Classroom Assessment Techniques by
Classroom Assessment Techniques: Formative Feedback Tools for College and University Teachers A practical, research-based handbook for using assessment to improve learning. This completely revised and updated third edition of Classroom Assessment Techniques provides a research-based, engaging guide to assessing student learning where it matters most--at course and classroom levels. Informed by the latest international educational research and 30 years of classroom assessment practice, this practical handbook is designed for postsecondary teachers from all disciplines, faculty and academic developers, and assessment professionals. It offers field-tested guidance, tools, and advice for planning, designing, and implementing formative assessment in face-to-face, hybrid, and fully online classrooms, analyzing resulting data, and using that data to improve student learning. Classroom Assessment Techniques, 3rd Edition, is a practical, clearly written handbook for busy professionals. It contains a wealth of useful resources, including: 50-plus CATs (classroom assessment techniques) - flexible formative assessment tools easily adaptable for use in a wide range of disciplines and contexts. Case studies and examples illustrating how college and university faculty have applied these techniques to improve learning A new "Course Learning Outcomes Inventory" (CLOI)--a self-assessment tool for identifying and prioritizing the most relevant learning outcomes to assess The original "Teaching Goals Inventory" (TGI) which offers an alternate, teaching-focused approach to setting assessment priorities Multiple ways to quickly find the most appropriate tool. CATs are indexed by discipline examples, Bloom's Taxonomy, Biggs and Tang's SOLO Taxonomy, the CLOI, and the TGI Brief chapters explaining what formative assessment is, how it can improve student learning, how to gather and provide formative feedback, how to link classroom assessment with broader/other assessment efforts, and how to collaborate with students and colleagues Each CAT provides a brief, self-contained "recipe" including a description, steps for implementation, dos and don'ts, and relevant references
Grading for Growth: A Guide to Alternative Grading Practices That Promote Authentic Learning and Student Engagement in Higher Education by
Are you satisfied with your current and traditional grading system? Does it accurately reflect your students' learning and progress? Can it be gamed? Does it lead to grade-grubbing and friction with your students? The authors of this book - two professors of mathematics with input from colleagues across disciplines and institutions - offer readers a fundamentally more effective and authentic approach to grading that they have implemented for over a decade. Recognizing that traditional grading penalizes students in the learning process by depriving them of the formative feedback that is fundamental to improvement, the authors offer alternative strategies that encourage revision and growth. Alternative grading is concerned with students' eventuallevel of understanding. This leads to big changes: Students take time to review past failures and learn from them. Conversations shift from "why did I lose a point for this" to productive discussions of content and process. Alternative grading can be used successfully at anylevel, in anysituation, and anydiscipline, in classes that range from seminars to large multi-section lectures. This book offers a comprehensive introduction to alternative grading, beginning with a framework and rationale for implementation and evidence of its effectiveness. The heart of the book includes detailed examples - including variations on Standards-Based Grading, Specifications Grading, and ungrading -- of how alternative grading practices are used in all kinds of classroom environments, disciplines and institutions with a focus on first-hand accounts by faculty who share their practices and experience. The book includes a workbook chapter that takes readers through a step-by-step process for building a prototype of their own alternatively graded class and ends with concrete, practical, time-tested advice for new practitioners. The underlying principles of alternative grading involve Evaluating student work using clearly defined and context-appropriate content standards. Giving students helpful, actionable feedback. Summarizing the feedback with marks that indicate progress rather than arbitrary numbers. Allowing students to revise without penalty, using the feedback they receive, until the standards are met or exceeded. This book is intended for faculty interested in exploring alternative forms of learning assessment as well as those currently using alternative grading systems who are looking for ideas and options to refine practice.
Assessment for Experiential Learning by
Chan’s book explores the challenges in assessing experiential learning, deepens our understanding, and inspires readers to think critically about the purpose of assessment in experiential learning.
Experiential learning has been studied and proven to be effective for student learning, particularly for the development of holistic competencies (i.e. 21st century skills, soft skills, transferable skills) considered essential for individuals to succeed in the increasingly global and technology-infused 21st century society. Universities around the world are now actively organising experiential learning activities or programmes for students to gain enriching and diversified learning experiences, however the assessment of these programmes tends to be limited, unclear, and contested.
