LearningOrientated Assessment

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Learning-Orientated Assessment
An assessment process in which learning elements
are emphasised more than measurement ones

• Enhancing the Education Environment at Queens
  University
• Professor Brenda Smith
• Assistant Director, Higher Education Academy
• Belfast, 18 September 2006

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Aims

• To discuss assessment with a focus on
• A strategy
• Methods
• Criteria
• Workload
• Feedback

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Some ChangesThe Sage on the Stage to the Guide
on the Side
Elite 10 of students 50 of 18-30 year
olds Didactic Collaborative,
interactive Assessment by examination Variety in
assessment methods Full time F/T, P/T on off
campus Low technology Virtual Learning
Environments Libraries Learning Resource
Centres No institutional strategies Many
strategies Students worked in the holidays Most
work during the course Full attendance at
lectures Absenteeism Motivated
students Variety of motivations Little support
for new staff Accredited programmes
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Change is inevitableProgress is optional
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Assessment defines what students regard as
important, how they spend their time and how
they come to see themselves as students and
graduates (Brown and Knight, 1994, p. 12)
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Why do we assess?

• Quality Assurance to..
• provide feedback to lecturers on
• student learning
• evaluate a course
• assess if course has achieved its aims
• judge effectiveness of learning
• environment
• monitor standards

• Certification to
• pass, fail or grade
• proceed and/or practice
• select for future courses
• or employment

• Learning to
• feedback and feedforward
• motivate
• diagnose strengths and
• weaknesses
• provide a profile of what a
• student has learnt

• Sustainable Assessment for students to..
• have clear guidelines for current
• and future tasks
• develop the skills of reflection
• be actively involved in the whole
• process of assessment

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Perceived notions of assessment

• Focused on
• Testing and measurement
• Marks and numbers
• Competitiveness
• Comparisons or invidious league table
• Learning-orientated Assessment
• An assessment process in which learning elements
  are emphasised more than measurement ones
  (Carless, 2003)

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Issues in Assessment

• Criteria

• Workload

Assessment

• Feedback

• Plagiarism

etc
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The student voice - what they would like
For the assessment load to be spread out
More advice support
Reduced workload
I never realised that assessment was for
learning
Clear criteria
Relevant real-life topics
Choice of assessment topics
Feedback to help me learn
Variety of assessment methods
MESA Project
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1. Why does a Department need an Assessment
Strategy?

• Reflect upon and establish priorities for
  departmental approaches to assessment
• Deepen understanding commitment of staff to the
  processes of assessment
• Improve approaches to assessment
• Provide support for exploring alternative
  approaches
• Ensure a degree of consistency fairness for
  students
• Put the focus on sustainable student learning

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A Checklist for an Assessment Strategy

• Purposes
• Programmes Students
• Guiding Principles
• Procedures
• Undertake an audit
• http//www.heacademy.ac.uk/800.htm
• Assessment Experience Questionnaire (AEQ)
• http//www.open.ac.uk/science/fdtl/overview.htm

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A set of assessment principles?

• Clear
• Integral part of course design
• Transparent
• Consistent
• Valid
• Free of bias
• Practicable

• Integral part of the QA process
• Wide range of methods
• Relevant criteria identified and used
• Realistic workload
• Provides feedback to support learning

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Inducting students in assessment

• Put the emphasis on learning
• Understand their perceptions and assumptions
• Involve them in the process from early on and
  offer low stakes assessment
• Provide a social and secure environment, but
  encourage them to take risks
• Help them to understand the language of
  assessment
• Make learning fun
• Put the emphasis on Year One

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..and staff development

• WHY?
• Because we need to explore with students their
  perceptions and assumptions
• We think what we tell them will be interpreted in
  the same way by all students
• Illustrated by.

15

?
Emphasis on the early years Allocation of staff
contact time

• More expensive
• to teach
• Higher level
• objectives
• More difficult to
• teach assess

3
2
1

• Lower levels are easier
• to teach assess
• They may be less able to
• negotiate discuss

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?
Emphasis on the early years
Students have the skills and independence to take
responsibility for their own learning and to know
when to seek advice and support from the tutor
3
2
At level 1 there is a need to develop students
academic learning skills social integration.
Need to develop independent learning skills
1
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2. Wide range of assessment methods

• Every assessment method will disadvantage
• some students.
• For example
• Females do better at course work
• Males do better with MCQs
• Exams provide little or no feedback
• BUTWe need to plan for variety and align with
  our learning outcomes

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Methods of Assessment

• Unseen written exam
• Seen written exam
• Open book exams
• Project
• Dissertation
• Oral presentation
• Poster
• Portfolio
• Literature search
• Audio / video tape

• Book or article review
• Essay
• Essay plan
• Strategic or business plan
• Laboratory report
• In-tray exercise
• Case study
• Group work
• Exhibition
• Journal article

Do you know what the student experience is in
relation to different methods?
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3. The importance of clear criteria

• Please watch the video and ask yourself
• Are you always clear about the criteria you use
  with your students?
• Do you always ensure that the students understand
  the criteria?
• Do staff have a shared understanding of the
  criteria?

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4. Workload
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Course characteristics associated with a surface
approach

• Heavy workload
• High class contact hours
• Excessive course material
• Lack of opportunity to study subjects in depth
• Lack of option choice
• Threatening and anxiety provoking assessment
  system

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Student workload

• Do you know
• The total workload for your students?
• How many hours work they would need to do to
  complete a piece of assessed work?
• If student work is bunched towards the end of a
  term or semester?
• If students have developed time management
  skills?
• Do we over assess?

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5. Feedback
Students value highly processes that enable them
to understand better the required standards and
receive timely input on their progress towards
those standards Carless, 2004
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National Student SurveyThe Assessment and
feedback scale is made up of five items
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What do students think about feedback?
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Evaluation of tutor feedback
30
20
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0
0
11.5
Encouragement
Feed forward
10.5
Ask for clarification
Use of English
Give clarification
3.1
omission
1.5
Praise
-ive
Error
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Comparison of courses within the Open University
in terms of students use of feedback
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Potential guidance and feedback trouble spots
for students
1. Students prior experiences of assessment
2. Preliminary guidance
3. On-going clarification
6. Feed Forward
4. Feedback on performance
5. Supplementary Support
Ref D. Hounsell. V.McCune, J. Hounsell J.
Litjens
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7 Principles for good practice

• Good practice..
• Encourages student-staff contact
• Encourages cooperation among students
• Encourages active learning
• Gives prompt feedback
• Emphasises time on task
• Communicates high expectations
• Respects diverse talents and ways of learning
• Chickering A W et al, for the American
  Association for Higher Education, Education
  Commission of the States, the Johnson Foundation

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Reflection Time The one minute paper

• What has been the most significant learning point
  for you?
• What might you therefore do differently
  individually or as a team?

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Lets celebrate the current successes of
Queens University
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But as we strive for excellence remember to
put the student at the centre of learning
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Academy Resources

• 1. General Academy resources
• http//www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources.asp
• 2. Implementing an institutional Assessment
  Strategy
• http//www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources.asp?processf
  ull_recordsectiongenericid351
• 3. SENLEF Project 7 principles for effective
  feedback
• http//www.heacademy.ac.uk/senlef.htm
• 4. Managing Effective Student Assessment (MESA)
• http//www.heacademy.ac.uk/799.htm
• 5. Assessment Audit and Tools
• http//www.heacademy.ac.uk/800.htm
• A Briefing on Plagiarism
• www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources.asp?processfull_rec
  ordsectiongenericid10