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Assessment Introduction

Unit for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching

2

A question…

A student has worked the following mathematical problem:

269

23 x

5380

787

6167

• Working individually, give this student a mark out of ten

Mark = ……/10

3

Consider…

• Was your judgement based on process or product?

• What might affect the mark you gave?

4

Assessment needs to be

• Valid (measures what it is supposed to)

• Reliable (reproducible results)

• Transparent

• Free of bias

• Practicable

5

Reproducibility

The consistency or reproducibility of an assessment:

• Markers: do they agree?

• Can the test be repeated to achieve the same results?

• Internal: does it agree with itself?

6

But…

• Is this achievable• In a discipline?• Across an institution?

• How widely can or should results be reproduced?

• Are these desirable educational purposes?

7

Why assess?

• Assessment is central to teaching and learning

• Diagnostic (placement)

• Summative (certification)

• Formative (aiding learning)

• Move towards ‘sustainable’ assessment (Boud 2000)

8

Planning assessment

• Integral to curriculum planning

• Defining learning outcomes

• Linking assessment criteria and learning outcomes

• Assessment tasks should be designed so that students can demonstrate achievement of the learning outcomes

9

What is being assessed?

• Content learning

• Skills (generic)

• Skills (subject specific)

With what effect?

• Deep / surface learning

10

Assessment and Feedback

Assessment by whom?

• Staff, peer, self

How?

• Three main forms- written, oral, performance

Feedback?

• Written, oral, recorded

• Motivation, engagement

11

Assessment workload

• Staff

• Students

• Usefulness of assessments

• Marking load

12

References

• Boud D 2000 Sustainable Assessment: rethinking assessment for the learning society, Studies in Continuing Education, Vol 22, No 2.

• Gibbs G & Simpson C (2004) Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning, Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Issue 1.

• Knight, P (2007) ‘Grading, classifying and future learning’ Ch 6 in D Boud & N Falchikov, Eds, Rethinking assessment in Higher Education, Oxon: Routledge.

13

References

• Knight, P 2001 Assessment: A briefing on Key Concepts, LTSN Generic Centre Assessment Series Number 7, LTSN Generic Centre: York.

• Price, M; Handley, K & O’Donovan, B (2008) Feedback: What’s in it for me? Paper presented at the 4th EARLI/Northumbria Assessment Conference, Berlin. Available from http://www.iqb.hu-berlin.de/veranst/enac2008?reg=r_11.