2.

Assessment in higher education

Assessment, is a series of measurements that uses various methods and techniques, to
collect data on student learning in order to refine teaching programs and improve
student learning capabilities. It includes conventional examinations, projects, classroom
performance analysis, practical/laboratory activities, extracurricular activities, etc. The
term “assessment” is so broadly defined because it needs to include any outcome or
goal in any activity or discipline that can be a part of this process.
It is a continuous process fixated on measuring student learning outcomes for providing
enough learning opportunities to achieve these outcomes, implementing a systematic
way of teaching, analyzing achievements, collecting evidence to determine how well
students’ learning matches expectations, and using the collected information to take
informed decisions and improvement in student learning. Assessments are always
cyclical and are revised to meet requirements.
How does it fit inside the higher education system
Assessments is what comes after setting learning objectives and expectations. Every
program, course, subject, chapter, and topic should contain certain learning objectives
that the student should achieve, after completion.
Each question in an assessment should ask:
What is the purpose of this question?,
What specific knowledge will be gained about that shall be useful to improve the
teaching-learning experience and course delivery?
Outcome Based Education is the foundation of assessments.
It is simply a learning paradigm that focuses on the outcomes or goals instead of
results. The educators set a certain number of necessary skills and knowledge that the
learner should possess at the end of education and they are identified as the outcomes.
The assessments like exams, assignments, and projects are then defined to measure
the achievement of these outcomes, and their results indicate whether the students
have achieved them or not.
Every assessment is designed to find out how well these outcomes are achieved. Each
piece of an assessment are mapped with various, sometimes multiple, outcomes so
that the result of that assessment tells us if these outcomes are reached or not. For
instance, in an exam, every questions are mapped to these outcomes. So based on how
well a student have answered those questions, teachers can estimate how close that
student is towards reaching that outcome.
So assessments gives us indicators in the form of results, that helps us measure the
achievement of learning outcomes. Just like this, outcomes or objectives can also be set
on other areas of institution, like teacher performance, infrastructure, student well-
being etc. those are usually measure during evaluation, or accreditation/certifications.
What are the different types of assessments
There are two kinds of assessments: Formative and Summative.
Formative assessments
Used to monitor student learning and plan for subsequent instruction. Data gathered
from formative assessments provides insight into student strengths, weaknesses, and
developmental progress.
Summative Assessments
Used to gather data about the attainment of knowledge and development of skills
proficiencies. Allows stakeholders to measure how well students meet learning
objectives and provides insight into the effectiveness of instructional tools and
curriculum design.
Though there are many perspectives, we have identified 5 key levels of assessments
that are particularly relevant to education. They are:
Student assessment
Batch assessment
Course assessment
Program assessment, and
Institutional assessment
Student assessment
The first level, is the student assessment with respect to the course. This points to the
individual student’s performance with respect to the course outcomes. The major goal
of this level of assessment is to measure the student’s performance and learning
capabilities. The assessment tools utilized should provide data that highlights student
strengths and weaknesses and guides development with actionable recommendations
for improvement.
This level of assessment is usually carried out with assessments that provide insight’s in
to a student’s understanding of the subject matter after the learning process. It
includes exams, asking questions, giving them assignments based on what has been
taught etc. Each assessment should be accurately mapped to the learning outcomes of
the specific course or subject. This helps the teachers to decide if they should alter their
teaching methods, or offer special assistance to students who may not achieve
the desirable outcomes.
Batch assessment,
The batch assessment is for measuring the learner’s performance as part of a batch.
This refers to their potential, learning capabilities, personality, development, etc.
Assessments designed for this level will measure the overall development of a learner,
both as an individual, and as a learner.
Assessing individual student learning across courses accomplishes the following goals:
Provides an understanding on development over time
Provides actionable feedback for the student
Provides insight into how well students are performing against program learning
objectives for the stakeholders.
Should be able to suggest improvisations to the development gaps and improve
educational quality
Course assessment,
The third level of assessment asks programs and institutions to evaluate the
effectiveness of courses in helping students meet learning objectives, prepare for
future courses, and obtain expected levels of knowledge and skills proficiencies.
Just like the previous two levels, both formative and summative assessments can be
used in the assessment of courses. The assessment of courses allows stakeholders to
identify areas of the curriculum which needs improvement.
Program assessment,
The fourth level of assessment is the assessment of programs to measure their
alignment between curriculum designs and learning objectives. The data gathered at
this level of assessment tells us how well a program prepares students to meet learning
objectives and also highlights educational gaps within the curriculum.
The assessment of programs mostly requires the implementation of summative
assessments that address the following six questions:
Do the program’s courses, individually and collectively, contribute to its outcomes as
planned?
How well does the program fulfill its purposes in the entire curriculum?
How well do the program’s sub-categories contribute to the overall purposes?
Does the program’s design resonate with its expected outcomes?
Are the courses organized in a coherent manner to allow for cumulative learning?
Does the program advance institution-wide goals as planned?
The effective assessment of programs requires the collection of data at the entry,
midpoint, and end of the program.
Institutional assessment.
The final level is the self-assessment of the institution. It should be designed to
measure the institution’s role, and performance, in assisting the students to achieve
the learning objectives, and preparing them for research/higher
education/employment. The results of this assessment are used to reevaluate the
institution’s strategies in student engagement, methods of teaching-learning, and
improve the curriculum design.
This level of assessment usually comes as a part of quality assurance, in the form of
accreditation/certification/ranking with other institutions of the same domain. This
allows the key stakeholders to understand if and where improvements are needed.
Another important aspect of this assessment is that every level of stakeholders take
active participation in it. From the management and administration until students and
parents take part to provide meaningful insights and indicators of the quality.

