Co-creation of Capstone Assessment in Year 1 Undergraduate Integrated Medical Sciences

In this case study we present our experience with a Student-staff partnership that aimed to implement a new capstone assessment component in the first-year Integrated Medical Sciences courses at University College London. The assessment was designed based on a problem-based learning modality, with the time-tabling, teaching asks, feedback structure, assessed output format and marking criteria fine-tuned with the help our of our student partners. A retrospective project evaluation conducted by the student partners revealed that the new assessment modality was an enjoyable experience for the participating students, that gave them a new appreciation of the connections between the modular content. Importantly, it also fostered essential transferrable skills such as leadership, teamwork, critical thinking, problem-solving, collaboration, and communication among peers. In conclusion, the introduction of a holistic capstone assessment holds promise in addressing the limitations associated with modular assessments. Collaborative effort between academics and student partners was instrumental in ensuring that the assessment both met the students’ learning needs and catered to their interests and backgrounds.