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This superordinate theme focuses on how students used assessment information to adjust their learning strategies. It considers how assessment information can help students to move beyond what they have learned to what might be learned next, in order to plan and lead the next steps in their learning. Three sub-themes will illustrate students’ use of assessment as a tool for learning, these subthemes are: students’ active role in the learning process, assessment as motivator anddialogue as a means of assessment for learning.

6.3.1 Students’ Active Role in the Learning Process

It is clear from all the five focus groups that the use of alternative assessment tools helps students to play a crucial role in the development of their own learning. They contrasted a student-centred approach with more traditional one. “In the traditional way, the teachers explain and read everything in the lecture, and the student only listen, without performing any role. But as you (other participants) mentioned, doing researches, presentations or the lab works, and having such an active role, is very useful for our learning and helps us to progress” (FG1, S1). Students showed their awareness of how different assessment tasks helped them develop their cognitive skills to “cope with accelerate development in different fields” (FG4, S2) as well as higher-level skills such as, communication, critical thinking and problem-solving skills and collaboration.

It improves our dealing with the things, lets us aware of our hidden skills and share information and experiences to find answers for umm a problem and the lecturers can help us on that (FG2, S4).

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When I search and see more than one website and reference, I will learn more, as I will analyze, compare, umm I mean identify the problem and try to solve it (FG4, S2).

This give chance to communicate with other students and deals with them in a good manner. I'm independent person, so working in groups makes me trusting others more and gives me great confidence among the group, I mean being able to clearly communicate my thoughts and ideas with members and we accomplish the task together. It became important for me to work with others as I will work with medical crew (FG4, S4).

It is interesting that S4 in (FG2) used the word “hidden” suggesting that she had the skill but had no opportunity to practice it and to use it within the teacher-centred approach. Having such an active role through performing different types of assessment tasks helps students to recognize their skills and enables them to use these skills. In addition, recognising the importance of collaboration with peers allows them to identify and value their own contributions. For example, S4 in (FG4) argues that group work helps build her trust in her team members and offers her opportunities to practise her communication skills helping her to communicate more clearly her thoughts and ideas. The skills and abilities that students develop while performing assessment tasks, would perhaps lead to learning improvement and prepare them for further stages.

Students explained how they could play an active role in the development of their learning through performing different assessment tasks. For example:

I personally prefer presentation because the first thing it gives me confidence in … when I started studying at the university, I began to conduct presentations, deal with people, and stand in front of them and feel the people may benefit from me, which made me challenging myself to learn more and share with others. This gave me confidence while I am speaking, communicating and delivering the information, so I can be an active learner and that would benefit me. When I am about to conduct a presentation, I shall search for the information myself and thus it will be kept in my mind (FG3, S2).

I prefer to make a file as it is quickly adjusted and complete. It is easy because I will reflect on what I did and learn in the hospital and it is interesting in the same time because I know new different things and share with my colleague to benefit them as well… I mean that I will learn by practice and reflecting on these practices.

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I will definitely learn… it focuses on what we did and learned in the hospital. This mean that it is a presentation of what we made which might include pictures, personal notes and so on. That helps us to reflect on our learning (FG3, S4). … writing an essay is part of self-learning which means that I benefit from and will not depend on only one source represented by the lecturer. There may be new studies, but the lecturer sometimes teaches us topics lasted for many years. When I conduct a research by myself, I find out new information that I can update the information by this self-learning that makes me effective. At the same time, I develop the other skills and abilities of me when I search for and read and discuss with the lecturer (FG5, S2).

From the quotations above, students presented their experiences of being active learners through performing different assessment tasks such as, presentation, reflective files and writing an essay and its impact on enhancing their overall learning, expanding their knowledge and improving their self-confidence. They also showed how they can not only take personal advantage from their assessment tasks but also recognise the potential that such approaches have to benefit others as they use phrases such as “learn more and share with others, communicating and delivering the information and share with my colleague to benefit them” (FG3, S2).

To conclude, the active participation in the development of their own learning through performance assessment tasks, rather than being passive learners, increases students understanding and promotes their learning. Gaining experiences through active participation is perceived by students to have a positive impact on both broadening their knowledge and encouraging the development of higher-order skills.

6.3.2 Assessment as a Motivator

The analysis of the evidence emerging from the focus groups provides examples of students’ reflection on assessment as motivator:

Assessment may work as a motivator for me. I feel if I work hard on tasks, umm it is like a way to encourage myself to learn more, to promote my skills and support others in the same time (FG4, S1).

