Why is Assessment a 鈥榟ot topic鈥� now?
In the National Student Survey Assessment and Feedback has been the lowest scoring dimension nationally.
Research studies (Gibbs and Habeshaw 1989, Biggs 2003, Gibbs and Dunbar-Goddet 2007) tell us that students are driven by assessment and pay more attention to things they are assessed on. The study by Gibbs and Dunbar-Goddet (2007 p24) states that students 鈥渘arrowed their attention and their effort to those things that they were told would be assessed, put in less effort, covered less of the syllabus, adopted less of a deep approach and gained less satisfaction from their studies鈥�.
It is claimed that:
Assessment practices in most universities have not kept pace with the vast changes in the context, aims and structure of higher education. They can no longer do justice to the outcomes we expect from a university education in relation to wide-ranging knowledge, skills and employability.聽
Higher Education Academy (Ball et al 2012 p7)
What are the challenges?
Professor Eric Mazur, Dean of the Physics Department at Harvard University, an advocate of the flipped classroom, peer-learning and what he terms 鈥榡ust-in-time鈥� learning, has stated that 鈥渦nless we rethink our approach to assessment it will be very difficult to produce a meaningful change in education鈥� and that poorly designed assessment has the potential to 鈥渒ill imagination and creativity鈥� (Mazur 2015).
However, the has demonstrated that assessment redesign with technology can result in improved learning, higher student satisfaction and more efficient use of staff time.聽
Student perspectives
A student comment聽captured in the Jisc Assessment and Feedback projects provides an important perspective on the impact of having a limited range of types of assessments. 聽
It would be better if...there were better ways of assessing, rather than just all coursework and exams at the end鈥� You do get quite enthusiastic about the first one or two, but when it gets to the fourth one, it does become so mundane and so dull. You just feel you鈥檙e going through the motions of churning them out.
The tutor/lecturer鈥檚 role in assessment
The REAP project recommends that assessment and feedback practices should be designed to enable students to become self-regulated learners, and to monitor and evaluate the quality and impact of their own work and that of others. A broad and varied menu of assessment, relevant to the future employment destinations of students, can begin to address this as can opportunities for formative, peer and self assessment.聽
Find out more:
Ball,S,, 聽Bew C, Bloxham S,,Brown S, Kleiman P, May H, McDowell L, Morris, E, Orr S, 聽Payne E, Price, M Rust, C Brenda Smith B and Waterfield J. 2012 . York: HEA.聽
Boud D. 2000. Studies in continuing education. 22 (2) p150-167
Ferrell G. 2013. . JISC