Exploring approaches to dietetic assessment of a common task across different universities through assessment moderation

Background Assessment presents one of the greatest challenges to evaluating health professional trainee performance, due to the subjectivity of judgements and variability in assessor standards. This study aimed to test a moderation procedure for assessment across four independent universities and explore approaches to assessment and the factors that influence assessment decisions. Methods Assessment tasks designed independently by each of the four universities to assess students’ readiness for placement were chosen for this study. Each university provided four student performance recordings for moderation. Eight different academic assessors viewed the student performances and assessed them using the corresponding university’s assessment instrument. Assessment results were collated and presented back to the assessors, together with original university assessment results. Results were discussed with assessors to explore variations. The discussion was recorded, transcribed, thematically analysed and presented back to all authors to gain consensus on the emerging major learnings. Results While there were differences in absolute scores there was consistency (12 out of 16 performances) in overall judgement decisions regarding placement readiness. Proficient communication skills were considered a key factor when determining placement readiness. The discussion revealed (i) assessment instruments (ii) assessor factors and (iii) the subjectivity of judgement as the major factors influencing assessment. Conclusions Assessment moderation is a useful method to improve the quality of assessment decisions by sharing understanding and aligning standards of performance.