Therefore, peer-assessment is embedded in higher education to help students appraise their own work and that of others, and to adopt a more self-directed attitude towards their learning in preparation for their ongoing professional development and lifelong learning (Jaques 2000; Falchikov 2001).
Bearing in mind that this paper analyses the role of students in e-assessment activities centred in a concrete course and their perception about this process, the following research questions are considered: How students appraise the different e-assessment strategies of the course?
The first aspect that can be highlighted is the tendency of the students to appraise markedly higher the evaluations that they have offered to the rest of the students in all the indicators posed.
We wanted to assess whether our soon-to-graduate medical students could appraise and apply research about a diagnostic test within a clinical context and to compare our students with peers trained at other institutions.
The end of course evaluation consists of several questions which ask students to appraise (5 point scale; 1 = Less Satisfactory, 5 = More Satisfactory) the course in terms of overall quality, relevance to medical practice, course design, and encouragement of critical thinking.
All the students were thoroughly appraised about the nature, purpose and implications of the study and were also assured about their confidentiality and freedom to withdraw themselves from the study any time.
Faculty Board, where students are represented, was appraised of the progress through the report of the Undergraduate Committee, which also has student representation.
Then, the student has to appraise the evidence critically, in relation to the aetiology, diagnosis, prognosis, therapy and follow-up of the case in question, and to describe the evidence table.
Again, neither the activity of the company nor the student's activity has been appraised ethically.
Only one student mentioned that she critically appraised research evidence during clinical placement.
