Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010.

(pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

5. DEVELOPING APPROPRIATE ASSESSMENT TASKS

Oneofthekeystosuccessfullearningandteachingisthealignedcurriculum7:thismeans thatcarefullydesignedassessmenttasksallowstudentstodemonstrateachievementof clearlycommunicatedlearningoutcomes.

Inclusive assessment Inplanningassessmenttasks,keepinmindtheprinciplesofUniversalDesign:thatis, considerthedisabilitiesthatstudentsmighthaveand,ifnecessary,determineastrategyfor extendingaccommodationstosuchstudents.Formoreinformationsee www.disability.curtin.edu.au/local/docs/disability_plan.pdf

Studentsneedindicatorsofprogress:ideally,setoneassessmenttaskearly,andmakesure studentshavefeedbackwithinthefirstfourweeksofsemester.Rememberthatfeedback cantakemanyformsinadditiontowrittenfeedback. Assessmenttasksshouldbespacedthroughoutthesemester,andincludeformativetasks (taskswhichfocusonimprovingperformance)aswellassummativetasks(taskswhich focusonmeasuringperformance).

Assessment load/overload Formostdisciplinesorunits,threeorfourpiecesofsummativeassessmentaresufficientto makeajudgmentaboutstudentsachievementoftheunitlearningoutcomes.Anearly,low stakesassessmentcanoftenalertbothstudentsandteacherstoweaknessesthatshouldbe addressed.Insomedisciplinesorfoundationalunits,studentsmaybeaskedtocomplete smallermorefrequentpiecesofassessment,especiallywhereproductivelearningis

Biggs,J.(1999).Teachingforqualitylearningatuniversity.Oxford:SocietyforResearchintoHigherEducation andOpenUniversityPress.

22

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

dependentonsequentialskillsdevelopment.Inplanningtheassessmenttasksforaunit considerthefollowing:

Howlongwillittakeastudenttocompleteandsubmiteachassessmenttask? Howmuchtimeperweekwillmoststudentshaveavailableforassessment? Howmanyassessmenttasksdostudentshaveinotherunits? Whenarealltheassessmentsdue(inallthestudentsunits)?

Itishelpfultorememberthatstudentshaveonly1012hoursperweekavailablefora25 creditunit,includingtimeinclass,timetostudy,timetodiscussorthinkaboutlearning, seekassistanceorlookforresources,andtimeforadministrativetasksandassessment. Wherestudentsarecompletinggroupbasedassessments,timeforstudentcollaboration mustalsobeconsidered.Studentswhoareoverloadedwithassessmentmayresortto surfacelevelapproachestolearningandevenplagiarism. Studentworkmaybeassessedquantitatively,usuallythroughtheaccumulationofmarks,or qualitativelyorholistically,bymakinganoveralljudgmentaboutthequalityofdifferent aspectsofthework.Whichevermethodisused,studentsmustbeprovidedwithclear markingcriteriaforeachassessmenttaskwellbeforetheduedate.Formoreinformationon howtodesignmarkingcriteria,seethesectiononMarkingGuidesonpage35.Studentsmay alsosubmitworkforformativefeedback;thisdoesnotnecessarilyrequiretheallocationof marksandotheravenuesofprovidingfeedbackshouldbeinvestigatedi.e.peerassessment andselfassessment. Ensuring fair assessment through moderation Assessmentmustbefairandequitablei.e.allstudentsmustbegivenanequalchanceto havetheirachievementoflearningoutcomesrecognised.Unitcoordinatorsmustensure that:

Assessmenttasksreflectunitlearningoutcomesandaresetatthecorrectlevel; Marksandgradesareaccurateandreflecttheassessmentcriteria;and Everystudentinaunitreceivesthesameopportunityforafairassessmentregardless ofwhoismarkingtheirassignmentorexamination.

AtCurtin,moderationisdefinedasaqualityassuranceprocessdirectedatensuringthat assessmentsaremarkedwithaccuracy,consistencyandfairness.Unitcoordinatorsare responsibleformoderationprocesseswithintheunit.

Moderation Moderationisrequiredforeveryassessmentwhichinvolvesadegreeofsubjectivity8.It includestheentireassessmentevent,includingthedesignandposteventanalysisofthe fitnessoftheassessmentofstudentlearning.Theprocessofmoderationcanincludethe adjustmentofstudentmarks,butalwaysbasedonthereassessmentofstudentwork.As partofthemoderationprocess,adjustmentstostudentmarksmustoccurbeforethescript orthemarkshavebeencommunicatedtothestudent.

