Abstract
PURPOSE: A properly designed rubric for oral presentations should be useful both to assess students' performance and to help them prepare for the task. However, its use and perceptions might be influenced by scholars' previous familiarization with rubrics during pre-university courses. The aim of this study was to evaluate how the previous experience of students in the use of rubrics can influence their assessment of oral presentations and to compare their ratings with those assigned by educators. METHODS: Eighty-six first-year undergraduate dentistry students were randomly distributed in teams to prepare oral presentations. A newly designed assessment rubric was presented to the students prior to the assignment. Six weeks later the students performed the presentations and were anonymously assessed with the rubric by their peers and seven educators (EDU). Students' perceptions towards the rubric as a learning and assessment tool were registered with an anonymous survey, which also recorded if they were familiar with the use of rubrics (experienced students, ES) or not (not-experienced students, NES). Assigned scores by NES, ES, and EDU were compared. RESULTS: Sixty-seven students completed the survey. No differences were found in the scores assigned among experienced (41) and non-experienced students (26). Educators assigned significantly lower scores than students. ES and NES considered the rubric a complete easy to use and useful tool that helped them feel confident during assessment and performance. CONCLUSIONS: Previous experience does not influence students' use and perceptions of the newly developed rubric, however, ratings assigned by students are not comparable to those of EDU.