Effective Assessment Practices

Teachers’ Orientation/Training Program

NED University of Engineering & Technology,
Karachi
3rd to 15th December, 2007
The Idea Behind this Discussion
 Assessment practices have
traditionally been considered a
routine activity.
 Typically, the composition and
structuring of the assessment
handouts/papers involve little creative
effort.
 This event attempts to bring on
board all faculty members of IMD to
share their views on this issue.
Presentation Outline

 This discussion involves the

following major topics:
1. Categorizing Effective Assessment
Practices
2. Core Principles of Effective Assessment
3. Repositioning the Role of Assessment
4. A Framework for Designing Effective
Assessment Practices
5. The Learning Experience via Internet
Topic 1

Categorizing Effective Assessment

Practices
The Definition of Assessment
 Assessment is the process of
identifying, gathering, and
interpreting information about
students’ learning.
 The central purpose of assessment is to
provide information on student
achievement and progress and set the
direction for ongoing teaching and
learning.
Anecdotal Opportunities to Collect
Evidence of Learning

Purpose To encourage students to experience

success, and to make immediate
design modifications, if necessary.
Documentation Typically, planned in the head and
& Recording delivered verbally; does not result in
a recorded assessment judgment.
Timing & Typically, on a needs’ basis many
Frequency times with a number of students.

Teacher’s Role Monitor progress and provide

feedback if warranted by students.
Systematic Opportunities to Collect
Evidence of Learning
Purpose To provide meaningful feedback to all
students as to what they need to do to
improve.

Documentation Is specified in the unit of course plan but

& Recording does not necessarily involve written
student handouts. May result in a
recorded assessment judgment.
Timing & At regular monitoring points across the
Frequency term.
Teacher’s Role Identifies a variety of opportunities to
systematically judge students’
achievements of outcomes. Expectations
about behavior and performance have
been clearly stated to the students.
 Formal Assessment Tasks Used for
Reporting Purposes
Purpose To collect valid and reliable evidence that
can be used to report about students’ levels
of achievement of the outcomes, at key
points.
Documentation Is thoroughly documented and provided in
& Recording advance to students. Includes focus on
outcomes for assessment, and assessment
criteria.
Timing & Less frequently and are informed by the
Frequency institution’s assessment and reporting
policy.
Teacher’s Role Teacher must systematically plan a small
number of different tasks across the course
that samples achievement of the outcomes.
NED University’s Learning and
Assessment System Structure

 The Course Plan is distributed

across the term as follows:
 Minimum of 54 classroom lectures.
 Minimum of 27 practical sessions.
 6-week summer internship in the Third
Year.
 Final-Year project.
NED University’s Learning and
Assessment System Structure cont...

 The Assessment System is structured

around both theory and practical content
as follows:
Theory Assessment

Final Exams (80 marks) Sessional Awards (20 marks)

•quizzes/viva
•assignments/presentations
•attendance/class performance
Practical Assessment

Final Viva Exam (30 marks) Sessional Awards (20 marks)

•workbook tasks
•attendance/class performance
Topic 2

Core Principles of Effective Assessment

Enhancing Learning by Enhancing
Assessment

 Well-designed assessment sets clear

expectations, establishes a
reasonable workload, and provides
opportunities for students to self-
monitor, rehearse, practice, and
receive feedback.
 Assessment is an integral
component of a coherent
educational experience.
Three Objectives for Higher Education
Assessment

1. Assessment that guides and

encourages effective approaches to
learning.
2. Assessment that validly and
reliably measures expected
learning outcomes.
3. Assessment and grading that
defines and protects academic
standards.
What Students Value in
Assessment

 In relation to achieving assessment

goals and objectives, students
emphasize three aspects
particularly.
 Unambiguous Expectations
 Authentic Tasks
 Choice and Flexibility
What Students Value in Assessment –
Unambiguous Expectations

 Students value, and expect transparency

in the way their knowledge will be
assessed; they wish to see a clear
relationship between lectures tutorials,
practical classes and subject resources,
and what they are expected to
demonstrate they know they can do.
 They also expect timely feedback that:
1. Explains the grades they have received
2. Rewards their achievement; and
3. Offers suggestions for improvements.
What Students Value in Assessment –
Authentic Tasks

