Broadening the basis of assessment to prevent the narrowing of learning

ABSTRACT

This article presents an argument for a reconsideration of the types of assessment pro‐ moted by national policy. It argues that education for the twenty‐first century should place emphasis on higher‐order skills and ‘deep learning’ while not neglecting basic skills. The evidence relating to the impact of assessment on learning is briefly reviewed, as is the current state of understanding about different types of learning. On this basis it is argued that the range of types of assessments used, both formally and informally, should be expanded to illuminate and support a wide spectrum of rel‐ evant learning, including both the learning of facts and skills, deeper understandings of concepts and principles and their application in unfamiliar contexts. The impli‐ cations for policy and for the refocusing of national assessment in England are then discussed and an alternative framework is proposed.     

Controlled assessments in 14–19 Diplomas: implementation and effects on learning experiences

The Principal Learning components of 14–19 Diplomas (introduced in England in 2008) are assessed predominantly via “controlled assessments”. These assessments are conducted within the learning context under specified conditions (or “controls”) and require learners to apply their skills to work-related tasks. In this research, teachers and learners at 6 consortia (groups of schools/colleges working together to deliver Diplomas) were interviewed about how controlled assessments in the Diploma qualifications were affecting teaching and learning experiences.

The nature of the assessments was seen as encouraging learning and facilitating a less didactic learning environment. The assessments were generally considered less pressurised than traditional assessments, and most learners found the assessment tasks enjoyable and motivating. The assessments were reportedly encouraging the development of valuable skills (e.g., teamwork, communication, independent working) and improving students' confidence. However, there was some evidence that not all teachers had yet fully understood the requirements around the assessment “controls”.     

Rethinking Assessment Design: Evidence-Informed Strategies to Boost Educational Impact in the Anatomical Sciences

University assessment is in the midst of transformation. Assessments are no longer designed solely to determine that students can remember and regurgitate lecture content, nor in order to rank students to aid with some future selection process. Instead, assessments are expected to drive, support, and enhance learning and to contribute to student self-assessment and development of skills and attributes for a lifetime of learning. While traditional purposes of certifying achievement and determining readiness to progress remain important, these new expectations for assessment can create tensions in assessment design, selection, and deployment. With the recognition of these tensions, three contemporary approaches to assessment in medical education are described. These approaches include careful consideration of the educational impact of assessment—before, during (test or recall enhanced learning) and after assessments; development of student (and staff) assessment literacy; and planning of cohesive systems of assessment (with a range of assessment tools) designed to assess the various competencies demanded of future graduates. These approaches purposefully straddle the cross purposes of assessment in modern health professions education. The implications of these models are explored within the context of medical education and then linked with contemporary work in the anatomical sciences in order to highlight current synergies and potential future innovations when using evidence-informed strategies to boost the educational impact of assessments.     

Assessment of learning outcomes in Finnish vocational education and training

This article provides an outline and critical review of assessment, an evaluation of learning outcomes, in vocational education and training (VET) in Finland. Assessment of VET is formative, development-orientated and criteria-based. There are no national tests and information from vocational skills demonstrations is used instead. Assessment targets are individual and communal learning focusing on processes instead of reports. Interactive, multifaceted assessments and qualitative methods promote learning and are based on trust – not control. The developmental assessment of learning outcomes started as an experiment in 2002 and as a permanent system in 2007. The whole process has been included and still includes also many challenges of methods, which this article tries to open.     

Kindling fires: examining the potential for cumulative learning in a Journalism curriculum

This study investigated context-dependency of learning as an indicator for students' potential to continue learning after graduation. We used Maton's theoretical concepts of ‘cumulative’ and ‘segmented’ learning, and ‘semantic gravity’, to look for context-independent learning in students' assessments in a Journalism curriculum. We postulated whether the curriculum constrained or enabled cumulative learning. Students' responses to assessments were coded by their degree of context-dependency, or semantic gravity. We found that, firstly, students are overly successful in producing context-dependent answers but struggle to deliver context-independent responses. Secondly, students were not effective when they used higher level knowledge principles without the foundation of lower level ones. Lastly, the marking criteria were encouraging markers to reward context-dependent answers over context-independent ones. This study has implications for educators interested in curriculum design that enables cumulative learning in discipline specific contexts.     

档案袋评价在英语口语教学中的运用

档案袋评价以其独特的优势,成为现代教学评价的典型代表。档案袋评价与英语口语教学相结合能促使教师全面掌握学生口语情况,帮助学生从学习过程中掌握学习方法策略,使师生共同完善英语口语的教与学。本文主要介绍档案袋评价产生的背景、内涵、特点,对当前档案袋评价争议较多的问题提出见解,并且分析档案袋评价应用于英语口语教学的意义以及具体实施方法。档案袋评价的实施对英语口语教学有积极作用。     

The impact of alternative authentic assessment outcomes in Palestinian fourth grade math classrooms

Focusing on evaluating students’ performance in basic math classrooms, the researchers in this study examined the impact of alternative assessments on learning outcomes in fourth grade Palestinian classrooms. Representing a large sector of education in the Palestinian territories, fourth grade students were randomly selected to participate in the study in which they participated in various math instructional and assessment activities throughout multiple lessons and cycles. Alternative assessment approaches were used including student self- assessment, peer assessment, and teacher assessment in terms of three main achievement levels to measure the extent to which students learned the math concepts by recall and remembrance, ability to apply, and making inferences. Mixed Design ANOVA measures were used to analyze and interpret the results which showed significant trends and correlations across the four cycles of math instruction and indicated that alternative authentic assessment methods have had a positive impact on students’ learning and application of math. Implications for integrating authentic assessment measures as well as peer and self- assessments were drawn in light of the promising outcomes of augmenting student motivation and developing critical life-long skills.     