Notethatobjectivetesting(suchasmultiplechoiceassessment)alsoneedsmoderation,butthisisdoneina slightlydifferentway.Thisusuallyinvolvesareviewofthequestionspriortotheiruse,combinedwithapost hocanalysisofstudentresults.
8

23

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

AtCurtin,scalingreferstotheadjustmentofstudentscoresbasedonstatisticalanalysis alone,andwithoutreferencetothequalityofstudentscripts,andafterworkhasalready beenreturnedtostudents.ScalinginthissenseisunacceptableatCurtin.

Guiding principles for successful moderation Moderationislikelytoworkbestwhenitisbasedonthefollowingprinciples: Assessmentsaredesignedsothattheyareclearlylinkedtotheintendedlearning outcomes; Premarkingmeetingsorotheractivitiesareundertakentoensurethatassessorsare abletoclarifytheirunderstandingoftheassessmentcriteria; Assessmentcriteriaareclearlycommunicatedtostudents,bothinthepre assessmentphaseandalsowhenprovidingfeedback;and Assessmentsaresubjecttoregularreview:theirfrequency,styleandtherelative successrateofstudentsareappraisedasaregularpartoftheimprovementcycle. Theseprinciplesarearticulatedandamplifiedthrough,Figure8,TheFivePhasesof Moderation.Thesephasesshouldbeseenaspartofanongoingimprovementand evaluationcycle.
Figure 8 The Five Phases of Moderation

1.AssessmentDesign:Beforetheunitcommences,theunitcoordinatordesignsan appropriatebalanceofformativeandsummativeassessmenttasks.Notethatthe assessmentpolicyrequiresthatnewassessmentsaresubjecttoreviewpriortotheiruse. Formativeassessmenttasksfocusonprovidingsupportivefeedbackforlearning,whereas summativetasksareusedtomakeanassessmentoflearning.Goodsummativeassessment taskswillalsoprovideformativefeedback,therebyservingadualpurpose.Welldesigned assessmentsshould:

24

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

reflectauthentictasksappropriatetotheacademiclevelofstudy; bealignedtotheintendedlearningoutcomesandbeappropriatelyweighted; beappropriatelyspacedthroughoutthestudyperiodandachievablebystudents withintheallocatedtimeframe; includeasmallformativeormodestlyweightedsummativeassessmenttaskwithin thefirstfourweeksofsemestertogiveearlyfeedbacktolearners; besupportedbyclearmarkingcriteriawhichareclearlycommunicatedtoall studentsandmarkerswellbeforeassessmentsaredue;and notinadvertentlyencourageplagiarism.

Intheunitoutline,studentsmustbeprovidedwithdetailsofallassessments,theirmarking criteria,andhowmoderationwillbeundertaken(includespecificmethodsandtimelines)to ensurefairnessandtransparencytostudents. 2.Communication:Thisisakeyphase:goodcommunicationwithmarkersatthisstagewill significantlyreducethenumberofissuesthatcanarisepostassessment.Clear communicationofthetaskandassociatedassessmentcriteriatothestudentsisalsovital.At thisstagetheunitcoordinatormeetswithallmarkers(orcommunicateswithremote colleagues)toensureclarityoftheexpectationsofassessment,andtheapplicationofthe markingcriteria.Therearearangeofapproachesthatcanbeusedtomaximiseconsistency betweenmarkerssuchas: Askcolleaguestocommenton(orbetterstill,helpdesign)assessmentcriteria.This isrelativelyeasytodo,anditisonewayofensuringthatnewassessmentsare subjectedtoareview.Significantly,theengagementofmarkersatthisearlystageis likelytoleadtoamuchdeeperunderstandingofwhatthecriteriareallymean. Conveneameeting(onlineorfacetoface)withallmarkerstodiscussmarking criteriaandtheirapplication.Thisapproachcanbeenhancedifactualstudentwork (eitherpastorpresent)isusedtoroadtestthemarkingcriteria. Inviteexternalcommentonassessmentcriteriaeitherfromcolleaguesalsoworking inthefieldorfromthoseexperiencedinassessmentdesign.

3.Marking:Inthemarkingphasethemainconcernistoensurereliability(consistency) betweendifferentmarkers.Markingreliabilitycanbeimprovedinanumberofways: Ensurethatallassignments(oroneparticularsectionofanassignment)aremarked bythesamemarker.Themarkershouldreviewpapersmarkedearlier(e.g.from markingundertakenthedaybefore)toensurethattheirmarkingstandardhasnot changed.