3. Rethinking technology-supported assessment practices in relation to the seven

principles of good feedback practice
The research on formative assessment and feedback can help students take control of
their own learning. According to Nicol and MacFarlane-Dick (2007), their research on
formative assessment and self‐regulated learning offers a model and seven principles
of good feedback practice. You can watch me discuss a short summary of the research
and find the 7 principles explained below.
Stage 1: Clarify what good performance is
Students can only achieve learning goals if they understand those goals, assume some
ownership of them, and can assess progress (Sadler, 1989; Black & Wiliam, 1998). If
students do not share (at least in part) their teacher’s conceptions of assessment goals
(and criteria and standards) then the feedback information they receive is unlikely to
‘connect’ (Hounsell, 1997). One way of clarifying task requirements
(goals/criteria/standards) is to provide students with written documents. However,
many studies have shown that it is difficult to make assessment explicit, therefore,
strategies must include verbal explanations.
Stage 2: Facilitate self-assessment
One effective way to develop self-regulation in students is to provide them with
opportunities to practise regulating aspects of their own learning and to reflect on that
practice. In order to build [engagement], and to develop systematically the learner’s
capacity for self-regulation, teachers need to create more structured opportunities for
self-monitoring and the judging of progression to goals. In developing self-assessment
skills it is important to engage students in identifying standards/criteria that will apply
to their work and in making judgements about how their work relates to these
standards
Stage 3: Deliver high-quality feedback information
While research shows that teachers have a central role in developing their students’
capacity for self-regulation, they are also a crucial source of external feedback.
Moreover, teachers are much more effective in identifying misconceptions in students’
work than the students themselves. Further strategies include: (i) making sure that
feedback is provided in relation to pre-defined criteria; (ii) providing timely feedback;
(iii) providing corrective advice; (iv) limiting the amount of feedback so that it is actually
used; (v) prioritising areas for improvement; (vi) providing online tests so that feedback
can be accessed anytime.
Stage 4: Encourage teacher and peer dialogue
For external feedback to be effective it must be understood and internalised by the
student before it can be used to make productive improvements. One way of increasing
the effectiveness of external feedback is to conceptualise feedback more as dialogue
rather than as information transmission. Unfortunately, with large class sizes it can be
difficult for a teacher to engage in dialogue with students. Nonetheless, teachers can
increase feedback dialogue even in these situations. One approach is to structure small
group break-out discussions or offer ‘show me whiteboards’ or thumbs up/down.
Stage 5: Encourage positive motivation and self-esteem
Motivation and self-esteem play a very important role in learning and assessment.
Frequent high stakes assessment (where marks or grades are given) has a ‘negative
impact on motivation for learning that [hinders] lifelong learning’ (Harlen & Crick,
2003). Studies on motivation and self-esteem are important – they help explain why
students often fail to self-regulate. In terms of teaching practice, they suggest that
motivation and self-esteem are more likely to be enhanced when a curriculum has
many low-stakes assessment tasks, with feedback geared to providing information
about progress and achievement.
Stage 6: Provide opportunities to close the gap
Probably the hardest of all stages to achieve is for teachers to close the gap once they
have identified what is required. External feedback provides an opportunity to close a
gap between current performance and the performance expected. First, closing the gap
is about supporting students while engaged in the act of production of a piece of work
(e.g. essays, presentations). Second, it is about providing opportunities to repeat the
same ‘task-performance-external feedback cycle’ by, for example, allowing
resubmission. The act of production requires intrinsic feedback that students can use
whilst engaged in a task.
The following are some specific strategies to help students:
provide feedback on work in progress and increase opportunities for resubmission;
introduce two-stage assignments where feedback on stage one helps improve stage
two (Gibbs, 2004);
teachers model the strategies they would;
provide some ‘action points’ alongside the normal feedback;
involve students in groups in identifying their own action points
Stage 7: Use feedback to improve teaching
Good feedback practice is not only about providing accessible and usable information
that helps students improve their learning, but it is also about providing good
information to teachers. In order to produce feedback that is relevant and informative
and meets students’ needs, teachers themselves need good data about how students
are progressing. Frequent assessment tasks, especially diagnostic tests, can help
teachers generate cumulative information about students’ levels of understanding and
skill so that they can adapt their teaching accordingly.
 4. Feedback on students' performance (evaluating written feedback)
If you’ve ever spent time around toddlers learning to walk, you’ve probably noticed an
odd phenomenon: when they lose their balance and fall to the ground, they usually
look to the grown-ups before deciding how to react.
Often, if their grown-up shows signs of distress or worry, the toddler will become upset
themselves and start to cry. But if the grown-ups are cheerful, encouraging, and
confident, those toddlers will usually get right back up and start walking again.
Why? Because they’ve learned from the reactions of those around them—they’ve
responded to direct feedback.
Feedback is an integral part of the learning process, even from a very young age. How
others respond to our actions gives us clues as to how we should feel about ourselves,
and acts as a guide for what we’ll do next.
Of course, as educators we know the importance of giving our students meaningful
feedback. But how can we understand the types of feedback that are most valuable,
and how can we be sure we’re offering suggestions that really make a difference in our
students’ learning?
Feedback and the Brain
Understanding how feedback works during the learning process can help you make
informed decisions about how to provide the right kind of feedback for your students.
As we know from studying neuroscience and growth mindset practices, our brains have
the potential to be constantly changing. When we perceive new stimuli, they enter the
