Assessment: generic issues

Chris Shiel, Head of Learning and Teaching, IBAL2nd Project Management Conference for Excellence in Teaching Learning and AssessmentSeptember 2005

Presentation outline

My thoughts Influence and purpose of

assessment Highlights from the literature Some thoughts for PM Final comments

Initial thoughts

Assessment is not an exact science Summative assessment in ‘disarray’

(Knight & Mantz Yorke 2003) The trust we put on grades is not

shared by experts in assessment Too much emphasis on summative What are we assessing process or

output?

Learning and Assessment

‘From our students’ point of view, assessment always defines the actual curriculum’ (Ramsden 1992)

‘Assessment defines what students regard as important, how they spend their time and how they come to see themselves as graduates…. If you want to change student learning then change the methods of assessment’ (Brown, G et al 1997)

Students are increasingly instrumental!

The influence and purpose of assessment

Assessment is a major influence on:• What students learn• How we teach• How students organise their studies (Race 1994)

Why do we do it? 3 purposes of assessment:• licence to proceed or graduate• Classify/rank performance• Improve learning (Brown)

What does the literature suggest we should be concerned with? (Rust 2005)

Constructive alignment Principles of good practice Deep and surface approaches Maximising potential Assessment and feedback Social constructivist approaches

Constructive alignment - what is it?

Assessment needs to be an integral part of course design (not bolted on) (Race 1994)

‘The fundamental principle of constructive alignment is that a good teaching system aligns teaching method and assessment to the learning activities stated in the objectives so that all aspect of the system are in accord and supporting student learning’ (Biggs 1999)

Essence of constructive alignment Biggs 1999

Establish and articulate desired outcomes (ILOs)

Determine teaching methods needed to get students to behave in ways that are likely to achieve the ILOs

Determine which assessment tasks will tell us if the actual outcomes match the ILOs

Importance of consistency(Rust 2005)

By the end of this unit students will be able to use and evaluate project management software (pms) to manage a project

Teaching will focus on the use and evaluation of pms

Assessment: will test how well the student can use and evaluate pms to manage a project

7 principles of good practice

Encourage student-staff contact Encourage cooperation amongst students Encourage active learning Give prompt feedback Emphasise time on task Communicate high expectations Respect diverse talents and ways of learning

Arthur W Chickering et al, for the American Association of HE, the Education Commission of the States, and the Johnson Foundation

Deep and surface approaches to learning

Surface Approach: student reduces learning to facts that can be regurgitated later

Deep Approach: student tries to make sense of what is learnt, explores ideas and concepts and is able to integrate learning with other/wider ideas, concepts and tasks

What encourages a surface approach? (Rust 2005)

High workload High class contact Too much course material Lack of opportunity to explore topics in depth Lack of choice over subjects/method Threatening and anxiety provoking assessment

system Lecturer provides all the information and all the

answers (Shiel)

Encouraging a deep approach

Engender intrinsic motivation Learner activity ( learn by

doing/testing) Opportunity to interact with others Well structured knowledge base –

chunking and integration Enable opportunity to develop

through SOLO Taxonomy

SOLO TaxonomyExtended abstract - beyond principles

theorise, hypothesise, reflect

Relational - uses, integrates, applies

Compare, contrast, explain, analyse

Multistructural - knowledge telling

Enumerate, describe, list

Unistructural - simple naming

Identify, recognise, memorise After Biggs 2003

Maximising potential (Rust 2005)

Clarify expectations and keep students busy from day one

Pace learning Allow for slow learning Multi-staged assessment Self and peer assessment Build in development of skills and

opportunities for students to test their growing competence in non-threatening way

Maximising potential

Positive reinforcement Allow for early failure (and risk taking) Tasks which are too difficult can cause

‘giving up’ Ensure curriculum encourages development Build in sub-goals, ‘stage posts’ Make early assessment primarily formative

(Mantz Yorke 2001)

Enhance Feedback

Students need sufficient feedback if they are to learn

‘The purposes of feedback are to motivate students, to inform how well they have done and how to improve’ (Brown G) Feedback should focus on performance , their learning and things within their control

‘It should be timely, meaningful, encouraging and offer suggestions for improvement’

Feedback should be received, attended to and acted upon by the student (Rust 2005)

Social constructivist assessment process

Social constructivism: knowledge is shaped and evolved through a complexity of interactions within and between different communities

Involve students in every stage of the assessment process. This involvement should result in better work (Rust)

Discuss assessment with students from day one – negotiate assessment?

Active engagement with feedback

Explicit Criteria

Completion and submission of work

Students Active engagement with criteria

Assessment design & development of explicit criteria

Tutor discussion of criteria

Marking and moderation

Staff Assessment guidance to staff

Rust 2005

Some thoughts for PM

Ideas drawn from PBL (Macdonald and Savin-Baden 2004)

Base assessment in a ‘practice context’ – real or simulated

Assess what professional does – process based activity, underpinned by knowledge skills and attitudes

Assessment should reflect learner’s development from novice to expert practitioner

Enable student to appreciate that in the professional capacity, clients, peers and others will be ‘assessing’ them

Encourage self-assessment, evaluation and reflection as a basis for future CPD

Finally

‘Students can, with difficulty escape from the effects of poor teaching, they cannot (by definition if they wish to graduate) escape the effects of poor assessment’. (Boud 1995)

Assessment is not an exact science The assessor needs to be reflective Well designed assessment should enable the

learner to continue to learn and develop - more ‘critical beings’