I set students 90 minutes which to read the case (typically about 20 pages long) and to answer 30 questions. In the past I had 50 questions, but one of the key lessons of the course is the importance of 'slow reading', a complex concept developed by UQ philosopher Michelle Boulous Walker in her book of the same title. Currently the questions are formatted in the 'single best answer' form, but I'm looking to change this given that with respect to true ethical conundrums, there is by definition no 'single best answer'. As noted above, setting questions on the basis of the court document is the most challenging aspect of this assessment piece. This is compounded by the fact that on a program on which a lot of assessment has to do with recall, the aim of this is to test judgement and to try to demand as little as possible of the students with respect to their ability to recall facts.
On the whole, students actually like this assessment, and enjoy thinking and talking about the cases. They tend not to score as highly in this as in other assessments, however, and the grade distribution is wider.
Details
- CLASS SIZE
- 100-500
- CLASS LEVEL
- Post-graduate
- ASSESSMENT SECURITY
- Low security
- TIME REQUIREMENTS
- High time
- GRADUATE ATTRIBUTES
- In-depth knowledge in the field(s) studied, Ethical and social understanding
- CONDITIONS
- Work-related, Time limited
- FEATURES
- Authentic, Problem based
- TAGS
- active learning, practical exam, quiz
Advantages
Clear relevance; the credibility of real-life scenarios; the use of clinical scenarios (the science of medicine) to emphasise the importance of the medical humanities (the art of medicine).
Challenges
The time and effort of finding good, relevant cases; the writing of MCQs that are not simplistic nor overly "theoretical"/"academic". The question writing is the most difficult aspect. This is followed by the challenge posed by bright, industrious students whose grasp of English is stretched by the technical nature of a legal proceeding.
Tips for implementation
The key is alignment with the course aims, and the rest of the course offerings (lectures, readings, etc.).
How it supports academic integrity
This assessment gives each student an opportunity to not only reproduce the content that has been delivered to them, but to demonstrate an ability to exercise medico-legal and ethical judgement in a manner that is in keeping with the expectations placed on all medical practitioners.
Dr Bryan Mukandi
b.mukandi@uq.edu.au
Bryan Mukandi's background is in medicine, public health, and philosophy. His research interests revolve around the health and well-being of those who Fanon described as 'the damned of the earth'. Bryan's medical studies now take the form of an interest in the medical humanities, particularly medical education, bioethics and the philosophy of medicine. Much of this interest is focused on the phenomenology of the doctor-patient relationship, beginning with what it means to see or be seen by a health practitioner, especially when the patient or client is a member of a marginalised group. His public health work similarly focuses on projects directed at improving health outcomes of those who bear the brunt of social inequality, and how those projects and the individuals at whom they are directed are understood. The bulk of this work is currently directed to the study of the social and emotional wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth, and its gendered dimensions. All of this is undergirded by Bryan's philosophical work, which draws on continental European philosophy, African philosophy, and Black thought more broadly (the philosophy, literature, visual arts and music of Black and Indigenous peoples). He continues to explore and deconstruct the existential and phenomenological dimensions of coloniality, and the various ways in which the colonised have historically understood and today articulate their sense of themselves, and of their situations. Find out more