Applied epistemology for community nurses: evaluating the impact of the Patchwork Text

Abstract

In this article we describe how and why a version of the Patchwork Text assessment format was developed for a module called ‘Perspectives on Research in Professional Practice’. This was a module where the teaching and assessment processes were working well but, it was felt, a more reflective, synthetic, cumulative and open-ended assessment would lead to better learning. We then present comparative material to show how the new format was evaluated by students and how the new format affected the intellectual performance of students. We conclude with a discussion of how far introducing the Patchwork Text met our aims in doing so and what we as tutors learned from the experience.