ABSTRACT
'Assessment drives learning' is a cliché in medical education, but one that is very accurate. Though one often hears it, the extent to which it is internalised by teachers, and is capitalised on to encourage desirable learning habits in students, is questionable. If integrative learning by students is the aim, how often do we through our assessment systems encourage our students to learn in an integrated manner? Crooks undertook an exhaustive review pertaining to the impact of evaluation on various aspects of student behaviour.1 He concluded that examinations play a critical role in determining what students learn and how they learn. While many of the studies reviewed determined the effects of assessment practices on learning approaches, retention of information, motivation and critical thinking, studies on the integration of learning were sparse. This chapter will focus on student assessment that is in concordance with the aim of integrated learning.
