Assessing with Technologies Panel, ATN Assessment Conference E-learning and role-plays online (Fang Law et al) The presentation begins with the now-discredited, or at least heavily contested, concept of the “net generation”, including quoting Kennedy’s report (2009) which is part of the research showing that the net generation is not a particular useful concept, nor empirically sustained. It then provides the goal for the learning: employability (including quoting Gillard on the need for skills that work for work). The particular emphasis here is negotiation skills The research described in this paper is based on discussions with three staff in business fields, looking at advantages and disadvantages of online assessment options for role-plays, with role-plays teaching the negotiation skills in an authentic way. Lecturers involved in the research had already done role-plays. They found it hard to move the role-play to a fully online environment and, instead, preferred to do role-plays in the traditional manner – co-present – and then using additional aspects online to finish off the roleplays. One critical aspect of good role-plays is debriefing; the presenter indicates that online modes enable much faster debriefing than traditional paper modes [quite why this is the case I don’t know – perhaps … Click to read more →

Panel: Assessing in the disciplines The panel, two papers, both focus on what staff are thinking about assessment, especially in response to institutional change. How do they make decisions? What do they think about assessment in a lived way? Importance of disciplines emerges strongly here. Assessment for learning, learning through assessment: perspectives from creative industries (Hong and Vaughn) We assess all the time as we make our journey through life; perhaps we need assessment for better living. A key principle – quality – what and how to students know it? They need to be provided with evidence and examples of quality work to know what to aim for. This helps to share and negotiate goals, and have more transparent outcomes. Cites Boud (2007) – system is inert, conservative and slow to change; fears of the effort involved in major assessment change and also what it would reveal about the system. Emphasises the need for assessment FOR learning, using criterion-referenced assessment, to avoid assessment OF learning; focus on patterns of assessment, number, type and weight will be mandated. The research project described in the paper is about the ‘lived reality’ of Creative Industries teachers; are they changing their practices – is … Click to read more →

Assessing in the disciplines: focus is on self and peer assessment Three papers, across three disciplines (nursing, media, education), each providing an example of how these assessment forms are working. Using peer and self-assessment with academic moderation… (Warland) This approach was based on literature that asserts peer and self assessment improves quality of learning; generates reflection on learning; gives increased confidence and independence and responsibility. Literature also provides some negatives – lack of comfort and confidence from students in judging; worries about doing it accurately and correctly for grading. Thus Warland only used the peer assessment for formative (not grading) assessment. The context is a real-world ward setting for student nurses to learn practical skills (time management, people skills etc); two-day workshop, with simulation day (playing roles of nurse, patient, relatives, doctors, etc) and activities on second day, more independent, less closely monitored by the teacher (increasing chance of peer feedback). Use of assessment rubric – students judged themselves and a peer – also provided open-ended comment. Rubric based on nursing profession / university graduate attributes (scale 1-10). Surey of students about their experience indicated high levels of agreement with the value of the approach and the effectiveness of the … Click to read more →

Authentic Assessment of Authentic Tasks ATN Assessment Conference Keynote; Jan Herrington Opens with the maxim “We assess what we value and we value what we assess”. Uses it to show how assessing time online, numbers of posts to forums, doing MCQs values lower-order knowledge repetition, the time spent online, and quantity of participation. Cites Angelo “educative assessment tasks” – that should be the focus of our attention. Anything which is ‘to do’ – the task – that matters most. Tasks and assessment are inseparable. Reprises the classic ‘from this to that’ movement for online learning – eg from instructivist to constructivist; individual to collaborative. Suggests that there are now further moves towards connectivism, Web 2.0, and so on. Herrington outlines 9 elements of authentic learning: Authentic Context, reflecting the way something will be done in the real world; embracing the complexity of real world; provides purpose and motivation of learning; Authentic tasks, which have real-world relevance; may take the whole semester; complex and ill-defined (because time has to be taken to learn what the problem is); Expert performance, which Herrington linked to Web 2.0 – the crowd has the expertise; the expert knows more than you and can mentor – … Click to read more →