University student anonymity in the summative assessment of written work

This paper provides an overview of the issue of student anonymity in the summative assessment of student work in higher education. It considers both theoretical literature pertaining to bias in the evaluation of the work of others and the limited empirical work undertaken on this issue in higher education. It then describes the experience of three higher education institutions in their institutional consideration of student anonymity in assessment. It concludes with an attempt to integrate three perspectives from teaching and learning theory into the anonymity debate, which has largely been conceived in terms of institutional policy, and suggests that there is scope for much further teaching and learning research in the area.     

The influence of student gender on the assessment of undergraduate student work

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of perceived student gender on the feedback given to undergraduate student work. Participants (n = 12) were lecturers in higher education and were required to mark two undergraduate student essays. The first student essay that all participants marked was the control essay. Participants were informed that the control essay was written by Samuel Jones (a male student). Participants then marked the target essay. Although participants marked the same essay, half of the participants (n = 6) were informed that the student essay was written by Natasha Brown (a female student), while the remaining participants were informed that it was written by James Smith (a male student). In-text and end-of-text feedback were qualitatively analysed on six dimensions: academic style of writing; criticality; structure, fluency and cohesion; sources used; understanding/knowledge of the subject; and other. Analysis of feedback for both the control and target essay revealed no discernible differences in the number of comments (strengths of the essay, areas for improvement) made and the content and presentation of these comments between the two groups. Pedagogical implications pertaining to the potential impact of anonymous marking on feedback processes are discussed.     

Linking assessment to undergraduate student capabilities through portfolio examination

Portfolios are an established method of assessment, although concerns do exist around their validity for capabilities such as reflection and self‐direction. This article describes an e‐portfolio which closely aligns learning and reflection to graduate capabilities, incorporating features that address concerns about portfolios. Students are required to complete assessments linked to graduate capabilities. In Year 3, a portfolio review occurs (205–248 students per year), focusing on students' grades and feedback from assessments and a reflective essay is submitted. In the essay, students reflect on their progress, identify areas of weakness and detail plans for improvement. Progress in each capability is summatively graded against specific criteria and feedback is provided. Students progressively accumulate evidence of learning linked to the graduate capabilities. The provision of sufficient structure prevents evasion of areas of weakness. Importantly, the equal weighting given to all graduate capabilities emphasises that competence in all areas is required. The requirement for a degree of self‐direction and reflection in all assessments promotes regular review of progress. This e‐portfolio explicitly links graduate outcomes with assessment in order to drive learning. Further research is required to evaluate acceptability to students, as well as the efficacy of portfolios in developing reflective practice and self‐directed learning.     

The role of anonymity in peer assessment

This quasi-experimental study aimed to examine the impact of anonymity and training (an alternative strategy when anonymity was unattainable) on students’ performance and perceptions in formative peer assessment. The training in this study focused on educating students to understand and appreciate formative peer assessment. A sample of 77 students participated in a peer assessment activity in three conditions: a group with participants’ identities revealed (Identity Group), a group with anonymity provided (Anonymity Group) and a group with identities revealed but training provided (Training Group). Data analysis indicated that both the Anonymity Group and Training Group outperformed the Identity Group on projects. In terms of perceptions, however, the Training Group appreciated the value of peer assessment more and experienced less pressure in the process than the other two groups.     

浅谈本科评估对民办本科教育质量的促进作用

对于新建的民办本科院校来说,主动提出参加教育部第一轮的本科教学工作水平评估是严峻考验,也是发展机遇。迎接评估和做好评估准备工作,是民办本科院校的一项重要任务,也是新建本科院校的一个共同课题。本文结合自己在学校迎评创建中工作,浅谈了本科评估对民办本科教育质量的促进作用。     

Do examinations influence student evaluations?

This paper measures the impact of timing on student evaluations of teaching effectiveness, using a dataset of close to 3000 observations from Erasmus School of Economics. A special feature of the data is that students were able to complete on-line questionnaires during a time window ranging from one week before to one week after the final examination. This allows for the isolation of the effect of the examination on student evaluations. Among students who subsequently pass the exam, we find little difference between pre- and post-exam ratings. Among students who fail, evaluation scores are significantly lower after the exam on a number of items. Our evidence is compatible with a self-serving bias in student evaluations, but does not indicate that students seek revenge on instructors through lower ratings.     

