using good feedback and assessment practices to enhance ... · using good feedback and assessment...
TRANSCRIPT
Usinggoodfeedbackandassessmentpracticestoenhance
studentengagementandachievement
UtrechtuniversityScienceFaculty15March2017SallyBrown
PFHEA,SFSEDA,NTFEmeritaProfessor, LeedsBeckettUniversity
VisitingProfessor:UniversityofPlymouth,LiverpoolJohnMooresUniversityandUniversityofSouthWales.
Rationale
Inthisworkshop,wewillexplorethefivekeyfactorsthatneedtobetakenintoaccountwhendesigningeffectiveassessmentwhichfostersstudentengagementandlearning:purpose(why?),'focus(what?) methodologies& approaches (how?),agency(who?) andtiming(when?).Bytheendoftheworkshop, participants willhavehadopportunities to considerhowaconcertedandholisticapproach toassessmentcanhelpittoconstructively alignto learning outcomesandprogramme delivery,sothatstudents valuetheprocess rather thanjust focusingontheresultantmarks,aswellastoidentifysomeactionsthatcouldbetakentoenhanceassessmentpractice.
Evaluatingprogrammes,
strengthsandareasforimprovement
Consideringdeliverymodes:face-to-face,
online,PBL,blended…
Determiningandreviewingsubjectmaterial:currency,relevance,level
Designingfitforpurposeassessment
methodsandapproaches
Enhancingquality,seekingcontinuous
improvement
Designingandrefininglearning
outcomes
Assuringquality,matchingHEI,
nationalandPSRBrequirements
Thinkingthroughstudentsupport
CurriculumDesign
Essentials
Whyisassessmentsuchabigissue?
l Goodfeedbackandassessmentpracticesareessentialtostudent learning;
l Globally,student satisfactionsurveysfrequentlyhighlightsignificantdissatisfactionaroundtheseissues;
l Intoughtimes,staffoftenfindthepressureofachievingfastandformativefeedbackaheavychore,especiallywhencohortsarelarge;
l Akeylocusforengagementisassessment,sinceassignmentsgivestudents cuesaboutwhatwevalue,andtheytendtoregardmarkslikemoney.
From‘Amarkedimprovement’(HEA,2012)
Assessmentofstudent learningisafundamental functionofhighereducation. Itisthemeansbywhichweassureandexpressacademicstandards andhasavitalimpactonstudentbehaviour, stafftime,universityreputations,leaguetablesand,mostofall,students’ futurelives.TheNationalStudentSurvey,despiteitslimitations,hasmademorevisiblewhatresearchersinthefieldhaveknownformanyyears:assessmentinouruniversitiesisfarfromperfect.(p.7)
Improvingassessmentimproveslearning
Assessmentislargelydependent uponprofessionaljudgement,andconfidenceinsuchjudgement requirestheestablishment ofappropriate forumsforthedevelopmentandsharingofstandardswithinandbetweendisciplinaryandprofessionalcommunities.Assessmentshapeswhatstudentsstudy,whentheystudy,howmuchworktheydoandtheapproach theytaketotheirlearning.Consequently,assessmentdesignisinfluentialindeterminingthequalityandamountoflearningachievedbystudents,andifwewishtoimprovestudent learning,improvingassessmentshouldbeourstartingpoint.(p.9)
Formativeandsummativeassessment
l Formativeassessmentisprimarilyconcernedwithfeedbackaimedatprompting improvement, isoftencontinuous andusually involveswords.
l Summativeassessmentisconcernedwithmakingevaluativejudgments, isoftenendpointandinvolvesnumbers.
Weneedmoreformative,lesssummative
Thechange thathasthegreatestpotentialtoimprovestudent learningisashiftinthebalanceofsummativeandformativeassessment.Summativeassessmenthasimportantpurposesinselection,certificationandinstitutionalaccountability, butitsdominancehasdistortedthepotentialofassessmenttopromotelearning(assessmentforlearning).(p.9)
Boudetal2010:‘Assessment2020’Assessmenthasmosteffectwhen...:1. Itisusedtoengagestudentsinlearningthatisproductive.2. Feedback isusedtoactivelyimprovestudent learning.3. Studentsandteachersbecomeresponsiblepartnersinlearning
andassessment.4. Studentsareinducted intotheassessmentpracticesandcultures
ofhighereducation.5. Assessmentforlearningisplacedatthecentreofsubjectand
programdesign.6. Assessmentforlearningisafocusforstaffandinstitutional
development.7. Assessmentprovides inclusiveandtrustworthyrepresentationof
studentachievement.