Secondmarkingofsomeorallassessmentsmaybeundertaken.Inlargerunitsthis mightinvolvearandomsamplebeingsubjectedtosecond(double)marking.Double blindmarkingcanalsobeemployedthisiswheremarkersdonotseeeachothers commentsorgradesuntilaftermarkingiscompleted.Wheremarkersagreeclosely, smalldifferencescanberesolvedbyaveraging.Largerdifferencesshouldbehandled throughdiscussioninvolvingtheunitcoordinatorandathirdmarker(ideallytheunit coordinator)shouldbeusedtohelpresolveanycontentiouscases. Afterthisstage,markingiscompletedandlistsofassignedmarksandgradesare returnedtotheunitcoordinator.Theunitcoordinatormaydecidetogiveinterimand generalfeedbacktothestudentsasawholegroup.

25

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

Itisextremelyhelpfuliftheunitcoordinatorisabletorecordissuesastheyarise duringmarking.Thiswillsignificantlysupportthereviewprocess.

4.Analysisofresults:Theunitcoordinatorconductspostmarkinganalysisusingoneor moreofthefollowingmethods:

Asampleofpapersineachgraderangeareselectedatrandomandcheckedfor consistentapplicationofstandardsandcriteria. Allpapersthataremarkedasafailaresubjectedtosecondmarking(ifnotalready donesopreviously).Thoseassessmentsthatareclosetogradeboundaries (especiallythosethatareontheborderlinebetweenpassandfail)couldalsobe secondmarked. Statisticalanalysisofresultsbetweenmarkers(i.e.thedistributionofgradesand marks)canbeanalysedtoseeiftherearepotentialdifferencesbetweenassessors.If thisapproachisused,marksshouldonlybeadjustedsubsequentlybyasecond markingprocess,notbyadjustingmarkswithoutreferencetothework.

Whereanomaliesaredetected,studentworkneedstoberereadandremarkedandmarks adjustedaccordinglybeforeworkandmarksarereleasedtostudents.Contractsalreadyin placewithoffshorecampusesandpartnerswilldeterminehowmoderationwillbe conducted:allcontractualobligationsmustbeobserved.

5.Feedback:Studentsshouldreceiveallmarksandassignmentsandfeedbackassoonas possible,andintimetoimproveperformanceinthenextassignment.Studentappealswith regardtomarkscanbedealtwithmoreefficientlybecausethemoderationprocessabove hasbeendetailedandrecordedandcommunicatedtothestudentgroup.Oncestudentwork isreturned,itisessentialthatmarkersalsohavefeedbackontheeffectivenessandefficiency ofthemarkingandmoderationprocess.Thisincludesananalysisof:

theassessmenttask(wasitappropriate?wasittoodifficultortooeasy?); theassessmentcriteria(couldstudentsandmarkersfollow?dotheyneedrefining?); thetimingoftheassessment,themarkingandmoderation;and thefeedbacktostudents(youmightliketoaskstudentswhethertheyfelttheygot sufficientfeedback).

Review Atanystageofthemoderationcycle,informationshouldbeusedtoreviewtheassessment event,andimproveitfornexttime.Tomaintaincurrency(andreducethepotentialfor plagiarism)youmightalsoconsiderhowtheassessmentcanbevariedovertime.

Recommended further reading: Bloxham,S.&Boyd,P.(2007)DevelopingEffectiveAssessmentinHigherEducation:A PracticalGuide.London:OpenUniversityPress. Boud,D.&Falchikov,N.(Eds.)(2007).RethinkingAssessmentforHigherEducation:Learning fortheLongerTerm.London:Routledge. Mentkowski,M.(2000).Learningthatlasts:Integratinglearning,development,and performanceincollegeandbeyond.SanFrancisco:JosseyBass.