公共教育学的革命:由教师教育学向学生教育学转变

公共教育学作为师范生的一门必修课，长期以来对师范生向师性的培养并未起到应有的作用，其原因在于该课是以教师能教些什么为出发点而组织的教学内容，即教师教育学；而不是以学生为本所建构的教学体系即学生教育学。     

Media representation of the Middle East: constructive student engagement in an online environment

As educators interested in pedagogical uses of technology, we utilize the internet to improve students' knowledge and awareness of the world beyond our own national borders. Web-based technologies offer us resources for our courses and can play an important role in promoting a more active style of learning from our students. Yet when teaching about politically sensitive topics, or regions of the world that are less well known, we inevitably access information that is unfiltered, out-of-context, inaccurate, or biased. This paper will be an exploration of how we taught students to critically engage with each other and with online media sources through a class blog discussing the violence in Gaza during January of 2009. During the two-week project, the students investigated this new media landscape (from blogs to YouTube) increasing their levels of techno-literacy by searching beyond their ‘normal’ sources and by recognizing the political bias present in all online venues. Evidence will show how the students went from passive consumers of networked information to active citizen participants as they expressed their opinions, countered each other's sources, and worked out how to fundamentally disagree without losing civility. The paper will detail the pedagogical practices and challenges to creating online spaces for constructive argumentation about highly volatile issues.     

Test‐based accountability: Potential benefits and pitfalls of science assessment with student diversity

Recent test‐based accountability policy in the U.S. has involved annually assessing all students in core subjects and holding schools accountable for adequate progress of all students by implementing sanctions when adequate progress is not met. Despite its potential benefits, basing educational policy on assessments developed for a student population of White, middle‐ and upper‐class, and native speakers of English opens the door for numerous pitfalls when the assessments are applied to minority populations including students of color, low SES, and learning English as a new language. There exists a paradox; while minority students are a primary intended beneficiary of the test‐based accountability policy, the assessments used in the policy have been shown to have many shortcomings when applied to these students. This article weighs the benefits and pitfalls that test‐based accountability brings for minority students. Resolutions to the pitfalls are discussed, and areas for future research are recommended. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Res Sci Teach 47: 6–24, 2010     

试论现代科学对教育学的影响

现代科学特别是２０世纪以来的科学对教育学的发展，影响是巨大的，当代教育学的发展，是科学尺度和人尺度的内在统一，科学尺度的标准之一就是从精神的寻求，人精神的内涵包括着科学信念的坚定。教育研究所具备的这种素养，是教育学在新世纪获得发展精神动力之一。     

The effects of passive and active learning on student preference and performance in an undergraduate basic science course

Active learning is based on self-directed and autonomous teaching methods, whereas passive learning is grounded in instructor taught lectures. An animal physiology course was studied over a two-year period (Year 1, n = 42 students; Year 2, n = 30 students) to determine the effects of student-led seminar (andragogical) and lecture (pedagogical) teaching methods on students' retention of information and performance. For each year of the study, the course was divided into two time periods. The first half was dedicated to instructor-led lectures, followed by a control survey in which the students rated the efficiency of pedagogical learning on a five-point Likert scale from one (strongly disagree) to five (strongly agree). During the second period, students engaged in andragogical learning via peer-led seminars. An experimental survey was then administered to students using the same scale as above to determine students' preferred teaching method. Raw examination scores and survey results from both halves of the course were statistically analyzed by ANOVA with Newman-Keuls multiple comparison test. By the end of the study, student preference for peer-led seminars increased [mean ± SD: (2.47 ± 0.94)/(4.03 ± 1.36), P < 0.04], and examination scores significantly increased [mean ± SD: (73.91% ± 13.18)/(85.77 ± 5.22), P < 0.001]. A majority of students (68.8%) preferred a method that contained peer-led seminars and instructor-led lectures. These results may indicate that integration of active and passive learning into undergraduate courses may have greater benefit in terms of student preference and performance than either method alone.     