Imagine if there is no assessment, it would be hard for me to be diligent and feel inspired, I will not feel the responsibility of my learning… Assessment encourages

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me to learn more because it urges me to study hard, feel the responsibility of developing myself, and seriously feel the thing await me, patients who need my help (FG5, S1).

The statements above suggest that performing an assessment task can motivate students to learn more, to be more active in their own learning and to collaborate with others. It also helps them to build self-confidence and increases their feeling of responsibility for taking care of patients in the future. Students’ uses of phrases such as “encourage myself to learn more, to promote my skills and support others” and “feel the responsibility of developing myself” indicates that assessment with more formative functions can motivate students and build in them a greater sense of responsibility.

However, grades had also a significant motivational influence on students. Five students only referred to grades as a motivator for them to learn, for example, “if there are no marks on the assessment task, I will not work or study hard” (FG4, S4). While an extremely interesting correlation is observed between grades and external motivation such as having “a respected job” (FG4, S4).

From the analysis of focus group evidence, it emerges that for assessment to act as a motivator for students to learn, attention had to be paid to the learning environment. One student in (FG5) suggested that the assessment would motivate them to learn only within the context of an appropriate environment:

In terms of improving performance, assessment can motivate me to learn and improve my performance based on existing environment. For example, if there are people whom I am not comfortable, I will not benefit, and my performance will not be good. But if there is a good relation between them and me, I will be of the best performance because I am comfortable in the environment in which I am, follow their advice and freely communicate with them (FG5, S3).

The quote above refers to the importance of dialogue and discussions in a trusted environment as a main feature of assessment that motivates students and leads to high quality learning. The student also pointed to the importance of group composition “if there are people whom I am not comfortable” implies that if group members make one another feel uncomfortable, then this lacks of connection can have a negative impact on an individual’s learning, “my performance will not be good”. The next section will discuss the influence of dialogue between student and lecturers on students’ learning.

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6.3.3 Dialogue as a Means of Assessment for Learning

The data also across all the discussion groups indicated that students understand the valuable role dialogue plays in promoting their understanding. For example, dialogue was discussed extensively in FG5 where students described dialogue between them and their lecturers and between them and peers as a form of assessment that involves moving forward and makes a positive difference to students’ overall learning:

I love dialogue with the lecturers, oh my God; I love it the best. I mean when the lecturer speaks to me not only about my performance, I have many questions, I am a curious student so much that there may be things I understand wrong. So, I ask the lecturer about different things, these things may not be related to the lecture, but I want the lecturer to listen to me, assess my understanding of the world around me. If the lecturer uses the traditional method, I cannot bear it, meaning that I prefer the person talking with me, listening to me and be aware of my thoughts and then correct me and my way of thinking and understanding … Yes, because sometimes I have the wrong idea and talk about thing not related to the lecture leading to have a wrong concept, and thus through dialogue, the lecturer corrects it. I already have a lot of misconceptions, and thus informal dialogue with the lecturer corrects my mistakes in way that I feel like umm friends! (FG5, S1).

This student identified a range of areas that matter in building strong relationships between lecturers and students in KSA. The choice of the word “love” and repeating it “love it the most” is very different from conventional language of learning in KSA. The choice of terms emphasizes the passionate feeling the student has about the new dialogic-based approach, in contrast to her comments on the traditional method where she says, “I cannot bear it”. The student’s choice of these strong words reflects a dramatic change in the relationship between students and lecturers; from the traditional passive relationship to building a new relationship “like … friends” – one that students prefer.

The students had also made reference to having “many questions”, being “curious” and wanting to identify and change her misunderstanding, which implies a shift in students’ interest towards meaningful and deep learning. This student wanted to go beyond the confines of the taught curriculum, for example, “I ask the lecturer about different things, these things may not be related to the lecture”, “my understanding of the world around me”. Feeling actively engaging in dialogue with their lecturers help students to be effectively

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engaged in the learning process, correct their misconception and “expands the student's perception of the world” (FG5, S3). She also added:

As long as we have friendly communication, a more self-confidence will be made. I will not feel like: oh she criticize me, I am not doing well, but rather I will be confident and accepts her point of view… (Lecturers’ names- L7 & L10) is the two lecturers mostly working hard to communicate with us, we are having like kind of umm conversation about our dreams, concerns, yeah stuff like that, I want to see many like them (FG5, S3).

The dialogic interactions between lecturers and students can enhance students’ self- confidence and increase trust in their lecturers to share their “dreams, concerns, yeah stuff like that” with them. The context of sharing dreams and aspirations goes beyond the traditional passive relationship between lecturers and students in KSA and emphasizes the influence dialogic-based approach had in building trust and deepening the relationship between lecturers and students.