Proposal Title
Exploring assessment as a pedagogical tool for learning, as learning and of learning
Session Type
Presentation
Room
FNB 1220
Start Date
4-7-2019 10:30 AM
Keywords
Assessment; learning; purpose of assessment; frequency and timing of assessment
Primary Threads
Evaluation of Learning
Abstract
Assessment is a critical component of course design, and serves to reinforce learning goals, provide feedback to learners, promote student progress, identify students at risk and evaluate student learning. Classroom assessment is generally divided into three types: assessment for learning, assessment of learning and assessment as learning and these can be implemented individually and/or collectively. Assessment “as” learning occurs when students are their own assessors and monitor their own learning. Assessment “for” learning is widely encouraged across many educational systems and it is the ongoing process of gathering and interpreting evidence about student learning with the purpose of providing meaningful feedback and in planning instruction (Deluca, Christopher et al., 2018). Nicole Dimich-Vagle (2015) clarifies that, “Using assessment well means capitalizing on the information collected and using those insights to facilitate learning and foster hope for students.” (P.2). Assessment “of” learning provides information about student achievement including traditional testing mandates of learning. In this session, observations will be shared from a pilot study conducted with an aim to evaluate pedagogically sound assessment frequencies and timings which support learners towards their course learning goals (i.e. for and as learning), and for their overall academic success (i.e. of learning). Two sections of a 12-week human physiology course delivered by the same instructor served as a control and experimental group varying in terms of assessments frequencies and their timings including traditional assessments e.g. final exam versus three weekly quizzes/testing used in this study. By the end of this session, participants will be able to discuss and view assessment as a pedagogical tool, one which can reduce or prevent procrastination among students, serve as a diagnostic and success tool to enhance and support student learning in their specific discipline’s.
Deluca Christopher; Chapman - Chin, Allison E. A.; Lapointe - Mcewan, Danielle; Klinger, Don A (2018). Student Perspectives on assessment for learning. Curriculum Journal, 29(1), 77-94.
Dimich Vagle, N. (2015) Design in 5: Essential Phases to Create Engaging Assessment Practice. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
Elements of Engagement
In this engaging session, interactivity with participants will occur through mentimeter activities, a clip and discussions. As an ice breaker, and introduction to assessment, the presentation will initiate through mentimeter activity during which participants will identify assessment application as a tool both for learning and of learning (~5 minutes). Initial findings from this project varying in terms of assessments frequencies/timings and it’s impact on student learning and academic grades in a physiology course will be presented (~10 minutes). This will be followed by a small 2 minute clip, “Rethinking Classroom Assessment with Purpose in Mind” by Dr. Lorna Earl highlighting three purposes of assessment, all of which are important in classroom practice, and describes how they require different planning, use and reporting to promote student learning. This will lead to small group discussions surrounding purposes of assessment (~5 minutes) and concluding the session by another large group mentimeter activity (~5 minutes) collating inputs from the audience and summing it all.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Exploring assessment as a pedagogical tool for learning, as learning and of learning
FNB 1220
Assessment is a critical component of course design, and serves to reinforce learning goals, provide feedback to learners, promote student progress, identify students at risk and evaluate student learning. Classroom assessment is generally divided into three types: assessment for learning, assessment of learning and assessment as learning and these can be implemented individually and/or collectively. Assessment “as” learning occurs when students are their own assessors and monitor their own learning. Assessment “for” learning is widely encouraged across many educational systems and it is the ongoing process of gathering and interpreting evidence about student learning with the purpose of providing meaningful feedback and in planning instruction (Deluca, Christopher et al., 2018). Nicole Dimich-Vagle (2015) clarifies that, “Using assessment well means capitalizing on the information collected and using those insights to facilitate learning and foster hope for students.” (P.2). Assessment “of” learning provides information about student achievement including traditional testing mandates of learning. In this session, observations will be shared from a pilot study conducted with an aim to evaluate pedagogically sound assessment frequencies and timings which support learners towards their course learning goals (i.e. for and as learning), and for their overall academic success (i.e. of learning). Two sections of a 12-week human physiology course delivered by the same instructor served as a control and experimental group varying in terms of assessments frequencies and their timings including traditional assessments e.g. final exam versus three weekly quizzes/testing used in this study. By the end of this session, participants will be able to discuss and view assessment as a pedagogical tool, one which can reduce or prevent procrastination among students, serve as a diagnostic and success tool to enhance and support student learning in their specific discipline’s.
Deluca Christopher; Chapman - Chin, Allison E. A.; Lapointe - Mcewan, Danielle; Klinger, Don A (2018). Student Perspectives on assessment for learning. Curriculum Journal, 29(1), 77-94.
Dimich Vagle, N. (2015) Design in 5: Essential Phases to Create Engaging Assessment Practice. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.