The assessment process

To illustrate how assessment@yourfingertips was used to assist tutors and enhance students' learning, the assessment process for the EDL1201 written paper assignment. The process involved the eight stages described below.

Stage 1

The unit coordinator developed a very basic draft rubric using the marking guide published in the students' Unit Handbook. A Guide for Academic Staff (Edith Cowan University, 2005a) stresses the importance of preparing marking guides. It describes a marking guide as a document outlining how marks for an assessment are allocated enabling different markers to assess students' work fairly and consistently. In contrast, a rubric, described by Goodrich Andrade, is a scoring tool that lists the criteria for a piece of work. It also articulates graduations of quality for each criterion, from excellent to poor.

The rubric was chosen because it is a formative type of assessment which becomes an ongoing part of the whole teaching and learning process (Upbin, 1999). It is a framework providing a checklist for self, peer and teacher feedback and assessment, clearly describing the criteria for outcomes (Wenzlaff et al., 1999). Rubrics are an effective assessment tool in evaluating student performance in areas which are complex and vague. When students know assessment criteria, prior to commencing assignments, there is a much greater likelihood that the learning goals will be achieved.

Stage 2

Rubric moderation followed; refining the criteria, indicators and descriptors. At this stage, the unit coordinator involved the students, as well as the tutors, in revising and improving the rubric. Other lecturers, tutors or staff could be involved in this process for quality assurance purposes. According to Tierney and Simon (2004), performance criteria descriptors are a critical component of rubric design that merit thorough consideration. In tutorials, students referred to their Unit Handbooks and looked closely at the assignment requirements. They considered the criteria listed and, in groups, discussed appropriate indicators for what each criterion would look like, under the various grade descriptors. Students worked together to construct their knowledge of what was required and how evidence of the criteria could best be demonstrated.

The small groups reported back to the whole tutorial group and together they gained shared understandings through the discussion and design of the rubric. In this way, they were developing their own rubric, a skill they will need to use many times in their future teaching careers. This involvement empowered the students and as a result, their learning became more focused and self-directed (Upbin, 1999). Chalmers and Fuller (1995) supported this in their claim that assessment guides students' decisions about what is important to learn.

By involving students in the creation of the rubric, the students took more responsibility for their own learning, were empowered by being involved in the teaching/ learning process, and had a clearer idea of what was expected in terms of specific performance. This student involvement supports the claim made in the Curriculum Framework that assessment is likely to enhance learning when the criteria are valid and explicit and when the assessment activities are themselves educative (Curriculum Council, 2001).

Jensen & Kiley (2005) believe that to maximize the potential development of students, teachers must employ constructivist practices. They cite Vygotsky (1978), who emphasized the social aspects of learning and believed that social interaction facilitated intellectual development and the construction of new ideas. The social interaction of the students discussing appropriate indicators for the rubric criteria, first in their groups and later as a class, facilitated a deeper understanding of the assignment and was clearly a constructivist practice.

Stage 3

The students' suggestions were worked with by the tutors and unit coordinator until an agreed rubric was developed. Someone with ICT expertise was required to incorporate the rubric into the electronic tool. In the future it is anticipated that the unit coordinator, tutors, or any novice will be able to input the rubric details, after staff training.

The rubric was then published online on Blackboard for the students. Black board^TM is the software used at ECU to enhance communication, organization and presentation of units in a familiar, customizable and secure web page format (Edith Cowan University, 2003).

Stage 4

Pre-marking moderation was carried out with the tutors using assessment@yourfingertips to mark a small sample of the students' assignments.

The assessments were then moderated, through discussion of the marks that each tutor allocated. In this way a shared interpretation of the distribution of marks and criteria requirements was gained. According to the Curriculum Framework, developing a shared understanding of the outcomes enhances the validity and consistency of judgments about students' learning (Curriculum Council, 2001). This moderation process also tested the rubric, ensuring it worked effectively.

Through the supportive and stimulating environment created by the unit coordinator, the team moderation process was a collegial and educative experience in which all parties felt comfortable expressing their concerns and views. It was a valuable team building exercise.

