Exploring University ences of Assessment Practices in Education Theory and Practice (original) (raw)

Assessment Practices in Higher Education: Myths and Realities

University News, 2019

Assessment is an integral part of any teaching learning process. Assessment practices have a large number of functions to perform in the context of the teaching learning process. Do contemporary assessment practices perform these function is a critical question to be analysed. In this paper, an attempt has been made to analyse the myths and realities of the assessment practice in the higher education sector.

Investigating The Undergraduate Experience Of Assessment In Higher Education

ukm.my

This paper reports on the preliminary findings of a doctoral study in progress, which is situated in the context of quality in higher education, and is premised on the view that the student learning experience is ultimately the most meaningful and lasting measure of academic quality. The literature on assessment in higher education clearly places assessment at the heart of student learning and it is claimed that "the truth about an educational system" may be discovered by examining its assessment procedures (Rowntree, 1987, p.1). Using a qualitative case study approach, the study aims to reveal the values inherent in assessment, to show how these are conveyed through institutional discourses and through practices of lecturers, and how students' learning behaviour may be affected by their perspectives of assessment. Data gathering activities for the entire doctoral research include focus group discussions and individual interviews with finalyear undergraduates, interviews with their lecturers, observations of lectures and classroom assessments, examination of documents related to the course descriptions and assessment, as well as a study of the administrative and procedural aspects of assessment which are part of the assessment praxis. The emerging themes reported here, based solely on the analysis of two of the focus group discussions, indicate how assessment praxis in higher education seems to be a reproduction of dominant power structures that have inculcated patterns of student passivity in learning. This has serious implications for the 1 This is a revised version of a work-in-progress paper presented by Lee King Siong at the 30 th Language Testing Research Colloquium (LTRC) 2008, Hangzhou, China. Attendance at the conference was funded by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Incorporating authentic assessment into different university learning scenarios

2010

There is a current requirement for universities to prepare graduates who are skilled in the practical as well as the theoretical knowledge of the workplace. It is argued in this paper that assessment, as integral to the teaching/learning process, should also relate to the real world context of the workplace, in that students are able to transform, use and apply the knowledge that they learn into these contexts. While assessment needs to provide valid and reliable evidence of learning outcomes, making assessment authentic for students in a university setting is often a difficult task for lecturers. This paper discusses three different learning contexts that involved different assessment experiences linked in some way to real world learning and application of theory. The results of the trial indicated that as contexts became closer to a real world experience, the sustainability of the assessment became more problematic. While acknowledging the difficulty of these practices, it is suggested that there is a need for a continuous cycle of evaluation amid some creative and innovative approaches to assessment practice.

Learners’ Perceptions of Assessment Strategies in Higher Education

Journal of Education and e-Learning Research

The study sought to establish learner perceptions about assessment strategies in higher education. This was against the backdrop of an emerging trend in the field of assessment that has resulted in different perceptions of learners with respect of their effectiveness in higher education learning. The study in particular endeavored to determine the perceptions of learners in relation to formative and summative assessment, as predominantly adopted assessment strategies in higher education. Forty six learners doing research methods were conveniently chosen to represent the target population and were served with self-administered questionnaires. The instrument used enabled the researcher to obtain quality data as respondents were given ample time to complete the questionnaire with limited pressure. The results were indicative of the fact that learners perceived formative assessment as a critical ingredient for effective learning in higher education. Formative assessment methods such as group presentations and other forms of collaborative learning were also perceived to be critical in higher education learning. Respondents also indicated that they perceived summative assessment as playing an augmenting role. Thus the two assessment approaches are perceived to be strategically important in enhancing effective learning in higher education.

Students' perceptions about new modes of assessment in higher education: a review

… new modes of assessment: In search …, 2003

In educational contexts, understanding the student's learning must take account of the student's construction of reality. Reality as experienced by the student has an important additional value. This assumption also applies to a student's perception of evaluation and assessment. Students' study behaviour is not only determined by the examination or assessment modes that are used. Students' perceptions about evaluation methods also play a significant role. This review aims to examine evaluation and assessment from the student's point of view. Research findings reveal that students' perceptions about assessment significantly influence their approaches to learning and studying. Conversely, students' approaches to study influence the ways in which they perceive evaluation and assessment. Findings suggest that students hold strong views about different assessment and evaluation formats. In this respect students favour multiple-choice format exams to essay type questions. However, when compared with more innovative assessment methods, students call the 'fairness' of these well-known evaluation modes into question.

Grounding and improving assessment in higher education: a way of promoting quality education

Frontiers in Education

Assessment continues to be one of the topics that most concern teachers and most dissatisfies students. In this paper we describe and evaluate the impact of the training course “Grounding and Improving Pedagogical Assessment in Higher Education,” based on a descriptive survey questionnaire, applied in a convenience-selected sample of 31 teachers from a public university in Portugal, who participated in the pedagogical training course. The questionnaire was applied before the beginning of the course (pre-test) and after its completion (post-test). Data were analyzed using statistical procedures that consisted of frequency analysis and non-parametric analysis, using the Mann–Whitney and Wilcoxon tests. The results revealed several changes in teachers’ conceptions of assessment and demonstrated the positive impact of the course, since the comparison of the pre and post-test results showed that relevant changes occurred towards the most current theories of pedagogical assessment, being ...

Assessment in higher education: A case study of one course in Australia

2008

This paper presents a case study of assessment practices in one PG unit of study being taught by the author in the last 2 year. Based on an understanding of assessment in terms of constructive alignment (Biggs, 1996) and consequential validity (Boud, 1995; Linn, Baker, & Dunbar, 1991; Messik, 1989), this paper evaluates the current assessment protocols in this unit. Biggs (1996) argues that learning is best achieved if there is a constructive alignment between the learning goals, teaching approaches, and assessment techniques. Each of these should relate to the other. It is when these three elements are finely calibrated that learning is at its peak. In this paper, I evaluate the degree of constructive alignment in the unit of study under focus. Assessment documents are studied in relation to the theoretical insights gained from the literature and related to the course aims and objectives. In addition, students’ evaluation of these assessment protocols are examined and these are compared to the unit coordinator’s goals and understanding. The results help outline future directions in assessment practice for this unit.

Using Assessment for Improving Students Learning: an analysis of University Teachers' Practices

2009

In the light of globalisation and reforms in higher education in many countries around the world, the concern for improving the quality of students’ learning has come under focus. The traditional assessment system has come under scrutiny and the new term “quality assessment” has become the common currency in today’s educational arena. The quality assessment is an ongoing, student- participatory activity and necessitates using a variety of assessment techniques, implementing assessment techniques effectively, providing good feedback to student and using assessment data to improve instruction. Teachers must strive to give students quality work to do if they want students to do quality work for them. This paper discusses the assessment techniques practised by teachers at higher education level, the way they implement assessment techniques and how effectively they integrate assessment in instruction for student learning. Results of the study involving 297 students and 37 teachers of a m...