Assessment Matters

April 28, 2009 at 6:34 pm (assessment, learning, PG-Cert, Student Support)
Tags: assessment, blog, blogging, developmental, education, feedback, learning, motivation, pedagogy, reflection, RSAMD, student, teaching

As a result of further reading on assessment I have an urge to reflect on the matter. This is undoubtedly a huge area of learning that it would be impossible to do the subject justice in one blog, so I have set myself a question; Why does assessment matter? This is especially pertinent as I have begun the tentative process of introducing Mahara to a cohort of students, this in itself will require a new series of assessment criteria in the near future. So, before introducing anything else new, I want to settle the debate which is raging in my mind regarding assessment, in it’s broadest sense.

My point of view on assessment has always been that it can come from various different sources and not just from the tutor or mentor. It can be offered by peers, family, friends, professional associates and, perhaps most importantly by the learner themselves. The fear and pressures that occur prior to an assessment deadline (usually presented in summative form) can be detrimental to learning, where more emphasis is placed on the outcome after this deadline rather than being focused on the learning itself. Race in his informative Lecturers Toolkit, states that assessment should be motivational as well as critically informative (Race, 2007), though the balance can often be difficult to gauge, especially where a student is falling short of achieving the learning outcomes.

This is a problem I have faced on a number of occasions, where a Stage Manager has been struggling, often due to the high pressurised working environment and processes that they are central to. In a lot of cases, these students have one eye on the assessment and one on the work at hand. This approach opens them to pressures that aren’t found in the profession that they are learning. This may dilute the learning process to an extent and shift focus. In this respect, harsh ‘cutting’ truths can only be used as an absolute last resort, otherwise confidences can be shattered and the motivation to continue severely damaged. This is the nature of assessing ‘live’ events, where other students can be adversely affected. It is at times like these when motivational and developmental formative feedback is required.

Courses which are modular in format usually have a strong emphasis on summative assessment, and this places an emphasis on one final focal point in the process of learning, often at the expense of understanding. (Bloxham & Boyd 2007)

Moving away from the assessment methods used to gauge learning progression on productions to using tools which motivate students. With the growing number of studies done on the benefits of e-Portfolio’s (a subject that has become close to my heart of late) it has become apparent to me that offering learners the capacity to present their own work towards assessment has, at last, empowered the learner directly to influence what, when and where formative assessment can take place. Surely, this approach can be considered to be ‘motivational’, where the design, content and analysis are all controlled, by the learner. In short, opportunity offers empowerment which, in turn, leads directly to motivation.

“Assessment should help them to structure their learning continuously during their studies, not just in a few critical weeks before particular assessment climaxes.” (Race, 2007)

Race, P. (2007) The Lecturers Toolkit: A practical guide to assessment, learning and teaching 3rd edn, London: Routledge.

Bloxham, S & Boyd, P (2007) Developing Effective Assessment in Higher Education: A Practical Guide, Maidenhead: Open University Press.