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Alternative Assessment in

Eduation

Prof. dr. Martin ValckeWorkshop Innovative teaching

and Learning Strategies in Higher Education

Maputo 4-6 August, 2009

Background• Head Department of Educational Studies• Innovation of Higher Education• International collaboration (Cambodia, China,

Ecuador, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, Zimbabwe)

• Coordinator of PISA/PIAAC research in Flanders

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Advance organizer

Traditional approaches

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Advance organizer

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Vorm/ manier van overbrengenVorm/ manier van overbrengen3. oogcontact3. oogcontact

Bert probeert het anders:

Denk…

Kan ik het wel leren?Kan ik het wel leren?

Iedereen kan het leren

door ‘oefening’ + ‘feedback’

Luister maar eens naar de Getuigenis van Bert (student handelswetenschappen)(linkermuisklik in beeld)

1. Geloof in verandering!

2. Doe het ‘stap voor stap’ : 1 of 2 aandachtspunten tegelijk

3. Reflecteer zoals Bert: denk na over sterke punten en over veranderingspunten

Wat kunnen we leren van Bert? Denk even na en klik pas voor de antwoorden!

Critical issues

• Validity of evaluation approach in view of assessment of skills and complex knowledge

• Fant et al., (1985)• Rating scales, daily logs, anecdotal records, behavior

coding, and self-assessment for evaluating student teachers.• Oral examinations, portfolio assessment, central assessment

centres, 360° assessment

– …

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Recent developments

Individual learner

Group learner

External institution

Teachers Expert eacher

Assessment systemInstitutional level

Recent developments

• Stronger focus on “consequential validity”of measurement (Gielen, Dochy & Dierick, 2003)

• Stronger emphasis on feedback value of assessment

• What is the “learning potential” of the assessment approach

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Recent developments

• Stiggins (1987): performance assessment

• Performance assessment is expected to be geared in a better way to assess complex behavior in medical, legal, engineering, … and educational contexts (Sluijsmans, et.al., 2004).

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Concrete examples

• Self- and peer assessment

• Rubrics based assessment

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Self- and peer-assessment

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Self- and peer assessment

• Learn about your own learning process.

• Schmitz (1994): “assessment-as-learning”.

• ~ self corrective feedback

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• See experiential learning cycle of Kolb.

• Boekaerts (1991) self evaluation as a competency.

• Development of metacognitive knowledge and skills (see Brown, Bull & Pendlebury, 1998, p.181).

• Freeman & Lewis (1998, p.56-59): developing pro-active learners

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15 The Learning Cycle Model

Is it possible?

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Group evaluations tend to fluctuate around the mean

Learning to evaluate

• Develop checklists

• Give criteria

• Ask to look for quality indicators.

• Analysis of examples good and less good practices: develop a quality “nose”

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Learning to evaluate

• Freeman & Lewis (1998, p.127) :• Learner develops list of criteria.• Pairs of learners compare listed criteria.• Pairs develop a criterion checklist.• Individual application of checklist.• Use of checklist to evalute work of other learner.• Individual reworks his/her work.• Final result checkeed by teacher and result compared to learner

evaluation.• Pairs recheck their work on the base of teacher feedback.

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Learning to evaluate

• Peer evaluation is not the same as Peer grading

• Final score is given by teacher

• Part of score could build on accuracy of self/peer evaluation and self-correction

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Rubrics

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Rubrics

• Rubrics focus on the relationship between competencies, criteria, and indicators and are organized along mastery levels (Morgan, 1999).

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Rubrics: indicator-based assessment

• Assessment objective– Criteria

• Indicators in terms of observable behavior

• Limited number of indicators

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• Writing a fiction story

• Complex skill

• Criteria?

Rubrics: example

• Criteria?– ..– ..– ..

Rubrics: example

Rubrics: example

Criteria

Indicator

Levels in indicators

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Ability to apply scientific skill

Indicators

PISA-levels in indicators

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28http://teachers.teach-nology.com/cgi-bin/research.cgi

Critical thinking rubric

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http://academic.pgcc.edu/~wpeirce/MCCCTR/Designingrubricsassessingthinking.html

Informative websites• Overview tools, examples, theory, background, research:

http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html

• Critical thinking rubrics: http://academic.pgcc.edu/~wpeirce/MCCCTR/Designingrubricsassessingthinking.html

• Rubric generators: http://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/rubrics/

• Intro about rubric sites: http://web.njit.edu/~ronkowit/teaching/rubrics/index.htm

• Rubric APA research paper: http://web.njit.edu/~ronkowit/teaching/rubrics/samples/rubric_apa_research.pdf

• Examples K12: http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html

• General intro :http://web.njit.edu/~ronkowit/teaching/rubrics/index.htm

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Critical issues• Adoption of this assessment approach is marred by

teacher beliefs about nature of evaluation (see e.g., Chong, Wong, & Lang, 2004);

• Also student beliefs (Joram & Gabriele, 1998)• Validity of the criteria and indicators (Linn, 1990), • Reliability of performance evaluation, e.g., when

multiple evaluators assess and score performance (Flowers & Hancock, 2003).

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Statements about evaluation

• Learners should be trained to develop themselves such rubrics.

• Staff should collaborate in developing formal assessment and summative assessment rubrics

• Rubrics will help staff to be more concrete as to their teaching and learning focus

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Alternative Assessment in

Eduation

Prof. dr. Martin ValckeWorkshop Innovative teaching

and Learning Strategies in Higher Education

Maputo 4-6 August, 2009