Transforming Assessment and Feedback The Assessment and Feedback area of the Design Studio gives access to existing and emergent work of interest on assessment and feedback. In this area, you can explore topics associated with assessment and feedback, find out what we currently know about enhancing assessment and feedback with technology and follow links to emerging themes and outputs from the Assessment and Feedback programme. **New Briefings on Assessment and Feedback** Jisc has published four new briefings around key themes which have emerged from the Assessment and Feedback programme: Changing assessment and feedback practice with the help of technology Electronic Assessment Management Enhancing student employability through technology supported assessment and feedback Feedback and feed forward: using technology to support learner longitudinal development See also the final synthesis report Supporting assessment and feedback practice with technology: from tinkering to transformation' (Oct 2013)
REAP - Resources > Assessment Principles: Some possible candidates Additional Resources: Below are three sets of principles that might be used to guide the design of assessment in higher or further education. The first set, of which there are 11, has informed the work of the Reengineering Assessment Practices (REAP) project (www.reap.ac.uk). The second set are a more comprehensive list developed at the University of Strathclyde by the Assessment Working Group who have been tasked with reformulating the policy and practice of assessment across the institution. The REAP project: 11 Principles of good assessment design Assessment design should: Adapted from Nicol and Macfarlane-Dick (2006) and Gibbs and Simpson (2004) These are principles of ‘good assessment design for the development of learner self-regulation’. The REAP project: A wider set of principles The twelve formative assessment principles in the table below were developed through the REAP project. Table 1: Principles of good formative assessment and feedback. Good practice in undergraduate education:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of portfolio assessment? Last month on the blog I mentioned that my school was dipping its toes into formative assessment in the form of writing portfolios. Overall, I’m very happy with the way it’s going, noting the advantages I discussed in my previous post. Nevertheless, it hasn’t been all plain sailing! With this in mind, I thought a follow up post might be in order, one in which I attempt to balance the pros and cons! Formative assessment, just to get you all up to speed, covers the range of informal diagnostic tests and techniques, such as learner portfolios, us teachers can use to assist the process of learning by our learners. 1. One great benefit of portfolio assessment for learning is that it is ongoing. Summing up why this is good: As learners work on their writing in classroom tasks, input from the teacher can inform, guide and validate each step of their writing process. 2. Cheating and plagiarism remain significant problems in academic settings. ‘students18′ by @yearinthelifeof (me!) 3. 4.
Ideas to Inspire Starting with an A “Imagine a classroom where everyone started off an academic year with an “A” grade, and in order to keep the grade, a pupil had to show continuous improvement throughout the year. In this classroom, the teacher would have to dock points from a pupil’s assessment when his or her performance or achievement was inadequate, and pupils would work to maintain their high mark rather than to work up to it. How would this affect effort, expectations, performance, and assessment relative to current practice?” Image by ludwg This is one of the questions we pose in our upcoming paper, due to be published next month, which explores the application of behavioural insight to educational policy and practice. Specifically, we are concerned with the socio-economic attainment gap – the difference in performance between pupils from affluent backgrounds and those from deprived backgrounds. So what is the big idea with everyone starting with an A? Comments
Two (Optimistic) Predictions for Learning in 2014 Getty The beginning of a new year always prompts list-making — resolutions, what went right last year, what can be done better in the next. How will 2013′s trends shape the year ahead? Looking into a crystal ball (and with input from experts), these are just two of many)movements we hope will take shape in classrooms across the country in 2014. Self-Directed Learning Using Digital Tools Will Take Center Stage In 2013, we observed the logistical and ideological mistakes of Los Angeles Unified iPad roll-out, as well as the confusion and difficulty with which schools grappled with computer-based testing created to align with the Common Core. Many hope that 2014 will be the time to find that holy grail — using technology to go beyond providing efficiency and management to truly transforming student learning. Levinson said the trend he sees taking shape is a kind of old-meets-new story in which the constructivist dreams of 100 years ago come to fruition using personalized digital technology.