The Design of Competency-Based Performance Assessment in E-Learning

This article focuses on the design of competency-based performance assessment in e-learning. Though effort has been invested in designing powerful e-learning environments, relatively little attention has been paid to the design of valid and reliable assessments in such environments, leaving many questions to educational developers and teachers. As a solution to this problem, a systematic approach to designing performance assessments in e-learning contexts is presented, partly based on the 4C/ID model. This model enables the construction of realistic whole tasks instead of advocating education that is restricted to more isolated skills. A new assessment procedure also implies an alternative view of instructional design, learning and assessment. The requirements for the learning environment are addressed. Examples from a virtual seminar are presented to illustrate the design approach. The article concludes with the identification of possible pitfalls related to the approach and gives directions for future research.     

Assisting transition to university: using assessment as a formative learning tool

This study explores the effectiveness of an intervention involving formative assessment in a first‐year core business subject. Students were invited to receive feedback on a draft of their first written assessment during the early weeks of the semester. Consideration is given to the economic and ethical issues raised by the intervention. A multi‐method approach of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis is used. The research finds that the intervention facilitates significantly higher marks in assessments and grades, while assisting student learning overall. Findings are reinforced by comparison with a subject where the intervention was not offered.     

Validity of admission decisions based on assessment of prior learning in higher education

Assessment of prior learning (APL) refers to the process of validating individuals’ learning in a variety of contexts, representing a relatively new practice in many countries. In higher education, APL is used to receive access and credits based on skills and knowledge acquired mainly outside of formal academic settings. This paper focuses on validity of admission decisions based on this type of assessment in higher education. The study examines decisions made by higher education institutions for approximately 600 applicants who have used APL in order to receive admission to, and credits in the vocational teacher education programme in Sweden. The results are analysed and presented in relation to a validity discussion. A conclusion is that the existing practice of APL needs improvements in order to obtain validity and trustworthiness in the decisions made in relation to APL.     

Reading assessments for students with ASD: a survey of summative reading assessments used in special educational schools in the UK

Schools have an obligation to assess the literacy skills of their students, and the provision of reading instruction to students includes the ability to measure progress in this area. However, the design of reading tests includes the ability not only to read words, but also the ability to verbalise them. This presents a particular challenge for practitioners working with students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who can be nonverbal in many cases. How this issue is generally overcome is currently unknown. A survey was developed, in the form of an online multiple‐choice questionnaire, in order to determine which tests are currently being used in the UK to assess the reading abilities of nonverbal students, and to examine the opinions of the education practitioners who use them, in relation to their suitability. Using the schools web directory, e‐mail invitations were sent to 1,050 special educational needs schools across the UK, and 70 schools responded to the invitation. Respondents suggested that the majority of practitioners hold little faith in the ability of current reading assessments to provide an accurate picture of reading ability for students with ASD, and this holds particularly true for nonverbal pupils with ASD. One purpose of education assessment is to establish a baseline of students’ ability in order to plan for lifelong learning and achievement. If there is an inability on the part of schools accurately to assess the reading abilities of nonverbal students with ASD, then it would be fair to assume that this could have a negative impact on the provision of learning opportunities for this population.     

Learning to work together: health and social care students’ learning from interprofessional modules

This paper reports on a study of student learning about collaboration and discusses the effectiveness of different forms of assessment in facilitating learning. The study was conducted in a large health and social care faculty in which all students on pre‐qualifying professional programmes learn together in modules aimed at developing collaborative skills. Data about student learning were collected through interviews with 42 students and analysis of 53 students’ completed assignments. The paper focuses on two questions: (1) What did students learn about collaborating in groups and about their own collaborative skills? (2) Which forms of assessment were effective in recording this learning? Interview and assignment data demonstrated that students learned about groups and group participation, about themselves in group situations and about the relevance of interprofessional learning to working collaboratively in professional practice. Module 3 (third year) assessments provided evidence of transference of learning from module to practice. Whereas learning logs, completed during the module as a form of reflective assessment, appeared to promote self‐awareness about own collaborative skills, reflective essays, completed after module sessions had ended, provided more opportunities for analysis and to link theory to practice.     

The development process for the optional teacher assessment materials for English for use in Wales at the end of Key Stage 2

This paper outlines the development process that took place for the production of assessment materials to be used by teachers in Wales now that statutory testing at the end of KS2 has been abolished. The aim was to provide teachers with a free, but rich, optional resource that would allow for assessment of pupils' abilities in a wide range of skills and competencies embedded in the English curriculum and demonstrate how teacher assessments could be used both summatively and formatively.     

