Abstract:

Since educational quality is one of the main demands in university education, there are a large number of tools for measuring it, highlighting the assessment as one of the main instruments. In this sense, the exams take on an important role in ascertaining students' learning results and their knowledge of a subject. The characteristics of the assessment have a key influence on the motivation and behaviour of the students, generating in most of them, stressful and threatening situations, highlighting the oral assessment modality as one of the most stressful. Therefore, it is obvious that stress and anxiety is an omnipresent challenge for university students during exams where a moderate level of stress generated after any activity perceived as a challenge translates into greater implication in the subject obtaining better scores. In this context, with the aim of encouraging study and finding out the opinion of students in relation to two forms of assessment, we have implemented an oral test mode in the practical part of two health science degree courses at two universities in Alicante, alongside the existing written test. Additionally, we wanted to know the degree of student satisfaction with the scores obtained as well as the level of self-perceived stress in the assessment tests, comparing the oral test with the written exam.

The objectives of this study were:
1) to find out the degree of satisfaction of the student with the practical classes and assessment methods used, as well as the preference among these and,
2) to find out the degree of stress perceived by the student with regard to the assessment tests.

Our sample was 193 students of the subject of Human Anatomy (HA) of the Nursing Degree of the University of Alicante (UA) and 66 students of the subject of Physical Podology (PF) of the Podology Degree of the University Miguel Hernández of Elche (UMH). In order to know the student's opinion, a 29-question questionnaire was developed regarding the organization, development and dynamics of the practical classes, the evaluation tools (written and oral exam) as well as the degree of satisfaction with the marks obtained and the level of self-perceived stress before the evaluation tests.

The results of our study revealed a good assessment by the student of both subjects with regard to the organisation of the practical training and the two assessment methods. Regarding the degree of satisfaction with the scores obtained, the PF student reflected a greater dissatisfaction in both exams, compared to HA, as well as a higher level of self-perceived stress in the oral test compared to the written test. Regardless of the degree studied, we found a high and increased level of self-perceived stress in the oral test compared to the written test as well as their feelings that such a level of stress during the oral test negatively influenced their scores. While the oral examination was chosen by the majority of students to assess practical knowledge, the written examination stood out as the preferred assessment method for evaluating theoretical knowledge. This paper highlights the high appreciation of the oral examination by the student, curiously of little use in university evaluation, as well as an increase in the level of stress of the student before this mode of evaluation.

Keywords:

Oral assessment, written assessment, university teaching, health sciences, student opinion, stress.