Assessment: Aligning Assessment to Learning Outcomes by Dr Charles Juwah Department for the Enhancement of Learning, Teaching and Assessment RGU: DELTA

Content What are learning outcomes/importance of learning outcomes Aligning assessment to learning outcomes How do you know that the students have achieved the learning outcomes

What are learning outcomes?: Importance of learning outcomes

Learning Outcomes Detail what the student is expected to: know and understand be able to do Importance of learning outcomes: Communicate the nature, level, depth of learning students are expected to achieve; Enable the students to make choices for and to organise their learning Provide a benchmark for standards Communicate to prospective employers and other stakeholders the knowledge, skills and abilities that the students/graduates have

What is assessment: What are we assessing?

Assessment What is assessment? Assessment is the process of making informed and valued judgement on performance of a candidate to judged if s/he has achieved competence or professional standard

Progression to Employment or Further Studies Transferable/Core skills Cognitive Skills Personal Development Competencies/ Capabilities Values and ethics Attributes and attitudes

Fitness-for-Purpose Authentic Valid Reliable Reproducible Transparent Equity and fairness

Process OR Product OR Both

Aligning assessment to the learning outcomes: Constructive alignment

Constructive Alignment Constructive Alignment (Biggs and Tang 2007): Clear and specific learning outcomes Learning activities and experiences (face to face and online/blended) are designed to enable the student to achieve the intended outcomes Assessment tasks/activities are appropriately designed to enable the students achieve the intended outcomes

Activity Explain how the methods of assessment that you are currently using in your discipline match the intended outcomes? Based on a module that you teach, write an assessment which matches one or more of the intended outcomes. What are the challenges associated with the assessment methods that you are currently using?

Active engagement with feedback Explicit Criteria Completion and submission of work Students Active engagement with criteria Assessment design & development of explicit criteria Tutor discussion of criteria Marking and moderation Staff Assessment guidance to staff Rust C.,ODonovan B & Price., M (2005)

Assessment Strategies Use of diverse range of assessment Coursework vs examination (blended model) Front-end loading In Class Assessment Self and Peer assessment Group Assessment Automated assessment Strategic reduction of summative assessment

Assessment: Issues to Consider The Knowledge/skills or competencies you intend the students to acquire Learning activities contribute towards assessment Modes and methods of assessment that you use and which do the students enjoy Balance on formative and summative assessment Do you involve students in the assessment (self and peer assessment)? Are your assessment criteria clear, measurable and achievable Do the students understand the assessment criteria? Feedback/feed forward after assessment How do ensure that the students close the feedback loop? Are you over assessing?

References BIGGS, J. and TANG, C Teaching for Quality Learning at University. Buckingham: Society for Research into Higher Education RHE & Open University Press. MOON, J., Linking Levels, Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria. Bologna Seminar, Edinburgh bergen2005.no/EN/Bol_sem/Seminars/ Edinburgh/ Linking_Levels_plus_ass_crit-Moon.pdf

Contact Dr Charles Juwah Department for the Enhancement of Learning, Teaching and Assessment St Andrew St Building Aberdeen AB25 1HG Tel