Assessment Assessment involves the sampling of some aspect of a person's learning/knowledge at a particular moment. Depending upon the kind of sample taken, inferences can be drawn about that person's achievements, abilities, motivation and aptitude. These inferences can in turn be used in a number of ways to:

 Diagnose a student's strengths and weaknesses - diagnostic assessment  Provide him/her with feedback about how he/she is doing - formative assessment  Provide a formal recognition of accomplishment or competence - summative assessment

The results of assessments are statements of student competence at a particular time. However, assessment is about more than merely testing. Constant communication with students provides an opportunity for tutors to gauge opinions, track levels of comprehension and to identify areas of confusion.

Likewise, interactive class work or class presentations ensure students can demonstrate their learning, exchange ideas.and display their own brand of creativity

In order to develop and improve student learning, feedback is an integral part of the assessment process. Assessment exercises also indicate to tutors whether their teaching has been successful and can help to identify areas of course work that might need to be altered or delivered in a different format.

Setting Assessments There should be a clear and obvious link between the assessment method used and the learning outcomes being assessed.

Learning Outcomes : Statements of what a learner is expected to know, understand and/or be able to demonstrate after completion of a process of learning

Have you considered?  Is the assessment linked to the learning outcomes for your course?  Is there consistency between learning outcomes and assessment?  Have the learning outcomes been conceptualized and articulated in line with assessment strategies?

Grading Criteria Ensure a clear and common understanding of the marking/grading criteria among students and assessors (i.e. where tutors are sharing a course or where there are multiple assessors over the course of a program).

Grades should be awarded according to the grading criteria not by comparing students with each other, i.e., make your assessment "criterion referenced" rather than "norm referenced". This is particularly crucial in adult education where students bring vastly different levels of experience and learning with them to class. Some students will excel and their standard may be an unrealistic benchmark for others.

For any given assignment, your criteria for success may vary in the details; whatever they are, make a list of them. Students should receive a copy of this list before they begin their assignments.

Tutor Learning From Assessment Tutors can learn from assessment exercises in order to adapt or modify teaching practices. Marking assignments can help tutors:  Identify areas students grasped well  Establish which topics are the most/least popular

 Recognize topics which might need to be taught in a different manner to facilitate better understanding

Evaluation Evaluation is a key component of any course. Evaluation can mistakenly be tagged on at the end of a course when it should be conducted on an ongoing basis to ensure that the course is meeting the needs of the participants and the overall program objectives.

It is also helpful to include some form of follow- up analysis some time after the course has finished. This will allow participants to reflect on how they have been able to implement what was learned over the duration of the course.

Purpose of Evaluation Evaluation serves a number of purposes and can be used to  Inform decision making and future planning  Generate ideas about new courses or future training events  Assist with quality control or quality assurance  Establish if the admission criteria and assessment procedures were satisfactory and pitched at the correct levels

 Determine if the course objectives were met  Establish if the resources allocated to the program were sufficient  Determine if/how the participants changed their behavior, or adopted new practices  Suggest how future training might be improved