Assessment plays a central role in education policies and students’ approach to learning. But do educators know how to assess less traditional learning such as service learning, entrepreneurship, cross-discipline or cross-cultural projects, internships and student exchanges? While the current assessment landscape is replete with assessments that measure knowledge of core content areas such as mathematics, law, languages, science and social studies, there is a lack of assessments and research that focus on holistic competencies. How do we assess students’ ability to think critically, problem solve, adapt, self-manage and collaborate?
Central to the discussion in this book, is the reason students are assessed and how they should be assessed to bring out their best learning outcomes. Offering a collection of best assessment practice employed by teachers around the world, this volume brings together both theoretical and empirical research that underpins assessment; and perceptions of different stakeholders – understanding of assessment in experiential learning from students, teachers, and policymakers. The idea of assessment literacy also plays an important role in experiential learning, for example, reflection is often used in assessing students in experiential learning but how reflection literate are educators, are they aware of the ethical dilemmas that arise in assessing students? These questions are discussed in detail. The volume also introduces a quality assurance programme to recognise student development within experiential learning programmes.
The book will be particularly informative to academic developers, teachers, students and community partners who struggle with the development and assessment for experiential learning, those who plan to apply for funding in experiential learning, and policymakers and senior managements seeking evidence and advice on fine-tuning curricular, assessment designs and quality assurance.
Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education by
This reprint focuses on research and practice concerning assessment and evaluation in higher education, crucial processes for the advancement of higher education. The different dimensions and forms of assessment within higher education, the impact of assessment methods on students' learning processes and approaches to learning are of particular interest. Special attention is given to assessment methods and purposes, assessment rubrics and the assessment of learning outcomes (knowledge and skills). Research on the challenges, strengths, and opportunities of online and virtual assessment, active learning approaches and new pedagogical methodologies, based on student-centred assessment practices, is also explored and discussed in this reprint.
Student Self-Assessment as a Process for Learning by
Covering both higher education and school education, this book contributes to the field of assessment by providing a systematic account of student self-assessment based on a consistent conceptualisation. Yan advocates viewing self-assessment as an active and reflective process and using it as a learning strategy rather than an assessment method. He builds on a newly-developed self-assessment model adopting a process perspective and synthesises a series of interrelated empirical investigations into the whole "chain" of student self-assessment research.
The research encompassed in the volume spans from self-assessment practices and measurement, through predictors of self-assessment, its interweaved relationship with self-regulated learning and feedback literacy, impact on student learning outcomes, to designing sustainable self-assessment interventions. The empirical evidence is from a wide range of current scholarship to ensure that the principles and implications conveyed are applicable internationally.
Policymakers, students and scholars in educational assessment, educational psychology, and teaching and instruction will find the theoretical explorations and empirical investigations contained within useful, to show how student self-assessment could be better conceptualised, researched, and practised.
Confident Assessment in Higher Education by
Your perfect companion to building confident assessment in teaching and learning in higher education. Assessment is a central part of teaching and learning in higher education and an area in which many university teachers lack confidence. Designed to work across academic disciplines, this is a practical, theory-informed resource for anyone in the higher education sector. It offers an in-depth view of assessment, exploring current practice and contemporary challenges. It offers guidance on contextual assessment design and the teaching that can support this, alongside a deep dive on marking, feedback and common assessment challenges. The final third of the book offers practical templates for a wide range of common assessment types including case studies, competence portfolios, essays and dissertations. Rachel Forsyth is an educational developer who works at Lund University, Sweden.
Acing Online Assessment: Your Guide to Success by
Facing an online assessment? Here's how to ace it. This straightforward guide helps you translate your existing skills into an online environment. It enables you to transition from understanding familiar, offline assessments to succeeding in formal online assessments by breaking down what you are being asked to do - then shows you how to prepare, where to get help and what to do on the day. From presentations to portfolios, it demonstrates that, once you understand this new way of being assessed, you can make the most of working online to improve your grades and excel in your work. It also: Equips you with strategies to help manage anxieties around online assessment. Highlights the challenges and benefits that are unique to online assessment. Demonstrates how to make the most of feedback to support your development as a self-reflective learner. With each chapter built around key student questions, this guide is perfect for dipping into for any type of online assessment.Student Success is a series of essential guides for students of all levels. From how to think critically and write great essays to boosting your employability and managing your wellbeing, the Student Success series helps you study smarter and get the best from your time at university.
