Exploring the temporal dimensions of student engagement with longitudinal assessment in an oral health therapy programme

Abstract

The time and effort students devote to learning tasks has been related to student success and outcomes, however, the way students understand and experience time during their health professional education remains poorly understood. This article aims to address this gap in knowledge through a qualitative analysis of health professional students’ engagement with a longitudinal portfolio assessment spanning two years. Thematic analysis of 7 focus groups conducted with oral health therapy students was performed. Four temporal dimensions of student engagement associated with the longitudinal portfolio assessment were identified: the organising effect of the assessment structure and timeline; flows of learning over time; individual perceptions of time; and having a future orientation. A fifth theme identified that circumstances or events can make or break the temporal rhythms of any of the dimensions. Our findings show that students’ experiences of learning are affected by institutional arrangements as well as personal perceptions of time. Taking the experience of time beyond the concept of ‘time management’, we show how curricula contain under-recognised tools for students to authentically experience the complexities and contradictions of time in preparation for the context of health practice.

Keywords:

• Temporality
• time
• student engagement
• longitudinal assessment

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.

Glossary

Temporality: Is a term used to explore understandings of time and the ways time is arranged and conceptualised in different settings. In higher education, temporality not only governs the linear institutional structures that align with clock time, but also reflects how time is experienced and perceived, by students and teachers. Temporality is integral to health professional education as students are prepared for the way that work in health care is framed by time.

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Additional information

Notes on contributors

Delyse Leadbeatter

Delyse Leadbeatter, BDS, PhD, is Director of Academic Education at The University of Sydney Dental School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.

Jinlong Gao

Jinlong Gao, BDS, PhD, is a senior lecturer in the discipline of oral biosciences at The University of Sydney Dental School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.