Assessment training effects on student assessment skills and task performance in a technology-facilitated peer assessment

This study examines the impact of an assessment training module on student assessment skills and task performance in a technology-facilitated peer assessment. Seventy-eight undergraduate students participated in the study. The participants completed an assessment training exercise, prior to engaging in peer-assessment activities. During the training, students reviewed learning concepts, discussed marking criteria, graded example projects and compared their evaluations with the instructor’s evaluation. Data were collected in the form of initial and final versions of students’ projects, students’ scoring of example projects before and after the assessment training, and written feedback that students provided on peer projects. Results of data analysis indicate that the assessment training led to a significant decrease in the discrepancy between student ratings and instructor rating of example projects. In addition, the degree of student vs. instructor discrepancy was highly predictive of the quality of feedback that students provided to their peers and the effectiveness of revisions that they made to their own projects upon receiving peer feedback. Smaller discrepancies in ratings were associated with provision of higher quality peer feedback during peer assessment, as well as better revision of initial projects after peer assessment.     

Reducing variation in the assessment of student writing

This paper extends the literature on grader variation and the role of moderation and socialisation processes in reducing this variation. It offers a fresh categorisation of academics’ assessment beliefs and expectations, and uses this categorisation to analyse the interaction between implicit and explicit expectations in relation to grader variation and socialisation processes. A combination of quantitative and qualitative data from a large class grading moderation process was used to identify the existence and character of residual implicit grader expectations, the impact of these implicit expectations in causing grader variation, and the effectiveness of socialisation in reducing the extent of variation. An effective strategy for designing and focusing socialisation processes is also outlined.     

Leading assessment for enhanced student outcomes

This paper reports the leadership findings that emerged from the Alberta Student Assessment Study, a large-scale study employing a mixed-method design. Findings included the importance of assessment leadership, credibility of leaders, capacity to make hard decisions and ability to lead professional learning. An optimal assessment leadership profile emerged which includes values and assessment knowledge, mediated by personal qualities and accompanied by an interplay between procedural knowledge and professional skills. This informs leadership vision and actions leading to increased assessment literacy, more effective monitoring and reporting practice, enhanced instructional practice, enriched partnerships with parents and community members and positive student outcomes.     

The potential of information technology in support of teachers and educational managers managing their work environment

The use of information technology (IT) to support the classroom teacher and school managers to organize and manage the learning environment better has received little specific attention, even though many applications or systems purport that this is one of their aims. This special issue attempts to fill that gap. This introduction paper provides an overview of the range of support that IT can provide in the field of education, and discusses how the development of these support systems needs to be approached analytically. Finally, there is an overview of the papers invited for this edition of the journal that are illustrative of the wide ranging development of IT to support teachers, teaching and the management of both     

浅谈实习对新建本科院校大学生就业的影响

近年来,大学生的就业形势异常严峻,2013年699万的高校毕业生涌向社会,加上往年未就业的大学生,庞大的高校毕业生给本来就不太乐观的大学生就业形势造成了巨大冲击。而实习是大学生踏入社会之前的最后一课,也是大学生提高就业能力的一次很好尝试,将会对大学生以后的就业产生非常重要的响。     

Formative assessment in higher education: Moves towards theory and the enhancement of pedagogic practice

The importance of formative assessment instudent learning is generally acknowledged, butit is not well understood across higher education.The identification of some key features offormative assessment opens the way for adiscussion of theory. It is argued that thereis a need for further theoretical developmentin respect of formative assessment, which needsto take account of disciplinary epistemology,theories of intellectual and moral development,students' stages of intellectual development,and the psychology of giving and receivingfeedback. A sketch is offered of the directionthat this development might take. It is notedthat formative assessment may be eitherconstructive or inhibitory towards learning. Suggestions are made regarding research intoformative assessment, and how research mightcontribute to the development of pedagogicpractice.