Feedback matters: Community placement assessment in a rural medical cohort via video commentary

Abstract

Educators must provide tertiary students with authentic assessment feedback to support learning goals and workplace preparedness. Today’s digitally connected students consume information in bite-sized formats via podcasts and social media so educators should engage through similar channels. However, despite video teaching being common in medical education, video feedback for assessment is not. At an Australian regional university, preclinical students work interprofessionally with rural community organisations and clients to understand social, cultural, and economic health impacts. This paper describes the introduction of video feedback for approximately 400 first-year graduate-entry rural medical students for a summative assessment of a creative project reflecting on their Community-Based Placement (CBP). The study explored how video feedback enhances students’ knowledge of health, community, and self. We examined educators’ reflexivity in adopting innovative pedagogical practices. We investigated how staff and student experiences of creating and receiving video feedback, its novelty and usefulness of within transformative learning, using a mixed-method approach. In the context of contemporary medical education and practice, and an increasingly technology-based world, video commentary provides authentic assessment feedback that is impactful for students and enhances the practice and professional development of educators. These findings may apply beyond medical education to other healthcare disciplines, and sectors.