Emphasises authentic & complex
assessment tasks
Develops students’ abilities to
evaluate own progress, direct
own learning
Is rich in informal feedback (e.g. peer
review of draft writing,
collaborative project work)
Is rich in formal feedback (e.g. tutor comment, self-review
logs)
Offers extensive ‘low stakes’
confidence building opportunities and
practice
Uses high stakes summative assessment
rigorously but sparingly
AssessmentforLearning
‘Impactonlearning’
Assessmentisacentralfeatureofteachingand thecurriculum. Itpowerfullyframeshowstudents learnandwhatstudentsachieve.Itisoneofthemostsignificantinfluencesonstudents’experienceofhighereducationandallthattheygainfromit.Thereasonforanexplicitfocusonimprovingassessmentpracticeisthehugeimpact ithasonthequalityoflearning.(BoudandAssociates,2010,p.1)
Assessmentliteracy:studentsdobetteriftheycan:l Makesenseofkeytermssuchascriteria,weightings,and
level;l Encounteravarietyofassessmentmethods(e.g.
presentations,portfolios,posters,assessedwebparticipation, practicals,vivasetc)andgetpracticeinusingthem;
l Bestrategicintheirbehaviours,puttingmoreworkintoaspectsofanassignmentwithhighweightings,interrogatingcriteriatofindoutwhatisreallyrequiredandsoon;
l GainclarityonhowtheassessmentregulationsworkintheirHEI,including issuesconcerningsubmission,resubmission,passmarks,condonement etc.
Arethinkisneeded
Universitiesfacesubstantial change inarapidlyevolvingglobalcontext.Thechallengesofmeetingnewexpectations aboutacademicstandards inthenextdecadeandbeyondmeanthatassessmentwillneedtoberethoughtandrenewed.(Boudetal,2010p.1).
Howcanweengagestudentsthroughassessment?
Myfit-for-purposemodelofassessment:thekeyquestions
l Whyareweassessing?(Purpose)l Whatisitweareactuallyassessing?(Focus)l Howareweassessing?(Methodologiesandapproaches);
l Whoisbestplacedtoassess?(Agency);l Whenshouldweassess?(Timing).
Purposes:thereasonsforassessment:mayinclude:
l Enablingstudents togetthemeasureoftheirachievement;
l Helpingthemconsolidatetheirlearning;l Providingfeedbacksotheycanimproveand
remedyanydeficiencies;l motivatingstudents toengageintheirlearning;l providingthemwithopportunities torelate
theoryandpractice.
morepurposes...l Helpingstudentsmakesensiblechoicesaboutoption
alternativesanddirectionsforfurtherstudy;l demonstrating studentemployability;l providingassuranceoffitnesstopractice;l givingfeedback toteachersoneffectiveness;l providingstatisticsforinternalandexternalagencies.
Orientation/focus:choosingwhatweassess
l productorprocess?l theoryorpractice?l knowledge,skillsandattitude(allsectors)?l subjectknowledgeorapplication?l whatwe’vealwaysassessed?l whatit’seasytoassess?
How:methodsandapproachesofassessment
l Weneedtochooseauthenticandappropriatemeansofassessing;
l Unseenexams,reportsandessaysareoverusedandtherearemanymoremethods inuseindifferentuniversitiesintheUKandinternationally whichmaybemorefit-for-purpose;
l Theseinclude in-seminarassessments,posters,assessedblogs,portfolios, casestudies,vivas,shortanswertests,multiplechoiceandotherCAAtests,reflectiveaccounts,logs,projects,presentations, learningpackages, annotatedbibliographies, in-trayexercises,livebriefs,andmanymore.