Assessment by Design: A Practical Approach to Improve Student Learning by
Written with faculty in mind, Assessment by Designis a practical resource that will also be useful to student affairs staff and administrators dedicated to using assessment to improve learning in curricular and co-curricular settings. This book presents the Cycle of Assessment as a framework that supports assessment in service of improving student learning. The framework consists of the following stages: Developing Your Assessment Question; Planning Decisions to Consider; Collecting and Scoring the Data; Analyzing and Discussing Assessment Data; and Report and Act on Assessment Findings. After an introductory chapter that provides an overview of the cycle, the book devotes a chapter to each stage of the cycle. After a concluding chapter, four appendices include helpful rubrics, forms, and exercises. This book uses Action Research ideas to inform local classroom and institutional practices. While the theoretical framework is explained, each part follows through by offering immediate application: Hands-on activities for the readers to perform that directly support the practice of assessment in context, allowing readers to consider and apply the framework in their own programs, classes, and activities. The book emerged from a workshop the author developed and led for many years in both face-to-face and online settings while she was Director of Assessment, Evaluation and Institutional Outcomes at Johnson County Community College (JCCC). Initially developed for JCCC faculty, it was later offered to participants from a variety of schools around the country, 4-year as well as 2-year, and private as well as public.
Trends in Assessment: Ideas, Opportunities, and Issues for Higher Education by
Informed by sessions at the Assessment Institute in Indianapolis, the oldest and largest U.S. event focused on assessing and improving higher education, this second edition of Trends in Assessment is intended to encapsulate lessons learned from the recent past, reflect the current state, and inspire future directions for higher education assessment. Throughout the volume, organizers of the Assessment Institute contribute chapters framed around some of the major topics, tracks, and themes from the annual program. Each chapter provides important background and context with attention to the significance of the topic, describes current and enduring trends, and offers ideas about emerging trends and their implications for higher education. Chapters conclude with a summary of main trends and questions for consideration and discussion. The volume is also influenced by the work of key Assessment Institute national-level partners, along with the substantial bodies of literature on student learning and development, assessment and improvement, and higher education administration. This book provides readers with information, strategies, and resources on assessment concepts and approaches across a broad and diverse mix of disciplines, institutional and organizational types, and levels of experience in higher education assessment. Designed to be incorporated into workshops, professional development programs, and courses, faculty and staff members, educational developers, student affairs practitioners, and graduate students of higher education administration will find the ideas and information presented in Trends in Assessment a useful resource on assessment and improvement in contemporary higher education.
Teaching for Quality Learning at Universityy: What the Student Does by
Foreword to the first edition:"This book is an exceptional introduction to some difficult ideas. It is full of downright good advice for every academic who wants to do something practical to improve his or hers students' learning." Paul Ramsden, Brisbane, Australia Endorsements for the fourth edition: "Biggs and Tang present a unified view of university teaching that is both grounded in research and theory and replete with guidance for novice and expert instructors. The book will inspire, challenge, unsettle, and in places annoy and even infuriate its readers, but it will succeed in helping them think about how high quality teaching can contribute to high quality learning." John Kirby, Queens University, Ontario, Canada "For those teaching in schools and universities this book provides a framework that can be used to guide teaching from thinking about what a program, topic, lesson or lecture should be about, to the execution of the teaching and reflection on the outcomes. The guiding framework emerges from a sound conceptual analysis of the how the interaction between teacher and student can be organised to result in learning that enables students to approach the levels of understanding and problem solving that we hope will emerge from our teaching." Mike Lawson, School of Education, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia This best-selling book explains the concept of constructive alignment used in implementing outcomes-based education. Constructive alignment identifies the desired learning outcomes and helps teachers design the teaching and learning activities that will help students to achieve those outcomes, and to assess how well those outcomes have been achieved. Each chapter includes tasks that offer a 'how-to' manual to implement constructive alignment in your own teaching practices. This new edition draws on the authors' experience of consulting on the implementation of constructive alignment in Australia, Hong Kong, Ireland and Malaysia including a wider range of disciplines and teaching contexts. There is also a new section on the evaluation of constructive alignment, which is now used worldwide as a framework for good teaching and assessment, as it has been shown to: Assist university teachers who wish to improve the quality of their own teaching, their students' learning and their assessment of learning outcomes Aid staff developers in providing support for departments in line with institutional policies Provide a framework for administrators interested in quality assurance and enhancement of teaching across the whole universityThe authors have also included useful web links to further material. Teaching for Quality Learning at University will be of particular interest to teachers, staff developers and administrators.