Instructional scaffolds for learning from formative peer assessment: effects of core task,peer feedback,and dialogue

Formative peer assessment is an instructional method that offers many opportunities to foster students’ learning with respect to both the domain of the core task and students’ assessment skills. The contributions to this special issue effectively address earlier calls for more research into instructional scaffolds and the implementation of dialogic features in formative peer assessment. However, open issues remain regarding the role of assessment criteria, the benefit of formative peer assessment for transferable knowledge and skills, the role of metacognitive and cognitive processes in the provision and reception of peer feedback, and the proposed benefit of more interactive forms of formative peer assessment. Addressing the latter issue in particular, a framework of three dimensions of increasing interactivity is proposed in order to guide future research. These three dimensions comprise the learner’s engagement with the core task (low interactivity), the provision and reception of peer feedback (medium interactivity), and the learner’s engagement with argumentation, tutoring, and co-construction in dialogue with peers (high interactivity).     

以评促学:基于三元交互决定论的同伴互评研究

同伴互评是一种成本效益高、功能强大的评估方法,不仅减轻了教师的工作量,也给学生的学习带来了许多潜在的好处,但同伴互评仍面临着如何提高其有效性的挑战。本文以现有的研究为基础,基于班杜拉的三元交互决定论,构建了同伴互评体系,进而从互评个体、互评环境和互评行为的角度设计了同伴互评体系的有效组织程序,并通过实验的方式检验了同伴互评体系的有效性。     

Informal formative assessment: The role of instructional dialogues in assessing students’ learning

This paper focuses on an unceremonious type of formative assessment - informal formative assessment - in which much of what teachers and students do in the classroom can be described as potential assessments that can provide evidence about the students’ level of understanding. More specifically, the paper focuses on assessment conversations, or dialogic interactions or exchanges, which continuously happen in the classroom and that are at the center of informal formative assessment. It is argued that assessment conversations make students’ thinking explicit in an unobtrusive manner, and when students’ thinking is explicit, it can be examined, questioned, and shaped as an active object of constructive learning. The paper conceptualizes informal formative assessment at the center of effective instructional activities with the use of instructional dialogues as assessment conversations, a typical informal formative assessment practice. The paper then presents a discussion about the evidence on the effect of assessment conversations on student learning.     

Dancing with the devil: formative peer assessment and academic performance

Peer assessment can be important in developing active and independent learners, as well as providing more and faster feedback in large classes, compared to marking done by tutors. In addition, the evaluative, critical stance required by students in order to assess their peers' work encourages the development of higher-order cognitive skills. Changing roles from being assessed to being an assessor can also improve students' ability to judge and improve on their own work. However, peer assessment does have potential problems and there is some debate as to the appropriate academic level at which to implement it, the kinds of feedback that are given and the ways in which students respond. In addition, there is little evidence that peer assessment has an impact on academic performance. This research reports the results of an online peer assessment exercise for a macroeconomics essay conducted in a large Economics 1 class at Rhodes University. Of the 800 students, about half participated in the peer assessment exercise. Data were collected from students via a formal course evaluation. In addition, a sample of 50 essays was evaluated in terms of the relationship between peer marks and final (tutor) marks received and the impact that peer assessment had on the quality of the final essay submitted. An Ordinary Least Squares regression was used to investigate the impact of peer assessment participation on marks. Results showed that peer marks tended to ‘bunch’ in the 60–68% range, indicating the reluctance of peers to give very high or low marks. In general, peers gave more useful feedback on technical aspects, such as presentation and referencing (which were also the categories in which students most often made improvements), than on content. Regression analysis showed that peer assessment participation was not a significant determinant of final essay mark, but that economics ability and English language proficiency were.     

Assessment for learning: Developing formative assessment in the classroom

This article reports on a research project designed to investigate and develop formative classroom assessment in primary schools. The project was a collaborative one, involving two university based researchers and a team of teacher researchers. It used an action research approach to try to bring about changes in classroom assessment practices. The article reports on changes in practice particularly involving the clarification and communication of assessment criteria to pupils.     

形成性评价在大学英语合作学习中的应用

评价方法是合作学习中的一个重要环节,在大学英语阅读合作学习中应用形成性评价,通过"评估-反馈-调整-改进"的模式,帮助学生及时了解并反思学习过程,激发学生合作学习的主动性和积极性,促进合作学习的有效开展,从而逐步提高学生的英语阅读能力和自主学习能力。     

Teaching the writing of psychological reports through formative assessment: peer and teacher review

This paper describes the teaching of psychological report writing at Karolinska Institutet and the efforts to improve it through the introduction of formative assessment applied as peer and teacher review. 48 fourth-year psychology students were required to write a psychological report. Half of the students also participated in a non-mandatory peer review of a first draft. All students handed in a preliminary version of the report, had it reviewed by the teachers and made alterations before handing in a final version. The results showed that both peer review and teacher review were valuable methods in the teaching of psychological report writing.     