brain through our sensory perceptions and make connections and pathways between
our neurons. When we learn from feedback responding to the stimuli—or to the
actions that resulted from it—these pathways form circuits that help determine our
future behavior and decision-making.
Because feedback from another person is also a form of external stimuli, the way we
choose to give feedback to young learners can have an impact on how these circuits are
formed to determine their future choices.
Although many of us may not consider the feedback we give our students to be a
reward or a punishment, research shows that the brain sees things differently—those
neural pathways still respond to feedback as though it’s an external motivator.
This means that the way you choose to give feedback is essential to how your students
respond to it. Because we typically use verbal or written language to give feedback, the
context, tone, and vocabulary we choose can determine how it’s received, and
therefore how it affects students’ neural pathways and future decisions.
When giving students feedback, keep these tips in mind:
1. Praise their efforts, not their talents.
It’s tempting to tell our kids just how smart and talented we think they are, but this
type of praise may actually have a negative effect in the long run. To help kids develop
a growth mindset, we should praise growth-oriented behaviors—like hard work—
instead of seemingly “fixed” qualities like talent or intelligence. Try using praise like “I
am so proud of all the effort you put into this,” or “All your hard work really paid off.”
2. Mistakes and errors don’t need to feel negative.
People with a growth mindset know that mistakes are part of the learning process, and
that real learning can’t happen without them. In fact, people learn far more from their
mistakes than from their achievements—so mistakes should be something to
celebrate! Encourage your kids to shift their mindset and wear their temporary failures
with pride. After all, “the only true failure can come if you quit!”
3. Be specific.
General feedback like “great job” or “almost there” is easy to give, but not always easy
for the recipient to understand.
Offering feedback detailing exactly what students are doing well, or what they need to
improve upon, can be infinitely more effective.
4. Explain feedback wherever possible.
Take specific feedback even further by offering detailed explanations of why you chose
to make those suggestions. For example, “Use more descriptive words” may be helpful
feedback for students’ writing, but it can be made even more useful with a reason why:
“Adding more descriptions here will help paint a picture in your readers’ mind.”
5. Start with a clear goal.
If students know where they’re headed from the start, they’ll more easily be able to
check back in during the process to make sure they’re on track. A clear, concise
learning objective also serves as a reference point for you as you offer students
feedback. If you’re not sure where students’ destination is, how can you be sure that
they’re going the right way?
6. Keep it timely.
Feedback is most valuable when it is given immediately following the task, or even
during the process of completing it. The longer you wait between students’ activities
and giving your feedback on it, the less relevant your comments become.
Whenever possible, try to engage in feedback as students are working, or as soon as
possible.
7. Feedback isn’t just for finished work.
Many teachers only provide feedback at the end of a completed task—after a test, an
essay, a project, and so on. But the most effective feedback is actually given during the
creation process, because it gives students the chance to shift and pivot their work in
the moment. Try to be present to offer feedback to students throughout every step of
the process, so they can put your suggestions into practice right away.
8. Give feedback one-on-one.
The best feedback is given on a personalized, individual level, rather than as addressed
to an entire group. Studies show that when feedback is given to a whole group, most of
the group members’ natural assumption is that the feedback applies to everyone else—
so they aren’t likely to take it into consideration for themselves. By offering personal,
one-on-one feedback, you’re showing your students that you’re aware of what they’re
doing on an individual level, and that you’re there to support them.
9. Allow time for questions and discussion.
Sometimes, the feedback we offer our students may not resonate completely with
them the first time around. By offering students a chance to ask questions about
feedback, we can give them an opportunity to understand it with greater depth.
Discussing their feedback—either with the teacher or a group of peers—can also be a
great way to help students consider their feedback beyond the surface level.
10. Student autonomy facilitates self-reflection.
Having students reflect on their own work is a common practice in many classrooms,
but this loses a lot of its value when the teacher is still the one setting all of the
expectations. Having students conduct a self-reflection on a teacher-directed task isn’t
much more than having them guess what you will think—hardly a good use of their
time!
But when students are part of the goal-setting process, self-reflection becomes much
more powerful. Giving students the autonomy to guide their own learning process will
better enable them to stop and reflect meaningfully as they go.
11. Feedback should come from many different sources.
While it’s easy to assume that the teacher always knows best, many subjects (such as
writing) can be very subjective.
The feedback that resonates most with students doesn’t always come from the
teacher, so encourage your students to seek our feedback from their peers, families,
heroes, and any other useful source they can find.
12. Teach students how to give (and recognize) useful feedback.
Not all feedback is created equal, and knowing how to disregard useless feedback is
just as important as learning to implement what’s useful.
By teaching students to give quality feedback to their peers, you’re also showing them
what quality feedback looks like when it’s coming back to them.
13. Give feedback based on concept understanding, not task completion.
It’s easy to measure student success based on whether or not students did the thing
you asked them to do—but is this really an accurate measure of learning? Often, the
task we set for students is closely related to the concepts we want them to learn—but
the two are not synonymous.
It may be that students understand the concept perfectly, but weren’t able to execute
the task exactly as outlined. So next time you’re making a project rubric, it might be
worth asking yourself whether “eye contact with the audience” during a book report is
a true measure of students’ understanding of the book