Stage 5

At this point, the marking stage, students were involved in peer assessment. For the written paper assignment, during the tutorial session, anonymous papers were put on the desks for an open free reading session. The students read at their leisure as many of their peers' papers as they chose within the time frame of 15 minutes. This opportunity provided the students with an overview of the range and diversity they were likely to encounter as they marked other students' work. From this exposure, more informed decisions could be made. In groups of three, students were allocated three papers to read and assess individually. They recorded their marks and justifications on a hard copy of the rubric and then passed the written paper to the next group member. When the three students had each assessed the three papers they discussed and justified their marks, using the criteria indicators and descriptors, until they arrived at a consensus. Each group entered the identifying code and results of their three moderated papers onto the assessment@yourfingertips rubric on the computers in the tutorial room. As they clicked on the circle under the appropriate rubric box, the circle became a button on the computer and automatically registered the corresponding mark. The marks were added automatically and a total and grade appeared at the top of the rubric next to the identifying code.

Together the students composed a comment comprised of positive as well as constructive feedback for each paper's author. The group generated comment was typed into a specified section on each rubric. Developing positive and constructive feedback is a skill that the students will be required to use every day of their teaching careers. Constructing appropriate feedback in this manner provided another opportunity for the students to learn within social situations and practice vital professional skills.

Tutors collected their tutorial groups' papers and marked them by entering their assessment of each paper directly onto the same electronic rubric. The students' assessment of each paper was already clearly indicated for tutor comparison and moderation. The code was transformed to the student's name via the electronic spreadsheet within the tool. During this marking stage, the tutors could also access the marks and feedback of other tutors, through the technology, and use this information as a guide to consistency for their own marking.

Stage 6

Post-marking moderation occurred next, with the unit coordinator reviewing all the tutors' marks and comments. Differences between tutors could be identified quickly and moderation applied easily and uniformly. Finalized results were automatically collated through assessment@yourfingertips and the students' assessments were returned to them in hard copy. The tool caters for assessments to be returned electronically as well. This facility may be utilized in future units.

Stage 7

The students received a professionally presented assessment form which indicated the marks and comments of their tutor and their peers' assessment (shaded) (see Figure 1). Although the tutor mark was considered the official mark, students benefited from receiving their peers' perspective, which added another dimension to their feedback.

Stage 8

The electronic tool allowed for the collection, storage and management of data. The students' assessment details, including grades, marks, sub-marks and comments for all their assignments, within the unit, were stored, culminating in an overall unit result. This information was automatically collated through a variety of electronic spreadsheet views, easily accessed by the tutor or unit coordinator. Data about individuals, groups and tutors was analyzed and evaluated, generating useful evidence for unit and course reviews. Student strengths and weaknesses were easily identified from the comments and sub-marks. Letters of referral to the Learning Adviser were generated for individual students, with minimal effort, as a result of this information.

اخر الاخبار

اخبار العتبة العباسية المقدسة

مستشفى الكفيل يدخل قائمة الاعتماد الدولية بجودة الخدمة وسلامة المرضى

جامعة العميد تقيم ورشة عمل تدريبية في مجال التعليم الطبي الحديث

سماحة السيد الصافي يدعو إلى الاستمرار في تحقيق تراث العلماء الأعلام وتسليط الضوء على فكرهم

شعبة الخطابة الحسينية تختتم الموسم الثامن من مشروع الدورات الصيفية في كربلاء

المزيد

الآخبار الصحية

الأطعمة الحارة.. "سر صغير" يغير صحة قلبك وعقلك

وباء صامت.. الملايين حول العالم مصابون بالسكري دون أن يعلموا !

لماذا ينصح بتناول تفاحة يوميا؟

8 فواكه طبيعية تمنحك نوما هنيئا.. وتخلصك من الأرق

المزيد

الآخبار التكنلوجية

ثلاث علامات على وجود مشاكل خطيرة في محرك السيارة ؟

ماذا نعرف عن اللقاح الروسي ضد السرطان؟

مركبة فضاء تعثر على دليل عن وجود حياة قديمة على المريخ

لتدريب الذكاء الاصطناعي.. الصين تخطط لإنشاء شبكة حوسبة موحدة

المزيد

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