MONITORING OF NURSING STUDENTS IN SMALL GROUPS, THROUGH RUBRICS OF ASSESSMENT

A team of professors are in the process of piloting an evaluation rubric, which has been developed for the monitoring of nursing students in the development of small group seminars. This experience is part of Project Teaching Innovation and Improvement: "Development of rubrics for monitoring and evaluating the acquisition of skills of nursing students in small groups," which was funded by the University of Seville. Is being carried out during the course 2014/2015 in the subject: "Ethics and Nursing Management" third year of the Degree in Nursing, with 240 students enrolled in the academic units of V. Macarena, V. del Rocío and V. Valme from the Faculty of Nursing, Physiotherapy and Podiatry, University of Seville. In the rubric we have included the following evaluation criteria: Attendance and punctuality, reporting within the allotted time, quality of work, contribution to goals achievement, group integration, social skills, attitude to criticism, and communication, and collaborative work among team members. There have been interviews with students to obtain the views they have on the rubrics in general, and about the rubric we are currently piloting in the subject.

Among the comments that have made us this last, include:
“"I think this assessment rubric focuses on teamwork, which seems very adequate in the case of this subject (especially the part of Management). However, I think individually is difficult to assess the contribution, motivation and integration ..." (Student 2).
"With regard to the opinion of the rubric in Ethics and Management subject, I think that cover many aspects that have made us better as a student, in personal and group work in making presentations and exhibitions ... Also, can work in a more dynamic way, so the seminars are very entertaining. ... There are indicators of the headings that are difficult to assess ..." (Student 6).
"I think the criteria are evaluated under the rubric ... cover a variety of aspects that make when professors can evaluate, find it easier to choose the score for each student, so I personally think that this is a heading quite adequate" (Student 10).
"The criteria that are evaluated are quite successful, allowing the student to evaluate practically every aspect of their work ... being fairer way of this qualification you get” (Student 14).
“"I seem homogeneous and consistent criteria. In general I think the rubric permit a complete evaluation” (Student 17).

In conclusion, we can say that students in general have a good opinion of the evaluation rubric used in seminars in small groups although report that some of the criteria designed, are less objective than others, which could hamper the assessment student. Finally, say that taking into account the views of students, we know the strengths and weaknesses of rubric as evaluation mechanism. This knowledge in particular, we can help to have a more accurate notion of the criteria that we use when assessing, and that they are sensitive to what we really want to measure.