5. Using formative assessment to improve student learning through critical reflection

There are many different ways to administer formative assessments. Some common
methods include observing students as they work, asking questions during or after a
lesson, having students complete practice problems or quizzes, giving short
presentations or speeches, and conducting research projects. It is essential to use a
variety of methods so that you can get a well-rounded view of student learning.
What Are the Different Types of Formative Assessment Questions
Formative assessment questions can be classified into different types, such as
knowledge-based, skill-based, and affective questions.
Knowledge-based questions assess students’ understanding of the content, while skill-
based questions test how students can apply what they know. Affective
questions measure how students feel about the material. 
Here are some simple formative assessment strategies that can be used in the
classroom:
Goal Checklist. This checklist can help students track their progress and identify areas
they need to work on. 
Exit Slips. Exit slips can be used to check for understanding at the end of a lesson or
unit. Students can answer a question or provide a short response about what they
learned.
Quizzes. Quizzes can help teachers determine if students understand the material and
if they need more instruction. 
Classroom Observations. By observing students in class, teachers can better
understand how well students understand the material.
Projects. Projects can be used to assess student learning in several subjects, such as
science, social studies, and English. For example, a teacher might assign a project on
the Philippine Revolution in which students must research and write about different
aspects of the war.
Tests. Tests are also a form of formative assessment. Tests can be given at the end of a
unit or course to measure student learning. They can help teachers identify areas
where students need more help.
Tasks. Asks a student to complete a task and then provides immediate feedback to the
student on how well they completed the task. It allows students to identify and correct
their own mistakes. 
Ask Questions. Use various questioning techniques to check for comprehension during
a lesson. It helps teachers determine which concepts confuse students and allows
students to ask questions about the material. 
Have students share their work with the class. One way is to have students share their
work with a partner or small group. It gives other students a chance to see what they
are doing and how well they are doing it.
Whole-class Discussion. It allows all students to see each other’s work and hear
different viewpoints. It also allows the teacher to check for understanding and identify
areas that need more explanation.
How to Use Formative Assessment Effectively
Here are some essential tips to get the most out of formative assessment and its
importance to use it effectively:
Integrate formative assessment into your regular instructional routine. Do not wait
until the end of a unit to assess student learning.
Make sure your assessments are aligned with your instructional goals. Make sure the
evidence you collect will give you insights into whether students are meeting the goals
you have set for them.
Use a variety of formative assessment strategies. Do not rely on just one strategy
(such as asking questions during class). Using multiple strategies will give you a more
well-rounded picture of student understanding.
Give students regular feedback. Feedback should be timely, specific, and actionable. It
should also be positive and focused on areas of improvement rather than on mistakes.
Encourage student self-assessment. Self-assessment is an integral part of the
formative assessment process. Teach students how to assess their learning and
progress.
Make sure your formative assessments are valid and reliable. In other words, ensure
they accurately measure what you want them to measure.
What Are the Different Types of Formative Assessment Questions
Formative assessment questions can be classified into different types, such as
knowledge-based, skill-based, and affective questions.
Knowledge-based questions assess students’ understanding of the content, while skill-
based questions test how students can apply what they know. Affective
questions measure how students feel about the material. 
The most important thing to remember when creating formative assessment questions
is that they should be geared towards helping students learn and improve. There is no
right or wrong answer to formative assessment questions, so do not worry about
coming up with the perfect question. Just focus on creating questions that will help
your students learn.
Some ideas for knowledge-based questions include:
What are the main ideas of the lesson?
How do these ideas connect to what we already know?
What are some key vocabulary words that we need to know?
What are some examples of the concepts we are learning about?
Skill-based questions might look like this:
How can we apply what we are learning to a real-world situation?
What are some different ways we could approach this problem?
How can we use what we know to create something new?
Affective questions might ask students about their thoughts and feelings on the
material:
Do you feel like you understand the concepts?
Do you find the material interesting or boring?
What are your thoughts on the application of this knowledge?
No matter what type of formative assessment question you choose to ask, the most
important thing is that it’s something that will help your students learn. Do not be
afraid to experiment with different questions until you find something that works well
for your class.
What Are the Benefits of Using Formative Assessment Questions
Formative assessment questions can help teachers identify what students understand
and what they need help with. It allows teachers to give students more targeted
instruction. Additionally, formative assessment questions can help teachers determine
how well their lessons work and adjust as needed. Finally, formative assessments can
motivate students by providing immediate feedback on their progress.
What Are Some Examples of Formative Assessment Questions
Formative assessment questions can take many different forms. Some examples
include:
Multiple choice questions
True or false questions
Short answer questions
Essay questions
Exit tickets
Quizzes
Tests
How to Use Formative Assessment Questions in the Classroom
There are many ways to use formative assessment questions in the classroom. Here are
a few ideas:
Use exit tickets to gauge student understanding at the end of a lesson.
Give short quizzes throughout a unit to check for understanding and adjust instruction
as needed.
Use essay questions on tests and exams to assess student learning.
Ask formative assessment questions during whole class discussion to understand
student comprehension.
How to Use Formative Assessment Data to Improve Student Learning
One way to use formative assessment data is to create learning goals for each student.
Teachers can then track whether or not each student is meeting these goals. This
information can help teachers determine which students need more assistance and
who are ready to move on.
Another way to use formative assessment data is to create diagnostic assessments.
These assessments help identify which skills students have already learned and which
skills they still need to learn. This information can be used to develop tailored
instruction that meets the specific needs of each student.
Overall, formative assessment data can be used in many ways to improve student
learning. By using this data effectively, teachers can help all students reach their full
potential.

