Anup K Singh, PhD

Assessment and Learning

 Assessment determines what the student would
learn
 Feedback from assessment can boost learning
 Bases on assessment results, an instructor can
modify his teaching strategy
 Elaborate assessment enriches learning
 One shot assessment does not result in learning.
It is there just for certification
 Multi-trait, multi-method assessment is better
than content-based, paper and pencil assessment
Ws of Assessment
 Why should be assess? Assessment for learning vs.
assessment of learning
 What should be assessed? Rubrics based assessment;
cognitive, affective and psychomotor dimensions of
assessment
 How learning should be assessed? Individual vs. group
assessment; formal vs. informal assessment; classroom
vs. non-classroom assessment; written vs. oral
assessment; classroom vs. online assessment
 When assessment should be done? In the beginning;
in the middle; and towards the end of a course
 Who should assess? The instructor; another
instructor; peers; self
Rubrics and Assessment
 Rubrics are the attributes of learning
 It helps the instructor to be clear and focussed in
the process of assessment
 It must be related to learning outcomes of the
course
 There are different levels of each attributes
 Each level can be assigned a range of marks
to differentiate the performance of students
 Easier to develop for essays and assignments
 Each assessment components should have
some rubrics
Rubrics and Assessment
 Rubrics are the attributes of learning
 It helps the instructor to be clear and focussed in
the process of assessment
 It must be related to learning outcomes of the
course
 There are different levels of each attributes
 Each level can be assigned a range of marks to
differentiate the performance of students
 Easier to develop for essays and assignments
 Each assessment components should have some rubrics

Educational Systems in the 80s
 Annual examination system
 One instructor teaches, another teacher sets the
examination paper and third one assesses the answer
sheet
 Total reliance on paper and pencil test, with some
practical examinations
 As a result, focus was on rote learning and
examination orientation
 Both learning and assessment were individual based
 Students had slow start in the beginning of the academic
year and worked at the end for success in examinations
Reforms in the Educational System
 From annual system to semester system
 Two semester end examinations in lieu of one annual
examination
 Semester end examinations are supplemented by
continuous evaluation
 Continuous evaluation consists of
quizzes, assignments, projects, etc.
 Focus on accreditation that emphasises outcome-
based education
Current Issues in Assessment
 A weaker relationship between learning outcomes and
assessment
 No right of the student to know how he has been assessed
and graded
 Lack of transparency in assessment system
 Regulator and prompt feedback on assessed work is
missing
 New philosophy with old systems
 Little use of authentic assessment
 Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) are rare
 No involvement of students in the assessment
process
Contd…
 Most systems are still based on marks
 Grading is generally criterion based
 Lesser stress on formative assessment (i.e.,
assessment for learning)
 As a result, there is a less focus on
improvement in learning on a continuous basis
 Students hardly receive feedback to improve
their learning
 Very less use of informal and alternative
assessment
Issues in Grading
 For effective assessment, both criterion-referenced grading
and norm-referenced grading are necessary
 Pass/fail grading is required in some courses
 Various components of continuous evaluation measure
different competencies. Therefore, they need to be
graded separately
 All assessed works need not be graded
 Grading should take care some dip in the performance
of students; and, develop system to support the student
in such a situation.
 Flexibility in programme grading is needed
Quality Issues in Assessment
Institution
 Quality of questions
 Consistency in assessment
 Zero copying
 Zero plagiarism
 Transparency
 Quick and detailed feedback
 Quality of invigilation
 Timely conduct and
declaration
of results
 Strong process
orientation: PDCA
Student
 Consistency in learning
and demonstration of
evidence
 Academic integrity
 Zero absenteeism
 Continuous improvement
 Consistent performance
across different
components and courses
 Meta-learning
about assessment
Assessment and IT
 Questions are generally of two types: open and close
 Open-ended questions require judgement, while
close- ended questions don’t require any judgement
 Teaching Assistants used to assess close-ended
questions
 Now technology has replaced them and assesses them
much faster. Students get the results instantaneously. The
instructor can do analysis of the question paper and give
feedback to the whole class
 The instructor can also administer the test as per
the convenience of the students
 The administration of IT-enabled test is much
convenient and requires little invigilation because the
instructor can jumble the questions for each student
National Level Testing
 It is required to certify that students have
achieved minimum level of learning (NET of UGC;
AIPGMEE; BCI exam)
 It can also be used as merit base for advanced
courses
 It is also used to provide scholarship (NET, GPAT,
etc.)
 As the modern trend is to provide autonomy to
educational institutions, such testing become
crucial to compare students graduating from
different institutions
 Done by Improvement in learning
Continuous the
IT Enabled instructor Feedback to students
Multi-method

Grade For Learning

d Classroom test Feedback for the instructor

Ungrade Outside classroom tests Change in teaching

d strategy

Learning
Assessment
Outcomes Rubrics

Content
Certification of learning

Of Learning
After learning assessment
Can be done by the
instructor or any other
teacher