 Students value assessment tasks they

perceive to be ‘real’: assessment tasks
that present challenges to be taken
seriously, not only for the grades at stake,
but also for the nature of the knowledge
and skills they are expected to
demonstrate.
 Students are anxious to test themselves
and to compare their performance against
others.
What Students Value in Assessment –
Choice and Flexibility
 Many students can express a strong
preference for choices in the nature,
weighting, and timing of assessment
tasks.
 Providing higher education students with
options in assessment – in a carefully
structured way – is worth considering in many
higher education courses though it is not a
common practice.
 Encouraging students to engage with the
curriculum expectations in this way should
assist them in becoming more autonomous
and independent learners.
Topic 3

Repositioning the Role of Assessment

Perceptual Gaps in the Traditional
Assessment Practices

 Capturing the full educational benefits of

well-designed assessment requires many
of the conventional assumptions about
assessment in higher education to be
reconsidered. To appreciate this, one
needs to have an idea about:
 How academic staff view teaching and
learning?
 How students view teaching and learning?
The Academic Staff’s Perspective
What course content should be taught?
What should students learn?

What teaching and learning methods

are appropriate?

How can student learning be assessed?

 Assessment can be the final consideration for staff in

the design of the teaching and learning process.
The Academic Staff’s Perspective cont.

 A carefully designed course that

focuses on the theory/design
interface.
 Typically involving a substantial
amount of practical work.
 Typically focusing on analytical and
problem-solving skills.
 The Students’ Perspective
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 is usually at the forefront of students’

perception of the teaching and learning process.
 Re-positioning Student Assessment
Academic Staff Students

What course content In what ways am I

should be taught? going to be assessed?
What should students What do I need to
learn? know?

What teaching and Repositioning What then are the learning

learning methods are student objectives?
appropriate? assessment What approaches to study
as a strategic tool should I adopt?

How can student

learning be assessed?
The Assessment Design Challenge

 Designing assessment to influence students’

patterns of study in positive ways can present
significant challenges.
 The overall cycle of student assessment (from the
design and declaration of assessment tasks, to the
evaluation and reporting of student achievement)
must not only guide student approaches to
study and provide feedback, but also must
determine their readiness for the next level,
judge their fitness to practice, and ultimately
protect and guarantee academic standards.
Topic 4

A Framework for Designing Effective

Assessment Practices
16 Indicators of Effective Assessment
1. Assessment is treated by staff and students as
an integral component of the entire teaching
and learning process.
2. The multiple roles of assessment are
recognized.
3. There is a faculty/departmental policy that
guides individuals’ assessment practices.
4. There is a clear alignment between expected
learning outcomes, what is taught and learnt,
and the knowledge and skills assessed.
5. Assessment tasks assess the capacity to analyze
and synthesize new information and concepts
rather than simply recall information previously
presented.
16 Indicators of Effective Assessment
cont...
6. A variety of assessment methods is employed so
that the limitations of particular methods are
minimized.
7. Assessment tasks are designed to assess
relevant generic skills as well as subject-specific
knowledge and skills.
8. There is a steady progression in the complexity
and demands of assessment requirements in the
later years of course.
9. There is a provision of student choice in
assessment tasks and weighting at certain
times.
10. Student and staff workloads are considered in
the scheduling and design of assessment tasks.
16 Indicators of Effective Assessment
cont...
11. Excessive assessment is avoided. Assessment tasks
are designed to sample student learning.
12. Assessment tasks are weighted to balance the
formative and summative roles. Early low-stakes,
low-weight assessment is used to provide students
with feedback.
13. Grades are calculated and reported on the basis of
clearly articulated learning outcomes and criteria for
levels of achievement.
14. Students receive explanatory and diagnostic feedback
as well as grades.
15. Assessment tasks are checked to ensure there are no
inherent biases that may disadvantage particular
student groups.
16. Plagiarism is minimized through careful task design,
explicit education and appropriate monitoring of
academic honesty.
The Learning Experience via Internet

 As primary beneficiaries of rapid advances

in IT, students today have easier and
quicker access to more information than
any previous generation of students.
 However, having access to such an
abundance of information has just as
often led to information overload. The
question, then, arises whether their
ability to acquire knowledge is matched
by their ability to use it?