6. Improving performance through enhanching student understanding of criteria

 Using core assessment criteria to improve essay writing
Feedback is one of the most effective teaching and learning strategies and has an
immediate impact on learning progress. High-quality feedback is specific and ongoing.
Student engagement with, and ownership of, assessment feedback is critical if students
are to be the authors of their own assessment careers for life. Higher education (HE)
should be supporting students to develop essential assessment feedback skills, if they
are to be able to make sense of, and contribute effectively to, increasingly complex
contexts brought about by the integration of physical, digital, and biological worlds as
part of fourth industrial age requirements (Baker, 2016; McGinnis, 2018). Here we
highlight the importance of an integrated theoretical approach in seeking to better
understand and develop students’ regulation of assessment feedback from cognitive,
metacognitive, and affective perspectives, leading the field in bringing together
multiple theoretical concepts implicated in assessment feedback skills to enhance
understanding of the mechanisms involved and emphasize the need for an
interdisciplinary approach in moving the field forward.
The Role of Students in the Assessment Feedback Process
In considering student assessment feedback skills, we are concerned with how students
(and lecturers) navigate the assessment feedback landscape to maximize their
understanding of assessment feedback, their engagement with it, and success in it, in
relation to immediate and longer-term goals. Assessment feedback has multiple
interpretations. Evans’s definition includes self-feedback, and the mechanisms involved
in internalizing and making sense of feedback for oneself: “all feedback
exchanges generated within assessment design, occurring within and beyond the
immediate learning context, being overt or covert (actively and/or passively sought
and/or received) and, importantly, drawing from a range of sources” (Evans, 2013, p.
71).
Assessment feedback skills involve internal and external self-regulatory processes. A
holistic perspective and understanding of the integrated nature of assessment are
required if learners are to be able to self-assess their performance. Learners need to
have a good understanding of what constitutes good assessment feedback, be able to
manage their cognitions and emotions, be discerning in their use of feedback, and have
the necessary arsenal of strategies to deploy (Carless & Boud, 2018; Evans, 2016).
Importantly, it is about knowing what self-regulatory strategies to use, when, how, and
in what combinations to maximize individual and team effectiveness that HE needs to
be cultivating in students and lecturers (Dinsmore, 2017). Students’ selective and
discriminatory use of resources (internal and external) has a significant impact on their
success in HE (Schneider & Preckel, 2017), and it is these self-regulatory skills sets we
should be developing. Dinsmore (2017) emphasizes the importance of focusing on the
development of higher-level metacognitive actions that enable one to evaluate the
quality and appropriateness of assessment feedback strategies being used.
Table 1 highlights the metacognitive skills students need to manage assessment
feedback effectively; they are linked to self-regulation stages from accurate task
identification and plan activation to evaluation of progress and reflection on
performance. An essay should have a single clear central idea. Each paragraph should
have a clear main point or topic sentence. Each paragraph should support or expand
the central idea of the paper. The idea of each paragraph should be explained and
illustrated through examples, details, and descriptions.

