Assessment for the longer term

Mission Impossible?Mission Impossible?

Elaine PayneSenior Adviser, Higher Education AcademyAssessment in Lifelong Learning, Birmingham27 November 2006

Sage on Stage Guide on Side

Elite 10% of students 50% of 18-30 year oldsFull time Varying modesStudents – holiday work Work during term timeFull attendance AbsenteeismMotivated students Variety of motivationsLow technology Virtual learning environments

Didactic Collaborative, interactiveAssessment by Variety of methods examination

31% students do paidwork during term timeSource: Sodexho survey 2006

72% - improved career opportunities60% - improved salary prospectsSource: Sodexho survey 2006

! Assessment is important !

Assessment defines what students regard as important, how they spend their time and how they come to see themselves as students and graduates

(Brown and Knight, 1994, p. 12)

2006 National Student Survey 71% - arrangements for assessment fairSource: National Student Survey 2006

55% - feedback helpfulSource: National Student Survey 2006

Issues in Assessment

FeedbackPlagiarism

Criteria

Workload

Moderation

Why Assess?

END PRODUCT

Certification

GradeProceedSelection

Quality Assurance

StandardsEvaluation

Effectiveness

Learning

“…learning elements are emphasised

more than measurement ones”

(Carless, 2003)

Assessment to foster learning throughout lifeBoud & Falchikov, 2006

Living and Working in 21st century

Technology Globalisation Knowledge Career patterns

Complexity

Change

Uncertainty

What ……….????

Acquisition of knowledge Learning for earning What are employers looking for?

Learning for living in 21st century Earning Personal development and Citizenship Learning power

Transferable skills

Self relianceIndependenc

e

JudgementEvaluation

Learning power

Resilience

Reciprocity

Playfulness

How ?

Effective Assessment Contextualised Authentic Problem formulation Encourage student autonomy Promote dispositions for learning Students as active agents

Empowers learning

Who ?

Tutor Student Peer Collaborative

Some suggestions

Portfolios Action plans Capstone projects Role play Simulations

Team working

Application of knowledge

MeetingsDecision making

EmployabilityAnalysis of company performance

Problem solving

Planning

IBS

BS2

Tra

nsfe

rable

Inte

rpers

onal S

kills

Holistic v

iew

of org

anis

ationsExample

AssessmentBusiness plan – groupPresentation (AGM) - peer

AssessmentReflective log – individual

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who can not read and write, but those who can not learn,

unlearn, and relearnAlvin Toffler

Academy Resources1. General Academy resourceshttp://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources.asp

2. Implementing an institutional Assessment Strategyhttp://www.heacademy.ac.uk/resources.asp?process=

full_record&section=generic&id=351

3. SENLEF Project – 7 principles for effective feedbackhttp://www.heacademy.ac.uk/senlef.htm

4. Managing Effective Student Assessment (MESA)http://www.heacademy.ac.uk/799.htm

5. Assessment Audit and Toolshttp://www.heacademy.ac.uk/800.htm

6. Card sort and dvds

Academy Assessment Projects

Small and specialist colleges Students as change agents Students supporting students Welsh case studies Working intensively Subject centre resources Networks

Reflections Should we continue to assess

knowledge acquisition?

Is it the role of HE to develop and/or assess the qualities required for survival in the 21st century?

If so, what criteria could we use?

Employability Qualities

0

20

40

60

80

100

Verb

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Enth

usia

sm

Writ

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Wor

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nce

Deg

ree

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n

Prob

lem

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ving

Team

wor

king

Pers

onal

/tran

sfer

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ski

lls Num

erac

y

Busi

ness

awar

enes

s

Com

putin

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ills

Self-

relia

nce

A-le

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rade

s

Cou

rse

cont

ent

Sand

wic

h co

urse

Quality

%What are employers looking for?

Higgins N & Pettifor C (2002), Learning to Earning, Mander Portman Woodward

What ……….Assessment of ????