortcuts,
the lack of resources. It is well known that traditional occupational
cultures provide alternative 'visions' mechanisms and resources to resist
innovations or policies or to 'make do' when resources are lacking.
And indeed, that they provide therefore alternative curricula for the 'education'
of the student. The problem is how to 'capture' and assess the real
range of experience and learning.
Assessment, if it is to judge effectively the realities and quality
of practice based learning must meet criteria of validity, relevance, reliability
and scrutiny by external examiners. But how to achieve this?
(The original impetus for the stealth metaphor came from reading the
this article)