7. Online instantaneous and targeted feedback for remote learners

Providing rapid but detailed teaching feedback is a significant problem in distance
education, especially for large population courses of short duration, when hand-
marking is costly and assignments sent through the postal services cannot be turned
round sufficiently quickly. Online assignments with automatic teaching feedback are a
possible solution, providing the feedback can be well targeted to individual students.
This chapter discusses the online assessment of a ‘maths for science’ course, in which
meaningful feedback was given in response to student answers on both summative and
purely formative exercises. Students were allowed three attempts at each question,
with an increasing amount of teaching feedback being given after each attempt, so
encouraging students to engage with the feedback, to learn from it, and to correct their
answers if necessary. The mark awarded on the summative assessment reflected the
amount of help that had been given. The designers’ concerns included producing a fair
test of the course’s learning outcomes within the constraints imposed by the online
format and with only minimal use of multiple choice, writing questions that might help
to uncover common student misunderstandings coupled with feedback that would
address these problems, and tying answer-matching to specific feedback comments.
Evidence from statistical analysis of submitted work, and from student responses to
questionnaires, has provided insights into the impact of this kind of feedback on the
student learning experience. While the majority of students were happy with the online
nature of the assessment, a significant proportion appeared to value it more for the
immediate indication of their overall performance than for the detailed teaching
feedback, and some were put off by the technology or their perception of it. Students
were considerably more likely to submit the summative assessment if they had
previously engaged online with the practice formative exercises
Promoting learning with instant feedback
The importance of feedback for learning has been highlighted by a number of authors,
emphasising its role in fostering meaningful interaction between student and
instructional materials (Buchanan, 2000), its contribution to student development and
retention (Yorke, 2001), but also its time-consuming nature for many academic staff
(Gibbs, 2006). In distance education, where students work remotely from both peers
and tutors, the practicalities of providing rapid, detailed and regular feedback on
performance are vital issues.
Gibbs and Simpson suggest eleven conditions in which assessment supports student
learning (Gibbs and Simpson 2004).
Assessed tasks capture sufficient study time and effort.
These tasks distribute student effort evenly across topics and weeks.
These tasks engage students in productive learning activity.
Assessment communicates clear and high expectations to students.
Sufficient feedback is provided, both often enough and in enough detail.
The feedback is provided quickly enough to be useful to students.
Feedback focuses on learning rather than on marks or students themselves.
Feedback is linked to the purpose of the assignment and to criteria.
Feedback is understandable to students, given their sophistication.
Feedback is received by students and attended to.
Feedback is acted upon by students to improve their work or learning.
Four of these conditions, those in italics, are particularly apposite with regard to the
use of eAssessment with distance education. They are reflected in the design of
OpenMark and are amplified in the rationale behind the development of the
S151, Maths for Science, online assessments (Ross, Jordan and Butcher, 2006) where
the assessment questions provide individualised, targeted feedback, with the aim of
helping students to get to the correct answer even if their first attempt is wrong the
feedback appears immediately in response to a submitted answer, such that the
question and the student's original answer are still visible students are allowed up to
three attempts at each question, with an increasing amount of feedback being given
after each attempt.

8. Examine the Alverno faculty experiment

Alverno faculty articulate what they have learned from studying self assessment as a
form of student assessment-as-learning for more than 30 years. Their focus is on how
students experience self assessment and learn from it in order to improve their
performance. From the perspective of various disciplines, individual faculty explain how
self assessment works in their courses. 
They represent a wide range of disciplines—chemistry, economics, history, literature,
mathematics and philosophy. The faculty analyze the kinds of thinking they consider
central to their disciplines and thus important for students to learn, and they describe
what they expect their students to be able to do as a result of study in their fields. In
addition, they give examples of learning experiences and assessments they have
designed based on the kinds of thinking and doing they require of their students. They
also reflect on how their own stance in relation to their disciplines has changed as a
result of approaching them as educators, and how they take collective responsibility for
student learning.

