Appreciative assessment

Abstract

In this article, we propose a new 'appreciative' attitude towards assessment, on two grounds. Firstly, in order to accommodate and benefit from diversity, in both medical practice and medical education; and secondly in order to promote critical thinking, self awareness and capability in trainees more generally. Appreciative assessment requires a dialogic approach - an approach which is already well established in the context of educational supervision, but which we argue is just as applicable to assessment.

Keywords: Assessment; appreciative; criterion-based.