Transcript No Slide Title

Rethinking assessment for learning after the course
David Boud
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Thinking about assessment
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We learn about assessment from the everyday
practice of being assessed and assessing
It is based on assumptions we rarely question
These assumptions are rooted in concerns that
may not be relevant today
Changing what we do in the light of new
challenges requires thinking clearly about what
assessment is for and ensuring that it doesn’t
inadvertently undermine educational priorities.
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Outline
A. Where are we coming from in higher
education?
(some institutional views of assessment)
B. Where are we going to?
(new demands on assessment)
C. Thinking about developing judgement
D. Considering implications for assessment
reform
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A. Where are we coming from?
Some institutional views of assessment
What do assessment policies from different
universities tell us?
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“Assessment is the process by which the University is
able to confirm that a student has achieved the learning
outcomes and academic standards for the module, …
and/or award for the programme for which he or she is
registered.”
City University, London
http://www.city.ac.uk/acdev/qualifications_standards_framework/assessment_policy_document.html
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“It is of paramount importance that students, staff, external
agencies and employers have confidence in the University's
standards and assessment procedures. The recruitment of an
increasingly diverse student population for whom value for
money is a growing concern requires vigilance at programme
level to prevent assessment overload, particularly where
programmes draw on modules from different fields and faculties.
... The adoption of a University-wide assessment policy and
strategies for implementation such as double and anonymous
marking is designed to ensure equity and fairness.”
University of the West of England
http://www.uwe.ac.uk/aboutUWE/assessment.shtml
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“Assessment is the process of forming a judgment about
the quality and extent of student achievement or
performance, and therefore by inference a judgment about
the learning itself. Assessment inevitably shapes the
learning that takes place, that is, what students learn and
how they learn it, and should reflect closely the purposes
and aims of the course of study.”
Griffith University
http://www62.gu.edu.au/policylibrary.nsf/0/65e95921348eb64c4a256bdd0062f3b0?opendocument
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The dominant focus of institutions now
Primary assessment policy focus:
outcomes, measurement and integrity
Secondary assessment policy focus:
feedback, improvement and learning as a
process
Tertiary assessment policy focus:
future learning
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What do such statements represent?
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Multiple purposes of assessment
Different institutional emphases
(legality, quality, equity)
Different audiences
(external agencies, staff, students)
Change in assessment thinking over time
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B. Where are we going to?
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Purposes of assessment
 Certifying achievement
(summative assessment)
 Aiding learning
(formative assessment)
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Purposes of assessment
 Certifying achievement
(summative assessment)
 Aiding learning
(formative assessment)
 Fostering lifelong learning
(sustainable assessment)
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Sustainable assessment
“Assessment that meets the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of students to
meet their own future learning needs.” (Boud,
2000)
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Development of assessment thinking
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Conventional assessment
Educational measurement
Competency and authentic assessment (including
incorporating generic attributes)
What next?
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Changes in assessment in higher education
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From norm-referenced to standards-referenced
assessment
From exams to diverse approaches to meet diverse
outcomes
From unilateral assessments of students to the active
involvement of them
From assessment as a separate domain of testing to
assessment aligned with learning
From fragmented assessment tasks to coherence with
graduate attributes and desired course outcomes
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C. Thinking about developing judgement
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Unless students develop the capacity to make judgments
about their own learning they cannot be effective learners
now or in the future
We can never provide them with as much or as detailed
feedback as students need. Some kinds of feedback
inhibit judgment through fostering dependency and
compliance.
Capacity for self assessment is central to informing
judgment, but it is not simply a matter of adding self
assessment activities.
Communities of judgment beyond ourselves need to be
engaged with (peers, practitioners, professional bodies).