9. Improving student experience through marking assessment

The process of classroom assessment can serve an important role in enhancing student
motivation and achievement. Teachers can help enhance student performance by
sharing clearly defined learning goals Through student involvement in the assessment
process, students learn to take responsibility for their own learning. This feeling of
accountability and control may increase the students’ intrinsic motivation to learn and
can heighten success. Also, teachers have the opportunity to help students succeed
through the implementation and communication of quality assessments.
All stakeholders—educators, parents, students, and administrators—need evidence
that students are actually learning. A balanced system that includes formative and
summative assessments provides the best evidence for what students are learning
([iv]). Many formats of assessment questions, from multiple-choice to constructed-
response to performance-based, may be used. A system of well-constructed formative
and summative assessments allows students to demonstrate their abilities and
knowledge and then reflects how close they are to meeting educational goals and
standards.
Evidence from assessments can be directly beneficial to students. When assessment
activities are aligned with instructional activities and content standards, teachers can
provide students with information about which concepts and skills they need to learn.
Then teachers can use assessment results to help students understand what they
already know and what they still need to work on ([v]).
Assessment practice can lower test anxiety and help students to master content
Reduced test anxiety is one of the potential benefits of practice testing. High-stakes
statewide assessments can make students nervous. However, preparing students using
low-stakes assessments with similar formats and questions can be instrumental in
making them feel more comfortable when they are in formal assessment settings.
Furthermore, practice testing does more than teach test-taking skills and calm nerves.
Frequent in-class practice can help students understand their mastery of the content,
which, in turn, can help reduce test anxiety.

10. Confidence- based marking: towords deeper learning and better exams ,
Developing group learning through assessment
Have you ever been uncertain of an answer for a multiple-choice test question, so
guessed and got it right? It’s almost certain that you have – and therein lies the
problem with traditional multiple-choice assessment. The learner’s knowledge appears
to be sufficient for them to move on to a new area for learning, even though it’s not.
Certainty Based Marking, which we’ve introduced as part of the learning drills and
assessments on the Wranx platform, overcomes precisely this problem. Not only must
learners indicate which possible answer they think is correct, they must also indicate
how certain they are that their chosen answer is correct. So, for example, with three
levels of certainty offered – high, medium and low– this makes it possible to make the
following conclusions:
Correct answer, high certainty – the learner is sufficiently knowledgeable and
confidently so
Correct answer, medium certainty – the learner’s knowledge needs some
reinforcement
Correct answer, low certainty – the learner lacks knowledge and needs continued
teaching
Incorrect answer, low certainty – the learner lacks knowledge and needs continued
teaching
Incorrect answer, medium certainty – the learner lacks knowledge and needs
continued teaching, but believes they may be correct
Incorrect answer, high certainty – the learner lacks knowledge and needs continued
teaching, but believes they are correct
The benefits of Certainty Based Marking don’t stop there, though. It also encourages
employees to give more thought to how reliable their knowledge is, helps them to
understand underlying issues rather than just to react to a question and promotes
lateral thinking as means of validating or questioning an answer.
To encourage honesty from learners, Certainty Based Marking gives higher marks for
more confident correct answers. For the least confident incorrect answers, you won't
be penalised. The Wranx platform uses the standard CBM scoring scale for
assessments:
Correct answer, high certainty: +3 to your score
Correct answer, medium certainty: +2 to your score
Correct answer, low certainty: +1 to your score
Incorrect answer, low certainty: 0 to your score
Incorrect answer, medium certainty: –2 to your score
Incorrect answer, high certainty: -6 to your score
This approach means learners are less likely to risk losing marks if they’re uncertain. As
a result, organisations can be more confident that they are getting an accurate
reflection of a learner’s knowledge than they might otherwise. In addition, careful
thinkers who have not typically been very confident can gain in confidence and marking
is fairer by awarding more considered responses higher marks.
Fundamentally, Certainty Based Marking offers a more safeguarded approach to
employee learning for organisations. It helps employees to learn in a more
comprehensive and rounded way – and thus workforces to become more highly and
broadly skilled. 
 11. Flow assessment
Flow charts are one type of graphic organiser where students’ thinking can be made
visible. Creating a flow chart from oral, visual, and written texts can help students think,
and reflect on their thinking. Flow charts visually represent textual relationships that
are linked by time. In creating a flow chart, students describe a sequence of events,
stages, phases, or actions that lead to an outcome.
The theory
The use of graphic organisers has been found to improve reading comprehension at all
levels and across content areas. The National Reading Panel (2000) cited the use of
graphic organisers as being one of the seven most effective instruction strategies for
improving reading comprehension. Flowcharts were introduced in the 1940/50s and
popularised in the 1970s, particularly in the business sector.
When students create (or fill in a blank) flow chart, their thinking about the following
will be made explicit:
their understanding of the initiating event and subsequent events, ie., their ability to
rank;
their understanding of the stages in the process, i.e., their ability to order;
their understanding of how the stages are connected, i.e., their ability to link; and
their understanding of the goal or final outcome, i.e., their ability to conclude.

