Exploring the temporal dimensions of student engagement with longitudinal assessment in an oral health therapy programme.

The time and effort students devote to learning tasks has been related to student success and outcomes, however, the way students understand and experience time during their health professional education remains poorly understood. This article aims to address this gap in knowledge through a qualitative analysis of health professional students' engagement with a longitudinal portfolio assessment spanning two years. Thematic analysis of 7 focus groups conducted with oral health therapy students was performed. Four temporal dimensions of student engagement associated with the longitudinal portfolio assessment were identified: the organising effect of the assessment structure and timeline; flows of learning over time; individual perceptions of time; and having a future orientation. A fifth theme identified that circumstances or events can make or break the temporal rhythms of any of the dimensions. Our findings show that students' experiences of learning are affected by institutional arrangements as well as personal perceptions of time. Taking the experience of time beyond the concept of 'time management', we show how curricula contain under-recognised tools for students to authentically experience the complexities and contradictions of time in preparation for the context of health practice.