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Assessment as informing judgement
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looks to the decisions that need to be made
rather than the mechanisms involved in
measurement
views the process as equivalent for staff and
students
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staff need to make informed judgements for purposes
of aiding students and cerification of outcomes
students need to develop the capacity for in formed
judgement in all their subsequent work
positions assessment as a necessary part of an
ongoing process of lifelong learning
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Implications of assessment as informing judgement
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Always look to what the consequences of assessment are for
learning
Focus on fostering reflexivity and self-regulation through every
aspect of a course, not just assessment tasks
Recognise the variety of contexts in which learning occurs and
is utilised—judgement is not independent of context
Stage opportunities for developing informed judgement
throughout programs
Integrating assessment with learning, across the program and
over time
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The problem of judgement
Judgement is more elusive than it appears
 Judgement is context specific and context dependent
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There are intrinsic biases in making judgements
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and awareness of these needs to be raised
Judgement is always a subjective act
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though there may be some generic features
especially when the acts of people are judged
Self-assessment is essential to judgement
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but self-assessment alone is not enough
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What should this lead us to emphasise?
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Involving students in all aspects of assessment processes
especially in practising judging
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Identifying the community of practice in assessment in
setting standards and monitoring outcomes
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Students need to be active agents in rather than passive recipients
of assessment
And not just choosing from a menu of options
For ourselves and for students
Seeing assessment as the calibration of judgement
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Learners will act on the basis of their belief in their own
judgements; if these are flawed it is much more serious than them
having particular knowledge gaps
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Elements to help inform students’ judgements
1. Help students identify themselves as active
learners
2. Move from what’s known to what needs to be
known
3. Provide practice in testing and judging
4. Develop assessment skills over time and across
units
5. Embody reflexivity and commitment
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1. Help students identify themselves as active learners
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Implement participatory and active approaches;
build learner agency and construct active learners
Construct activities to render learning visible
Construct tasks to reflect forms of activity in
professional practice commensurate with level of
skill possessed (i.e. ensure high level of
authenticity).
Involve learners in creating assessment tasks
Focus on tasks that involve producing rather than
reproducing knowledge
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Respect what they say they need
2. Move from what’s known to what needs to be known
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Scaffold knowledge and assessment expertise
Foster engagement with standards and criteria,
and problem analysis
Involve peers and others
Locate tasks in a context that must be taken into
account.
Decide what aspects require feedback, and from
whom
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3. Provide practice in testing and judging
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Apply research and analytic skills; resort to
evidence
Practice self assessment systematically
Widen and utilise types and sources of evidence
of learning
Encourage seeking of feedback from many
sources including research
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4. Develop assessment skills over time and across units
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Consider risk and confidence of judgement
Provide scope for taking initiative.
Move towards not fully determining elements of
tasks.
Design tasks to encourage students to be
confident of what they know and do not know.
Integrate learning over time and courses
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5. Embody reflexivity and commitment
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Foster awareness of personal and professional
practice
Create teaching and learning climate to foster
reflexivity
Involve portraying achievements to others for
different purposes (e.g. portfolio or patchwork text
construction).
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D. Implications for assessment reform
1. Don’t separate assessment from teaching and
learning—they feed each other.
2. The design and selection of assessment tasks is a
key part of teaching.
3. We need to question: how does assessment directly
enhance teaching, how does it distract from it?
4. Ask: In what ways does teaching act to fully model
the range of tasks students are expected to engage
in?
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In summary
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The process of developing capacity for informed
judgement is central to all aspects of courses.
All assessment activities should encompass worthwhile
learning tasks that equip students for future learning.
Students need to be constructed as active agents in
assessment.
Courses and course units should be planned to scaffold
students into becoming increasingly sophisticated
judges of their own learning and that of others.
Assessment should be considered as an integral part of
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the curriculum, not as a separate act.
References
Boud, D. (1995). Enhancing Learning through Self Assessment. London:
Kogan Page.
Boud, D. (2000). Sustainable assessment: rethinking assessment for the
learning society. Studies in Continuing Education, 22, 2, 151-167.
Boud, D. and Falchikov, N. (2006). Aligning assessment with long term
learning, Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 31, 4, 399413.
Boud, D. and Falchikov, N. (Eds) (2007) Rethinking Assessment in
Higher Education: Learning for the Longer Term. London: Routledge.
Falchikov, N. (2005). Improving Assessment through Student
Involvement. London: RoutledgeFalmer.
Gibbs, G. (2006). How assessment frames student learning. In Clegg, K.
and Bryan, C. (Eds.) Innovative Assessment in Higher Education.
London: Routledge.
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