Agency:choosingwhoisbestplacedtoassess
l tutorassessmentl self-assessmentl peerassessment,(eitherinterorintrapeer)l employers,practicetutorsandlinemanagersl clientassessment
When:timingiscrucial
l Ifallassessment islefttotheendoftheprogrammeortheendofmodule, thereisahighriskoffailureandunder-performance;
l Incrementalactivitiesleadingtoaculminative/ capstoneassignmentormultiplesmallassignments canhelptoavoid‘suddendeath’;
l Weshould aimtoavoidassessingstudentsonlywhenitfitsoursystemsand insteadstrivetoassessstudentsastheybecomeready.
Designingfitforpurposeassessmentmethods&approaches:10questions1. Areyourassignmentsfullyandconstructively alignedwith
yourlearningoutcomes?2. DotheycomplywithUU’srequirementsintermsof
number,wordlimitsetc?3. Aresummativeassessmentsundertakenthroughout the
course,oriseverything‘suddendeath’end-point?4. Isthereexcessivebunching ofassignments indifferent
modulesthatishighlystressfulforstudentsandunmanageable staff?
5. Arethereplentyofopportunities forformativeassessment,especiallyearlyon?
Andthenextfive:6. Arestudentsover-assessed?7. Dostaffhavetimetomarktheassessments intimefor
examboardsetc?8. Whenyouhaveintroduced innovativeassignments, have
theybeenintroduced insteadofexistingonesorsimplyaddedtotheassessmentdiet?
9. Arestudentsencouraged tomakegooduseofthefeedbacktheyreceive?
10. Dothestudentsperceiveyourassessmentdiettobefairandprovidingmeaningful recognitionoftheirachievements?
Goodfeedback:
1. Isdialogic,ratherthanmono-directional,givingstudentschances torespondtocommentsfromtheirmarkersandseekclarificationwherenecessary.
2. Helpsclarifywhatgoodworklookslike,sostudentsarereallyclearaboutgoals,criteriaandexpectedstandards, andprovidesopportunities toclosethegapbetweencurrentanddesiredperformance.
afterBrown,S.(2015),Assessment, learningandteachinginhighereducation:globalperspectives,Palgrave
Goodfeedback:
3. Activelyfacilitatesstudents reviewingtheirownworkandreflectingonit,sothat theybecomegoodjudgesofthequalityoftheirownwork.
4. Doesn’tjustcorrecterrorsandindicateproblems,potentiallyleavingstudentsdiscouragedanddemotivated,butalsohighlightsgoodworkandencouragesthemtobelievetheycanimproveandsucceed.
Goodfeedback:
5. Delivershigh-quality informationtostudentsabouttheirachievements todateandhowtheycanimprovetheirfuturework.Wherethereareerrors,studentsshouldbeabletoseewhatneedstobedonetoremediatethem,andwheretheyareundershooting intermsofachievement, theyshouldbeabletoperceivehowtomaketheirworkevenbetter.
Goodfeedback:
6. Offers‘feed-forward’aimingto‘increasethevalueoffeedbacktothestudents byfocusingcommentsnotonlyonthepastandpresent…butalsoonthefuture– whatthestudentmightaimtodo,ordodifferentlyinthenextassignmentorassessmentiftheyaretocontinue todowellortodobetter’(Hounsell,2008,p.5).
7. Ensuresthatthemarkisn’ttheonlythingthatstudentstakenoteofwhenworkisreturned,butthat theyareencouraged toreadandusetheadvicegiveninfeedbackandapplyittofutureassignments.
Sadler,themostcitedauthoronformativeassessmentargues:
“Studentsneedtobeexposedto,andgainexperienceinmakingjudgementsabout,avarietyofworksofdifferentquality...Theyneedplanned ratherthanrandomexposuretoexemplars,andexperienceinmakingjudgementsaboutquality.Theyneedtocreateverbalisedrationalesandaccountsofhowvariousworkscouldhavebeendonebetter.Finally,theyneedtoengageinevaluativeconversationswithteachersandotherstudents.”
Fivethingsstudentsreallyhateaboutfeedback
1. Poorlywrittencommentsthatarenighonimpossibletodecode,especiallywhenimpenetrableacronymsorabbreviationsareused,orwherehandwriting isinanunfamiliaralphabet andisillegible.
