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University of Tennessee

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Newsletter: Spring 2004

Assess for Success

by: Rhonda Spearman

It is possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated.
~Alec Bourne~

Do you know why you give students exams, make them write papers, or present reports? Have you considered never giving an exam, never requiring a paper, or just forgetting about those reports all together? Why do we, as teachers, put ourselves through the tedium and drudgery of grading papers, creating and grading exams, and coming up with other ways for students to demonstrate their learning? Simple,: assessment is an integral part of the teaching and learning process. Without assessment, we have no way to measure what was taught and learned.

What to Measure
According to the George Lucas Educational Foundation (2002) assessment should:

1. Provide diagnostic feedback
2. Help educators set standards
3. Evaluate progress
4. Relate to a student’s progress
5. Motivate performance

Provide Diagnostic Feedback
Assessment can be used to establish the baseline for students’ knowledge of a particular subject or field. Once this is determined educators can begin sculpting the curriculum for review of previous learned knowledge and the introduction of new information. This assessment is usually given in the form of pre-tests. It also helps instructors determine the material to be taught in during a course of study.

Help Educators Set Standards
How do we determine standards for measuring learning? Each field of study defines how we are to assess students’ understanding. Performance on exams, procedures, and application of knowledge are used to establish standards in the field. These standards are usually determined by the governing body of the profession, enforced by the department, and measured by the instructor. How these standards are measured may be governed by the professional body or left to the discretion of the instructor.

Evaluate Progress
Assessment is not just about measuring individual student performance; it is also used to help instructors measure progress through the material for a class of students. All instructors know that each class of students is unique and this semester’s group may not progress through the material at the same pace as those in previous semesters. Group dynamics may push students to learn material more quickly, or they may be progressing more slowly. Instructors can use assessment to determine whether they should make changes in the course structure or implement alternate strategies to help students with the material.

Relate to a Student’s Progress
Think of learning as a never-ending continuum. As we progress through a field of study there are benchmarks for understanding. Familiar labels help define our place on the continuum; novice, amateur, expert, beginning, intermediate, advanced. Assessment is used to gauge students’ progress along this continuum and their readiness to advance to the next level.

Motivate Performance
For student self-evaluation:
In the ideal world of education, all students would have an inherent drive to learn. They would know that every class had meaning and significance in the shaping of their mind and helping them along the path of knowledge. In the real world, we know that some students may be more motivated by other factors, such as grades. Assessment is used to measure performance and provide feedback to students about the gaps in their knowledge base. This feedback should motivate them to study, seek new levels of learning, and apply the knowledge to new situations. Students want to know how they are doing,; assessment is how we help them answer this question. Whether they are motivated by the grade, personal excellence, or the thirst for knowledge, the assessments provided by instructors help them gauge their place in the continuum of learning.

For teacher self-evaluation:
How students perform on the assessments also provides feedback for instructors on whether teaching strategies are working and if students are ready to move on to the next level. If the majority of students seem to lack understanding of a concept, this is a signal to the instructor to review this information before moving on. If students seem to be devouring the information and excelling, this is an indicator they may be capable of handling more in- depth or advanced information. Thus the assessment helps instructors customize the learning experience for the students.

Assessment provides guidance throughout the curriculum planning, creation, and implementation process. Through assessment, educators can determine what students know and need to know;, establish standards to measure that knowing;, gauge their progress;, and reflect on the level of understanding and improve performance.

How to Measure
The guiding principles require the identification of “what” is to be assessed, the student’s level of understanding, and ability to demonstrate that understanding. We look to Bloom’s Taxonomy to provide the framework for formulating assessment measures, or “how” to assess the learning.

Benjamin Bloom provided a hierarchy of student competencies to assist instructors with developing assessment criteria for meeting educational goals and objectives. These competencies are arranged from less to more complex. The more complex the cognitive skill to be measured is, the more subjective the assessment. The following diagram represents Bloom’s Taxonomy as a pyramid, with Knowledge, the lowest level on the cognitive scale, as the base. The second pyramid shows the variety of assessment techniques that can be used to gauge students’ learning.

What second pyramid

Cognitive Level
Indicators
Assessment Strategies
Evaluation Make Make choices based on reasoned argument Essays, projects, problem-based cases, portfolio, critique, performance
Synthesis Use old ideas to create new ones (Objective), essay, take-home or open-book exams, open book, journal/portfolio, performance, case studies, any type of critique, collaborative learning activities
Analysis Recognition of hidden meanings (Objective), essay, take-home or open-book exams, open book, journal/portfolio, performance, case studies, online discussion forums
Application Solve problems using required skills or knowledge Multiple-choice, essay questions, open- note exams, take-home exams
Comprehension Translate knowledge into new context Multiple-choice testing, basic essay questions
Knowledge Observation and recall of information Objective tests (all types), vocabulary, recitation

Assessment is not just about one student’s performance in one instructor’s class. It is about how well an institution plans and implements an educational experience that prepares learners to think and react in a global society.

So the next time you give your students an exam or grade a paper, consider how that one assignment not only addresses not only the student’s understanding of the course objectives, but also your instruction of them as well. Reflect on your assessment practices. Here are some questions to get your started:

  • Are there opportunities for improvement?
  • Am I measuring what I am teaching?
  • Does this assessment answer the question I am asking about their learning?
  • Is there another way to do this?

Resources
American Association for Higher Education. (2003). 9 Principles of Good Practice for Assessing Student Learning. Retrieved November 20, 2003, from http://www.aahe.org/principl.htm

Bloom, B.S. (Ed.) (1956) Taxonomy of educational objectives: The classification of educational goals: Handbook I, cognitive domain. New York ; Toronto: Longmans, Green.

The George Lucas Educational Foundation. (2003). Instructional Module: Assessment. Retrieved November 20, 2003, from http://www.edutopia.org/assessment