Enhancing the assessment of student learning Richard James

Richard James Craig McInnis & Marcia Devlin

Downloadable pdf file of the handbook

1. Capturing the potential of on-line assessment. 2. Designing efficient & effective assessment for large classes. 3. Responding to plagiarism and developing policies to foster academic honesty. 4. Using assessment to guide effective group work. 5. Recognising the needs of international students less familiar with Australian assessment practices.

The issues behind the AUTC project The desire to teach generic or transferable skills. Concern about plagiarism. The pressure on traditional assessment methods caused by larger class sizes. Changing student expectations and involvement. Growing recognition of the central role assessment might play in efforts to enhance teaching and learning, especially in more flexible, independent learning environments.

The AUTC brief posed this question: How can assessment be designed so as to improve student learning?

Observations from the project fieldwork Scope for greater alignment of institutional assessment policies and assessment practices. A continuing emphasis on final examination – a culture of ‘testing’ that remains strong. Low stakes, early assessment for the purposes of feedback increasingly difficult to provide within tight resource constraints. A rise in the assessment of group work, but students are often very uncomfortable with it. The potential of on-line assessment is yet to be well explored. Much attention to plagiarism detection measures.

Student attitudes towards assessment Undergraduate students look for … 1. Unambiguous expectations 2. Authentic tasks — assessment activities that present serious challenges, that mirror perceived workplace skills. 3. Choice and flexibility — a preference for ‘negotiated’ assessment, perhaps an inevitable extension of the trend towards offering students more flexible ways of studying and more choice in study options.

The inhibitors of change The general conservatism in universities about assessment and grading practices (students are conservative about assessment too). Staff risk-aversion (concern about the possible effect on student evaluation of innovation in assessment). The constraints imposed by academic workloads and larger class sizes.

Enhancing the assessment of student learning Some considerations

Assessment usually serves multiple educational purposes 1. To measure student learning Responsibility to community to classify, sort, rank, accredit. Assessment is summative or judgmental (and for high-stakes purposes). 2. To provide students with feedback on their learning Assessment is diagnostic (and, arguably, low-stakes). 3. To encourage student diligence Assessment is purposefully demanding, perhaps deliberately comprehensive in coverage. 4. To guide effective student learning Assessment is designed to define and reward the learning that is most valued.

TYPE OF LEARNING STATUS EASE OF ASSESSMENT METHODS Higher order skills, generic or transferable skills. Very highly valued both within and outside universities. Subjective, difficult to measure. Reliability likely to be lower. Requires open- ended tasks, multiple tasks, multiple assessors and multiple contexts. Discipline specific skills and understandings. Valued.Less subjective, less difficult to measure. Reliability likely to be higher. Tasks tend to be pre-packaged, codified and simplified.

A possible framework for planning assessment (based on the work of Peter Knight, Open University, UK) ‘Skills’ that can be directly assessed, for high stakes purposes Try objective pre-packaged tests, e.g. (well-designed) multiple-choice tests ‘Attributes’ only indirectly assessable, but for high stakes purposes too Try multiple assessment/assessors over time, provide copious student feedback ‘Skills’ directly assessed, for low-stakes purposes Try using computer feedback, peer review ‘Attributes’ indirectly assessable, for low-stakes purposes Try portfolios, self-review

Some contemporary assessment issues Assessing generic skills within disciplinary contexts. Establishing capstone assessment exercises in final year. Minimising plagiarism. Improving the objectivity of grading. Encouraging more active student involvement through self-review activities.

How academic staff tend to view teaching and learning What course content should be taught? What should students learn?  What teaching and learning methods are appropriate?  How can student learning be assessed?  Re-positioning student assessment as a strategic tool for enhancing teaching and learning  How students often view teaching and learning In what ways am I going to be assessed? What do I need to know?  What then are the learning objectives?  What approaches to study should I adopt? Assessment can be the final consideration for staff in the teaching and learning process. Assessment is usually at the forefront of students’ perception of the teaching and learning process.