26

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

Quantitative Assessment Standards 1.Validity:Assessmentofastudentsknowledgeandskillsusuallyresultsinamarkora gradethatrepresentstheknowledge,skillsandabilitiesbeingassessed.Validityreferstothe extenttowhichthatmark(orgrade)measureswhatitclaimstomeasure.Doesitmeasure thestudentsachievementofspecificlearningoutcomes?Isitameasureofthecurrentstate oftheirknowledge?Forexample,amarkbasedonastudentsrecallofknowledgeisnota validmeasureofthestudentsabilitytoapplythatknowledge.Anessayexaminationmight beameasureofstudentsessaywritingskillsratherthantheirabilitytoapplydiscipline knowledge. 2.Reliability:Reliabilityreferstoboththeaccuracyandprecisionofmeasurement.Ifan assessmentisreliable,differenttestsofastudentsparticularskills,ifadministered independently,shouldgivethesameresult.Differentassessorsshouldarriveatthesame conclusionaboutastudentslearning.Thethreefacetsofreliabilityrefertothebasic rationale(cantheassessedknowledgeandskillsbetranslatedintoameasurement?),the proceduresfordatacollection(theassessmenttool,itsadministrationandmarking)andthe statisticalproceduresfollowing(whatwesubsequentlydowiththenumbers). Qualitative Assessment Standards ThissectiondrawsontheworkofGubaandLincoln(1989)9,whoarguethatevaluationis rarelyfreeofpoliticalandothersourcesofbias.Tosomeextent,theseissuesarereduced whereassessmentcanbeshowntobecredible,dependable,andconfirmable. 1.Credibility:Assessmentiscrediblewhentheformofassessmentiscloselyalignedwith learningoutcomes.Authenticassessmentispreferable;thisisanassessmentinwhich studentscarryoutataskthatrepresentsarealworldsituation.Assessmentiscredible whereitisbasedondetailedevidencepreferablyderivedfromdifferentbutcontributing tasks. 2.Dependability:Assessmentisdependablewhensubjectiveassessmentmethodsare appliedconsistentlyandarestableovertime.Thatis,theassessmentmethodisappliedin thesamewayandunderthesameconditionsforthedurationoftheassessmentperiod. Assessmentisalsodependableifthoseparticipatinginit(staffandstudents)agreethatthe processisafairandreasonabletest.TheuseofMarkingGuidescanpromotedependable assessment. 3.Confirmability:Assessmentisconfirmablewhenanaudittrailismaintainedtoenable backtrackingtooriginalcriteriabasedjudgements.MarkingGuidesareaprimarymeansof doingthis.Otherrecordsmayincludeobservationalnotes,annotateddocumentsorother recordsofparticipationorachievement.Confirmabilityisenhancedwherethereisstudent agreementthatthejudgementabouttheirperformanceisfairandaccurate.
ForpoliciesrelatingtoassessmentseetheAssessmentandStudentProgressionManualat www.policies.curtin.edu.au/policies/viewpolicy.cfm

Guba,E.,&Lincoln,Y.S.(1989).Fourthgenerationevaluation.NewburyPark,CA:SagePublications

27

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

Types of assessment tasks Therearemanydifferenttypesofassessmenttask.Thefollowingwillhelpyouchoosethe mostappropriateone.Rememberthatwhateverassessmenttaskyoudecidetouse,it shouldbeclearlyalignedwiththelearningoutcomesandteachingandlearningactivitiesin yourcourse. 1.Shortformandmultiplechoicetestsdonotusuallytesthigherorderthinkingskills Shortformtestsarealsoknownasobjectivetests.Theyincludemultiplechoice,completion (orclose),truefalseandmatchingtypes,ofwhichmultiplechoiceisthemostcommonly used.Amultiplechoicetestitemusuallyconsistsofastatement,calledthestem,and severalalternativestatementsoneofwhichisthecorrectanswerandtheothersareknown asdistracters.Fewshortformtestsassesshigherorderthinkingskills;althoughnot impossible,constructingitemstotesthigherorderthinking(e.g.levelsofthinking36) takessomeskill.Objectivetestsshouldbecriticallyreviewedtoensuretheirquality. Advantages Measurewidesampleofcontent Easyandquicktoscore Goodforreviewingcontent Provideformativefeedback Providefastfeedback Reusableitemsindifferenttestsand settings Markerreliabilityishigh Disadvantages Difficulttosetitemswhichassessmore thanmemory Timeconsumingtoproduce Limitedrangeofplausibleansweroptions Encourageguessing Restrictcreativestudentsandmayfavour malestudents Difficulttointerpretwronganswers Donotdevelopwritingskills Poorlyconstructedquestionsgiveclues tostudents

Tipsforgoodpractice: Thestemshouldconsistofasingle,clearidea.Itshouldmakesenseindependentof therestofthequestion. Avoidstemsstatedinnegativetermsasthesearemoredifficulttounderstandand maycauseconfusion. Makesurethatallthealternativesaregrammaticallyconsistentwiththestemand similarinformandlengthtooneanother. Makethedistractersplausiblebyusingcommonmisconceptionsandtypicalstudent errors. Ifyouusethealternativesnoneoftheaboveandalloftheaboveincludethemas theincorrectanswerabout75%ofthetime(ifyouhavefouransweroptions). Thecorrectanswershouldappearwithoutpatternandequallyoftenineachofthe alternativepositions.