12. Supporting diverse students: developing learner autonomy via assessment

Classroom teachers and other specialists seem to be on a constant search to find
creative ways to teach diverse learners. This label is a catchall assigned to many
different types of students because of their culture or race, religion, academic ability,
native language, or socioeconomic status, among other considerations.
In general, the term represents one who differs from the majority of students in some
way when it comes to their education.
The law protects many of the groups mentioned above when it comes to the type of
education they should receive. According to the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act (ESEA), meeting the needs of diverse learners is a responsibility, not a bonus. Many
teachers have committed to making sure that all students receive an equal and
adequate education. But it’s figuring out how to provide this that’s the tricky part.
This article is a compilation of many tried-and-true, research-based, and teacher-
approved techniques that can make figuring out how to teach to diverse learners a lot
easier.
1. Make an IEP cheat sheet
Individualized education plans (IEP) are lengthy, detailed documents. Even if you start
the year gung-ho and read every IEP plan delivered to you, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll
memorize and retain every single accommodation required.
To save yourself the time of having to go back and read the plans repeatedly — or
worse, forgetting to provide what the law requires — you should take some time to
make an IEP cheat sheet. Doing so will allow you to store reminders about important
special education for a student on a single page. The benefit? Fewer headaches for you
and a greater understanding of ways to reach and teach diverse learners.
2.Encourage active learning
Most educators have created at least one lesson where they thought, “This is great — I
can’t wait to teach this!” Then, they took it into the classroom, and the kids either
didn’t get it or wouldn’t participate. This demonstrates a teaching fact that should be
shared with all newbies: A good lesson written to state standards isn’t good enough.
It can be challenging to keep students engaged and actively involved. This is especially
true for students who struggle with learning, speak English as a second language, or
have trouble focusing. The solution? Incorporate active learning strategies. Michigan
State University’s Office of Medical Education Research and Development suggests the
following as a way to teach diverse learners:
Group learning
Case-based learning
Group discussions and talk-and-turns
One-minute papers and one-sentence summaries
Demonstrations and memory matrix
3. Embrace small group and learning stations
I will never forget the first year I taught fourth grade as a self-contained instructor. I
had been teaching third grade at that particular school for a couple of years and
decided to move up a grade to teach with two of my favorite co-workers. When I found
out they liked to teach math in small groups, I instantly thought that the move was a
mistake. You should teach math to the whole class at once, I thought. That’s the
way we learned it, wasn’t it? Thankfully, I was wrong.
Here’s how this might look in a classroom:
I split my class of 20 into five mixed-ability groups. Students also sat in these groups
daily since the desk layout was also in groups of four. Every day during math, I would
do a whole-class introductory lesson that served as a lead-in for what we would learn.
This covered the basics. Then, students would look at the whiteboard and determine
where their group was to start on the center rotation
It Helps all learners, especially diverse learners, by addressing knowledge gaps
Promotes collaboration and communication among students
Gives you more opportunities for feedback
Encourages independent learning
4. Group by learning style, not ability
In my experience, grouping by ability is counterproductive. It can make things a little
easier at the teacher table, but research is clear that in general, it keeps struggling
students where they are and does little to boost students of intermediate aptitude to
higher levels.
So, how should we group students? I’ve found that using mixed-ability groups can
promote learning, especially when students get the opportunity to coach or teach their
peers’ An extension of this is to place students who learn in similar ways together —
visual learners with visual learners, auditory with auditory, etc. Doing so can make a
huge difference during small-group instruction.
Here’s a personal example:
Ms. Dean has a group of four students who are hands-on learners and have varied
math abilities. One student is advanced, one is at baseline level, and two struggle with
math. In general, all four shine during inquiry-based activities and project-based
learning opportunities but dislike paper-and-pencil activities. One of the students is an
ESL student. One has ADHD.
By grouping them together, Ms. Dean is able to create a differentiated instructional
plan and use hands-on manipulatives to allow the students to demonstrate their skills.
She finds that doing so is one of the most effective and creative ways to teach diverse
learners
5. Promote project-based learning
While you are differentiating your teaching, consider project-based learning (PBL). But
first, a disclaimer: You can not assign a poster project on Friday, send it home with
students, and call it project-based learning.
Project-based learning is not a summative assessment; it is a way of actually helping
students understand what is being taught through hands-on methods. During PBL
activities, kids work together to solve real-world problems by coming up with solutions
together. Although glue and poster boards are sometimes involved, the real ingredients
of project-based learning activities used to teach diverse learners are:
The academic content itself (the topic you’re teaching)
Real-world scenarios that make the material more relevant
A sense of purpose (end goal)
Opportunities to practice collaboration
21st-century skills
Student-focused activities with ample choice
Opportunities for self-reflection
6. Incorporate ed-tech and adaptive learning tools
Another suggestion for finding creative ways to teach students is to incorporate ed-
tech and adaptive learning tools. There’s plenty of technology out there designed with
certain types of students in mind; there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Instead, try
incorporating these tools:
Peardeck  presentations like the Newsela Daily Deck, designed to make news articles
interactive
Plickers, free card activities for formative assessment
Classcraft  for game-based classroom management options, like topic review framed as
Boss Battles
Book Creator  as an alternative assessment
Google Keep  for electronic note-taking and organization
7. Provide alternative testing options
One final suggestion is to find alternative testing avenues for individual learners (if
allowed) or the class as a whole. The fact that we traditionally test on paper doesn’t
mean that it’s the only acceptable way. Instead, you should differentiate your approach
by allowing students to answer orally, through drawings (pictures), and with the use of
their notes.