| Abstract |
Introduction: Though assessment is an inevitable part of medical education, an ideal, flawless assessment tool is yet to evolve. The affective domain which is paramount in medical profession, is being neglected in routine assessments. In this novel approach, the students themselves are the assessors and the teacher is a silent observer, who monitors the process. In a community training programme, one student acts as the Trainer, while the other as Assessor who assesses the affective domain, using pre validated check lists which minimize subjective errors. Subsequently, their roles are reversed making it reciprocal. This can be used as an effective assessment tool, since the anxiety factor of the student is considerably reduced and less manpower is required. Objectives: (1)To teach the students how to assess the affective domain. (2)To assess student performance by peer/ fellow students, using pre-validated check lists. Materials & Methods: Selected 64 consenting first year medical students and staff to monitor the student activity. Following a training on assessment of the affective domain, the students performed reciprocal assessment. Results: Pre and post test scores analysed using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test, showed a mean ± SD of (42.67±5.750) before and (63.17±0.983) after the training. The p value was 0.027, showing the significance of training. Conclusion: Incorporating affective domain makes peer assessment more efficient. This novel approach, "Reciprocal 3600 Assessment by Students" can be used as an effective peer cum facilitator assessment tool in medical education, which is feasible, comprehensive, less time consuming and cost effective.
KEYWORDS: Affective domain, Comprehensive, Medical Education, Pre validated Checklist, Reciprocal 3600 assessment.
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