基于同侪互评的在线学习评价研究综述

在线同侪互评是一种形成性评价策略。它通过学习者之间相互给予评分或反馈来改善学习成果,对学习者的学习成绩、态度及高阶思维能力等方面能够产生重要的影响。首先回顾了近10年来国际在线同侪互评的主要文献．从概念与内涵、程序与方法、系统与工具,以及效果与影响等四个方面综述了现有研究成果。而后,展望未来研究可能聚焦于：同侪互评与其他网络教学策略整合、同侪互评与教师评价结合运用、同侪评语分析等主题。     

建构主义教学与学习评估方法的探讨

简要分析建构主义教学的特征,并从建构主义教学的角度,对目前英美等国许多大学普遍采用的大学生学习评估方法以及各种方法的利弊进行阐述和比较。同时,对提高中国高校学习评估的可靠性和有效性提出建议。     

Integrative assessment: reframing assessment practice for current and future learning

The requirement to provide timely formative tasks that are designed to facilitate student learning and autonomy has provoked a wider examination of the role of assessment in higher education and encouraged further investigation of the alignment of learning, teaching and assessment in curriculum design frameworks. Many current authors have proposed that the primary purpose of assessment is to enhance current and future learning and that current practice tends to overemphasise the importance of assessment for progression and certification purposes. This paper proposes that a clearer distinction be made between assessment tasks designed to facilitate and test current learning through the use of formative and summative assessments, and those tasks primarily designed to enhance future learning, which could be better termed integrative assessments. This distinction would allow students and teachers to have greater clarity around the proposed outcomes and reward mechanisms associated with assessment tasks and feedback. This paper proposes that teachers should strive to incorporate four different types of assessment tasks throughout a programme of study, namely diagnostic, formative, integrative and summative tasks, and that the outcomes and reward mechanisms for different assessment types be explained more clearly to students.     

Students’ views of oral performance assessment in mathematics: straddling the ‘assessment of’ and ‘assessment for’ learning divide

This paper explores the views of a group of students who took an oral performance assessment in a first-year mathematics module. Such assessments are unusual for most subjects in the UK, but particularly within the generally homogenous assessment diet of undergraduate mathematics. The evidence presented here resonates with some, but not all, of the existing literature on oral assessment and suggests that, despite concerns about anxiety and fairness, students see oral assessments as encouraging a focus on understanding, being relatively authentic and reactive to their needs. We argue that, suitably implemented, oral assessment may be a viable assessment method for straddling the ‘assessment for’ and ‘assessment of’ learning divide in higher education.     

Advantages of authentic assessment for improving the learning experience and employability skills of higher education students: A systematic literature review

This study is a systematic review of literature that investigates the advantages of implementing authentic assessment for improving two major categories that are relevant to academic and professional success of higher education students: learning experience and employability skills. Authentic assessment involves students in challenging tasks that closely resemble those of the workplace settings. 26 papers from 2010 to 2019 that were relevant to the topic of this paper were selected for the review process. Findings of this review indicate that authentic assessment can play a role in improving the learning experience of higher education students through enhancing their engagement in learning and improving their satisfaction as well as positively influencing their efforts to achieve educational goals. We also discuss the benefits of authentic assessment for equipping students with essential skills for their future professional life, such as communication skills, collaboration skills, critical-thinking and problem-solving skills, self-awareness, and self-confidence.     

Using Formal Embedded Formative Assessments Aligned with a Short-Term Learning Progression to Promote Conceptual Change and Achievement in Science

This study examined the effect of learning progression-aligned formal embedded formative assessment on conceptual change and achievement in middle-school science. Fifty-two sixth graders were randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group. Both groups were taught about sinking and floating by the same teacher with identical curriculum materials and activities. The experimental group received, in addition, three sets of formal embedded formative assessments with qualitative feedback as to how to improve their understandings aligned with an expected learning progression during instruction. The control group spent the corresponding time between new curriculum activities conducting curriculum-specific extension activities. Overall, the experimental group experienced on average greater conceptual change than the control group. The experimental group also scored higher on average than the control group on general achievement tests, especially the performance assessment. This study supported the contention, then, that embedding formal formative assessments within a curricular sequence built around an expected learning progression is a useful way to promote conceptual change along that learning progression in science classrooms.     

Perfecting Lessons Learned for Criminal Justice Online Graduate Education: Reflection,Integration, and Application

Criminal justice programs are seeing an increase in the number of online classes both at the graduate and undergraduate levels. At the graduate level, criminal justice online education requires students to achieve mastery of higher ordered thinking and advanced analytic skills. Some students may believe that online education is simply a matter of reading postings and writing simple responses to queries. In order to counter the view that modern online courses, particularly those at the graduate level, are not academic enough, online graduate faculty must find ways to engage students through useful course design and meaningful assessments that promote deep learning. Such engagement requires faculty and students to show reflection in design as well as the integration and application of course materials in a consistent and significant way. This paper will discuss our attempts to reframe graduate criminal justice online classes in order to enhance student engagement and, ultimately, their deeper learning.