2. Cursoryandderogatoryremarksthatleavethemfeelingdemoralised‘Weakargument’, ‘Shoddywork’,‘Hopeless’,‘Under-developed’,andsoon.
3. Valuejudgementsonthemaspeopleratherthanontheworkinhand.
Fivethingsstudentsreallyhateaboutfeedback
4. Vaguecommentswhichgivefewhintsonhowtoimproveorremediateerrors:‘OKasfarasitgoes’,‘Needsgreaterdepthofargument’, ‘Inappropriatemethodologyused’,‘Notwrittenattherightlevel’.
5. Feedback thatarrivessolatethat therearenoopportunities toput intopracticeanyguidancesuggestedintimeforthesubmissionofthenextassignment.
Encouragingstudentstousethefeedbackweprovideforthem
l Deliveryoffeedbackshouldnotbelefttochance, soitsbesttoavoidaskingstudentstopickupmarkedhardcopyassignmentsfromdepartmental offices;
l Electronicsubmission ofassignmentshasbenefitsanddisadvantages butonbalancetheformeroutweighthelatter;
l Perhapsrequirestudentstoguestimate expectedmarkshavingreadyourfeedbackearlyintheirprogrammes;
l ‘Assignment handler’candeliverfeedbackelectronically andonlyreleasemarksoncestudentshaveresponded;
l Audiofilesofaudio feedbackcanbehighlysuccessful inenablingstudentstocapture‘live’oralfeedback,andcanreplacewrittenfeedback(e.g.JISCprojectSoundsgood).
Makingassessmentworkwelll Intra-tutor andInter-tutor reliabilityneedtobeassured;l Practicesandprocessesneedtobetransparently fairtoall
students;l Cheatandplagiarisersneedtobedeterred/punished;l Assessmentneedstobemanageable forbothstaffand
students;l Assignmentsshouldassesswhathasbeentaught/learned
notwhat itiseasytoassess.
Assessmentfor learning1. Tasksshouldbechallenging,demandinghigherorderlearningand
integrationofknowledgelearnedinboththeuniversityandothercontexts;
2. Learningandassessmentshouldbeintegrated,assessmentshouldnotcomeattheendoflearningbutshouldbepartofthelearningprocess;
3. Studentsareinvolvedinselfassessmentandreflectionontheirlearning, theyareinvolvedinjudgingperformance;
4. Assessmentshouldencouragemetacognition, promoting thinkingaboutthelearningprocessnotjustthelearningoutcomes;
5. Assessmentshouldhaveaformativefunction,providing ‘feedforward’forfuturelearningwhichcanbeactedupon.Thereisopportunity andasafecontextforstudents toexposeproblemswiththeirstudyandgethelp;thereshouldbeanopportunity fordialogueaboutstudents’ work;
Assessmentfor learning6. Assessmentexpectationsshouldbemadevisible tostudentsasfaras
possible;7. Tasksshouldinvolvetheactiveengagementofstudentsdeveloping
thecapacitytofindthingsoutforthemselvesandlearnindependently;8. Tasksshouldbeauthentic;worthwhile, relevantandofferingstudents
somelevelofcontrolovertheirwork;9. Tasksarefitforpurposeandalignwithimportant learningoutcomes;10. Assessmentshouldbeusedtoevaluateteachingaswellasstudent
learning.(BloxhamandBoyd)
Puttingthisintopractice.Weneedto:
l designapurposefulandrationalisedassessmentstrategythat involvesadiverserangeofmethodsofassessment,thatmakesbestuseofarangeofassessorsandistimelyinitsexecution;
l considerwhendesigningassessmenttaskshowanystudentsmightbedisadvantaged;
l maximisetheopportunities foreachstudent toachieveatthehighestpossiblelevel;
l ensuretheassuranceofappropriatestandards forallstudents.