Assessment & feedback programme The JISC-funded Assessment and Feedback programme is focused on supporting large-scale changes in assessment and feedback practice, supported by technology, with the aim of enhancing the learning and teaching process and delivering efficiencies and quality improvements. Access project blogs here1. See further information on the programme themes, and all project outputs at the Design Studio2. A final summary report is now available which highlights the main themes and lessons learnt from the first two years of the programme - 'Supporting assessment and feedback practice with technology: from tinkering to transformation' 3(October, 2013). Overview Assessment lies at the heart of the learning experience: how learners are assessed shapes their understanding of the curriculum, and determines their ability to progress. This programme, focused on supporting large-scale technology-enhanced changes in assessment and feedback practice, seeks to address these challenges. Funded Projects7
Graduate School of Education | Publications Literature review Oldfield, A, Broadfoot, P., Sutherland, R. & Timmis , S. (2012) Assessment in a digital age: a research review. Discussion papers Series authors Patricia Broadfoot, Sue Timmis, Sarah Payton, Alison Oldfield, Rosamund Sutherland Other publications Patricia Broadfoot, Alison Oldfield, Rosamund Sutherland and Sue Timmis (in press, 2013) Seeds of Change: the potential of the digital revolution to promote enabling assessment in Wyatt-Smith, C and Klenowski, V (eds) The enabling power of assessment. Conference contributions Broadfoot, P (2012) Can Digital Technologies Transform Educational Assessment? Timmis, S, Oldfield, A, Broadfoot, P & Sutherland, R. (2012) Where is the cutting edge of research in e-Assessment? Timmis, S & Draper, S (2012) Assessment Reform, Innovative Technology, Improving Formative Assessment and Feedback: Are They at Odds with Each Other?
Letters: Modern language exam grades translate into poor results It is well-known that the UK is losing out culturally and economically because of inadequate foreign-language skills among English native speakers. This problem has been significantly exacerbated by the fact that pupils choosing modern languages have not been rewarded adequately for excellent performance. Ofqual has acknowledged in its corporate plan 2013-16 that "relatively few A* grades are awarded in modern foreign languages when compared with other subjects with a high proportion of A grades". This finding confirms evidence by schoolteacher associations that has repeatedly been presented to Ofqual and the exam boards since introduction of the A* grade at A-level in June 2010. The disadvantaging of modern languages candidates in school examinations has been blighting the subject at all levels, and will continue to do so until the unfair grading is addressed effectively.
Roger Tilles warns of 'dangerous' overemphasis on education testing Originally published: October 2, 2013 9:42 PM Updated: October 2, 2013 10:23 PM By JOHN HILDEBRAND john.hildebrand@newsday.com State Regent Roger Tilles leads a public Q & A at the Port Washington Library. (Oct. 2, 2013) (Credit: Barry Sloan) One of the region's top education policymakers warned a Port Washington gathering Wednesday night that what he termed a "dangerous" overemphasis on testing threatened to undermine a statewide movement toward high-quality Common Core academic standards. The speaker, Roger Tilles of Great Neck, who represents Long Island on the state's Board of Regents, said he supported Common Core, like most educators, because "it makes kids think." Tilles said, however, that Core standards were becoming confused with new tests that were rushed into place in April, and were being used to rate students' achievement and teachers' job performance. "I really don't want to see the Common Core lost, and I hear that," Tilles said. State Education Commissioner John B.
Assessment in open spaces Photo: Tay Railway Bridge (Dundee) CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 Tim Haynes “We have to build our half of the bridge, no matter who or where we happen to be.” – Colm McCann Summary: Learning and pedagogical relationships are transformed when we engage with students in open online spaces or networked publics. These can become ‘third spaces’ of learning, beyond the binary of informal and formal learning. Once a closed classroom (physical or online) becomes open to the world, assessment options multiply, with many more opportunities for student choice, voice and creativity, and of course, feedback. [Slides] [Audio interview] xx This post summarises my talk at the eAssessment Scotland 2013 conference, “Assessment in Open Spaces”. The eAssessment Scotland conference is a completely free, 2-week event which is open, distributed and accessible. In this context, I examined three spaces in which networked educators meet networked students, and explored the affordances of these different spaces. Like this: