Making Learning Visible through Formative Assessments in Postgraduate Orthodontic Education

Abstract

Assessments play a vital role in postgraduate orthodontic education. They are the means to ensure postgraduate students meet the training standards of their respective programs. The visibility of student learning is crucial to the development of a postgraduate's knowledge, skill and attitudes that will eventually define the clinician's education and competence for the practice of orthodontics. This essay presents the argument for making learning visible in postgraduate orthodontic education and explains its importance. It highlights the educational theories that underpin the practice of formative feedback and articulates the significance of formative and summative assessments approaches and evaluation frameworks.

Integral to formative assessments is feedback. The essay discusses three levels of feedback – macro, meso and micro – and how each can support and enhance student learning. A brief description on the significance of peer learning introduces five formative assessment classroom practices in an ERASMUS-based postgraduate orthodontic training program conducted at the National University of Singapore. They demonstrate the value of peer learning and feedback that makes learning visible to the teachers and to the postgraduate students. The essay ends with a short exploration on how technology is being harnessed to make learning visible. In particular, the current trajectory of Artificial Intelligence development, such as Open AI's ChatGPT and Google's Gemini, offers educators and students new and innovative ways to enhance teaching and learning.