Theseandotherslideswillbeavailableonmywebsiteathttp://sally-brown.net
Usefulreferences:1AssessmentReformGroup(1999)AssessmentforLearning:Beyondtheblackbox,
CambridgeUK,UniversityofCambridgeSchoolofEducation.Biggs,J.andTang,C.(2007)TeachingforQualityLearningatUniversity,Maidenhead:
OpenUniversityPress.Bloxham,S.andBoyd,P.(2007)Developingeffectiveassessment inhighereducation:a
practicalguide,Maidenhead,OpenUniversityPress.Brown,S.Rust,C.&Gibbs,G.(1994)StrategiesforDiversifyingAssessment, Oxford:
OxfordCentreforStaffDevelopment.Boud,D.(1995)Enhancinglearningthroughself-assessment, London:Routledge.Brown,S.andGlasner,A.(eds.)(1999)AssessmentMattersinHigherEducation,Choosing
andUsingDiverseApproaches,Maidenhead:OpenUniversityPress.Brown,S.andKnight,P.(1994)AssessingLearnersinHigherEducation,London:Kogan
Page.Brown,S.andRace,P.(2012)Usingeffectiveassessment topromotelearninginHunt,L.
andChambers,D.(2012)UniversityTeachinginFocus,Victoria,Australia,AcerPress.P74-91
Usefulreferences2Carless,D.,Joughin,G.,Ngar-FunLiuetal (2006)HowAssessmentsupportslearning:
Learningorientatedassessment inactionHongKong:HongKongUniversityPress.Carroll,J.andRyan,J.(2005)TeachingInternationalstudents:improvinglearningfor
all.London:RoutledgeSEDAseries.Crosling,G.,Thomas,L.andHeagney,M.(2008)ImprovingstudentretentioninHigher
Education, LondonandNewYork:RoutledgeCrooks,T.(1988)Assessingstudentperformance,HERDSAGreenGuideNo8HERDSA
(reprinted1994).Falchikov,N.(2004)ImprovingAssessmentthroughStudentInvolvement:Practical
SolutionsforAidingLearninginHigherandFurtherEducation, London:Routledge.
Gibbs,G.(1999)Usingassessment strategicallytochangethewaystudentslearn,inBrownS.&Glasner,A.(eds.),AssessmentMattersinHigherEducation:ChoosingandUsingDiverseApproaches,Maidenhead:SRHE/OpenUniversityPress.
HigherEducationAcademy(2012)Amarkedimprovement;transformingassessmentinhighereducation,York:HEA.
Usefulreferences3Knight,P.andYorke,M.(2003)Assessment, learningandemployabilityMaidenhead,UK:
SRHE/OpenUniversityPress.Mentkowski,M.andassociates(2000)p.82Learningthatlasts:integratinglearning
developmentandperformanceincollegeandbeyond, SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass.McDowell,L.andBrown,S.(1998)Assessingstudents:cheatingandplagiarism,
Newcastle:RedGuide10/11UniversityofNorthumbria.Nicol,D.J.andMacfarlane-Dick,D.(2006)Formativeassessmentandself-regulated
learning:Amodelandsevenprinciplesofgoodfeedbackpractice,StudiesinHigherEducationVol 31(2),199-218.
PASSprojectBradfordhttp://www.pass.brad.ac.uk/ AccessedNovember2013.Pickford,R.andBrown,S.(2006)Assessingskillsandpractice, London:Routledge.
Usefulreferences4Race,P.(2001)ABriefingonSelf,Peer&GroupAssessment, inLTSNGenericCentre
AssessmentSeriesNo9,LTSNYork.RaceP.(2015)Thelecturer’stoolkit(4th edition), London:Routledge.Rust,C.,Price,M.andO’Donovan,B.(2003)Improvingstudents’learningby
developingtheirunderstandingofassessmentcriteriaandprocesses,AssessmentandEvaluationinHigherEducation.28(2),147-164.
Ryan,J.(2000)AGuidetoTeachingInternationalStudents, OxfordCentreforStaffandLearningDevelopment
Stefani,L.andCarroll,J.(2001)ABriefingonPlagiarismhttp://www.ltsn.ac.uk/application.asp?app=resources.asp&process=full_record§ion=generic&id=10
Sadler,D.Royce(2010)Beyondfeedback:developingstudentcapabilityincomplexappraisal,Assessment&EvaluationinHigherEducation,35:5,535-550
Yorke,M.(1999)LeavingEarly:UndergraduateNon-completioninHigherEducation,London:Routledge.