形成性评价在小组合作学习中的实施

在英语教学中,阅读和听力是直接获得知识的重要方式。听力是很难只通过教学而熟练掌握的,而阅读则可以通过有效的学习方式而达到最佳的学习效果。在课堂教学中,采用小组合作学习的方式,可以通过学生间的集思广益,扩大彼此的知识面,并引起学习兴趣,进而达到最佳的学习效果。本文主要从形成性评价的基本含义出发,探讨了其在小组合作学习中的实施。     

The influence of participants in formative evaluation on the improvement of learning from written instructional materials

Formative evaluation in instructional design is widely advocated as a means to improve instructional materials through tryouts with learners and experts and revision based on this feedback. Research on formative evaluation has sought to prove its effectiveness and to provide guidance as to which methods of collecting feedback and which sources of feedback are most effective in improving learning. It is difficult to determine from the research whether aspects of tryout or of revision are responsible for improved learning. This paper describes a systematic investigation of both tryout and revision to more clearly determine the influence of different formative evaluation participants (experts, learners and revisers) on the improvement of learning from written instructional materials.It was found that revised versions incorporating learner feedback had the most impact on improving learning from the materials. It was also found that revisers have a far more powerful impact on formative evaluation outcomes than was previously supposed, in terms of how they mediate and incorporate the feedback they are given. The results refute contentions that any revision is better than none since versions revised without learner feedback did not improve learning. Implications are discussed.     

Latent trait modelling of rater accuracy in formative peer assessment of English-Chinese consecutive interpreting

Despite the increasing popularity of peer assessment in tertiary-level interpreter education, very little research has been conducted to examine the quality of peer ratings on language interpretation. While previous research on the quality of peer ratings, particularly rating accuracy, mainly relies on correlation and analysis of variance, latent trait modelling emerges as a useful approach to investigate rating accuracy in rater-mediated performance assessment. The present study demonstrates the use of multifaceted Rasch partial credit modelling to explore the accuracy of peer ratings on English-Chinese consecutive interpretation. The analysis shows that there was a relatively wide spread of rater accuracy estimates and that statistically significant differences were found between peer raters regarding rating accuracy. Additionally, it was easier for peer raters to assess some students accurately than others, to peer-assess target language quality accurately than the other rating domains, and to provide accurate ratings to English-to-Chinese interpretation than the other direction. Through these findings, latent trait modelling demonstrates its capability to produce individual-level indices, measure rater accuracy directly, and accommodate sparse data rating designs. It is therefore hoped that substantive inquiries into peer assessment of language interpretation could utilise latent trait modelling to move this line of research forward.     

Supporting the less-adaptive student: the role of learning analytics,formative assessment and blended learning

Abstract

How can we best facilitate students most in need of learning support, entering a challenging quantitative methods module at the start of their bachelor programme? In this empirical study into blended learning and the role of assessment for and as learning, we investigate learning processes of students with different learning profiles. Specifically, we contrast learning episodes of two cluster analysis-based profiles, one profile more directed to deep learning and self-regulation, the other profile more directed toward stepwise learning and external regulation. In a programme based on problem-based learning, where students are supposedly being primarily self-directed, this first profile is regarded as being of an adaptive type, with the second profile less adaptive. Making use of a broad spectrum of learning and learner data, collected in the framework of a dispositional learning analytics application, we compare these profiles on learning dispositions, such as learning emotions, motivation and engagement, learning performance and trace variables collected from the digital learning environments. Outcomes suggest that the blended design of the module with the digital environments offering many opportunities for assessment of learning, for learning and as learning together with actionable learning feedback, is used more intensively by students of the less adaptive profile.     

ESP研究性学习模式中形成性评价的实践研究

ESP成为中国大学英语的一个发展方向。研究性学习是学生主动探究的一种学习方式,非常符合ESP课程的特点。本文旨在通过构建与实施形成性评价方式,研究ESP课程中实施研究性学习的效果。研究表明,形成性评价在研究性学习模式中合理运用能使评价信度更高;同时形成性评价方式能进一步促进ESP课程中研究性学习的效果。     

Investigating the dynamics of formative assessment: relationships between teacher knowledge,assessment practice and learning

This exploratory study of elementary school science examines questions central to policy, practice and research on formative assessment: What is the quality of teachers’ content-pedagogical and assessment knowledge? What is the relationship between teacher knowledge and assessment practice? What is the relationship between teacher knowledge, assessment practice and student learning? Drawing on multiple measures, hierarchical linear modelling and path analysis, results suggest that despite weaknesses in teachers’ content-pedagogical and assessment knowledge, teachers’ formative assessment practices are positively related to student learning. Relationships between teachers’ knowledge and assessment practices are mixed. Findings underscore both the potential and challenge of bringing effective formative practice to fruition as well as the need for continued research.     

利用计算机实施化学形成性评价

介绍了一种由香港学者研究开发的用于化学教学中形成性评价的软件,着重介绍了该软件的特点和使用方法,阐述了其对教师改善自身教学、学生提高学习效能的促进作用.     

Supporting student learning: the use of computer–based formative assessment modules

This paper describes the development of a variety of computer–based assessment opportunities, both formative and summative, that are available to a large first year biology class at The University of Sydney. These materials include: weekly quizzes; a mock exam; quiz sections in tutorials; and special self–assessment modules (SAMs). The weekly quiz is password protected and secure but the remaining materials are available on–line from a Virtual Learning Environment (http://FYBio.bio.usyd.edu.au/VLE/L1/). Evaluations over a number of years of the use and usefulness of the formative assessment materials indicate that the student population is making significant use of materials and that these materials are helping students in their learning