Issues

1. Issues • 1. How can the need for learners to pass assessment distort the curriculum content and teaching & learning? • 2. How far do we assess only what we can grade - especially ‘numerically’? • 3. Does assessment act as a gate-keeping mechanism to exclude rather than include? • 4. Why are there tensions between ‘unseen exams/tests’ and coursework?

2. Assessment • What? • When? • Bad experiences • Processes • Types • Purposes Use pictures rather than words wherever possible!

3. Assessment methods Use the hand out to discuss the strengths and weakness of each of the methods.

4. Assessment methods Review the list. Which methods are: • Initial/ diagnostic • Formative • Summative

5. Mastery and Developmental Mastery Objectives • Essential skills and knowledge which underpin course studied • Assessed on pass/fail basis Developmental Objectives • Apply skills and knowledge in structured way to subject and wider curriculum- e.g. transferable skills • Evaluation, analysis, interpretation, synthesis • Assessed on formative or graded basis

6. M D

7. Bloom

8. Read Dunn’s Paper • identify which of the outcome types are ‘mastery’ and which are ‘developmental’ • Suggest appropriate assessment methods in each section which are relevant to your subject specialism

9. Judging assessment quality VACSR

10. Validity Validity is all about getting the right assessment. If an assessment is valid it is measuring what it is supposed to be measuring. For example, within the psychomotor domain (physical/manual skills) you would want them to demonstrate the skill rather than write about it. Getting the right assessment Task 3

11. Strengths and Weaknesses of Assessment Methods Reliability Getting the assessment right • Consistent- the same result each time Methods to ensure reliability: (what do you think?) • Marking scheme • Answer guide Certain types of assessments tend to be more reliable: (?) • Oral questions with answer guide • Multiple choice • Closed questions • Assignments with suggested evidence --- TASK 2

12. Validity and Reliability • Validity is concerned with getting the right assessment and reliability is concerned with getting the assessment right. Reece, I. & Walker, S. (2000) Teaching, Training andLearning. Business Education Publishers, Sunderland (p. 420)

13. Sufficiency This is to do with the amount of work the students have to do for you to determine whether they can do something or know something to a particular level.

14. Authenticity “Is it real?” On a horticultural course is performing a gardening task indoors in a pot is authentic? Plagiarism Also we need to ask, is the work their own. We can assess whether work is authentic as you get a feel for the level that your learners are at. So the work (as far as is possible) needs to be in an Authentic setting as well as authentic to the person that has produced it.

15. Currency • Is it up to date?

16. Group Task Identify one formative assessment and one summative assessment used by one member of the group. For each one make judgements about it according to reliability, validity, authenticity, sufficiency and fairness VASK Doc

17. Review • Look at your notes and the activities • 2 x Post its • - one thing that is clear and useful • - one thing that’s a bit muddy still