28

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

2.Shortanswertestdoesnotusuallytesthigherorderthinkingskills

Shortanswerquestionsrequireabriefanswerconsistingofaphrase,sentenceorshort paragraph.Forexample,brieflyexplainthepurposeofformativeassessment.

Advantages Measurerelativelywidesampleof content Reasonablyeasyandquicktoscore Encourageclearandconciseexpression Encourageliteracy Goodforreviewingcontent Itemscanbereusedindifferenttestsand settings

Disadvantages Relativelydifficulttosetcomparedto shortform Difficulttoestablishcriteria Scoringmaybesubjective Mayencourageguessing Littleopportunityforargumentand originality

Tipsforgoodpractice: Beclearaboutwhatyouareasking; Avoidusingphrasesstraightfromthetextbook. 3.Essaycantesthigherorderthinkingskills

Essaysrequirestudentstoselect,organiseandintegratematerialonagiventopic.Theyalso testwritingskillsandtheabilitytodevelopanargumentanduseevidencetosupportit. Essaysmayvaryfromasinglepage(about300typedwords)tomajorassignmentsoften pages(3000words).Essaysmaybewrittenundertimedexamconditionsorsetasresearch assignments.Essayswhicharemerelyfactual,orforwhichasetmodelanswercanbe produced,areunlikelytotestthinkingskills,andwillalmostcertainlyencourageplagiarism.

Advantages Helpstudentsdevelopwritingskills Canrevealerrorsinunderstandingor misconceptions Takelesstimetosetthanshortform questions Canimproveunderstandingofatopic Helpdevelopinformationliteracyskills

Disadvantages Maynotsampleawiderangeofcontent Questionsmaynotbewellthoughtout Subjectivitymayaffectfairgrading Timeconsumingtomark Consistencyinmarks(i.e.reliability)is difficulttomaintain

Tipsforgoodpractice: Makesurethetopiciscomplexandcontextualisedsostudentshavetoapplyrather thanregurgitateknowledge(studentswillbelesslikelytocopyandplagiarise). Havestudentssubmitafirstdraft,suggestcorrections,thenregrade,focusingon howtheessayhasimproved. Allocatespecificmarksforthequalityofacademicwritingandreferencing.

29

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

4.Performancetestcantesthigherorderthinkingskills

Performancetestsinvolveeitherahandsonactivity,suchasusingaparticularanalytical laboratorytechniqueortakingapatienthistory,orthedevelopmentofproducts,suchasa buildingdesignorcomputersoftware.

Advantages Encouragestudentstotakeownershipof thelearningprocess Replicaterealworldconditions/contexts Studentscandemonstratemasteryofa skill Canassessarangeofskillsoroutcomes Allowforavarietyoftasks Encourageactivelearning

Disadvantages Timeconsuming Difficulttodetermineclearassessment criteria Performanceanxietyinstudents Mayrequireadditionalresources Comparisonbetweenstudentsmaybe difficult Subjectivitymayaffectfairgrading

Tipsforgoodpractice: Checkthatanyspecialresourcesneededareavailabletoallstudents. Forlaboratorytests,pretestallequipmentandhavesparematerialsavailable. 5.Writtenreportcantesthigherorderthinkingskills

Thereportisacommonwayofpresentinginformationandrecommendationsorconclusions relatedtoaspecificpurpose.Reportsarewrittenbasedongatheringandanalysing informationusingadisciplinespecificmethodologyandformat.Theycanbeusedtoassess laboratoryexperiments,fieldworkorcasestudies.

Advantages Replicaterealworldactivity Markingusingatemplateisrelativelyfast Studentspracticewritingtoastandard format Canassessgenericskillssuchas informationandcomputerliteracy Allowforarangeoftopicsandfoci Supportsreflectionandproblemsolving

Disadvantages Studentsmayfabricatedata Markerconsistency(reliability)canbea problem

Tipsforgoodpractice: Explicitlyteachstudentseffectivereportwritingskillsbeforeusingthereportasan assessmenttask. Stateclearlytheformatofthereport,andgiveexamplesofgoodandpoor (unacceptable)reports. Tellstudentshowlanguage(grammar,spelling,punctuation,referencing)willbe assessed. Matchthepercentageofoverallmarkstothetimeandeffortneededtoproducea qualityreport.

30

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

6.Fieldwork/practicumtestscantesthigherorderthinkingskills

Fieldworkexperiencesandpracticumsprovideopportunitiesforassessmentstobe performedonsiteorsubsequenttotheexperience.Fieldworkpracticaltestsmayinvolve performancetestsintheworkplaceonspecificcasesortasks,ormayinvolvetheassessment ofskillsandabilities(particularlyprofessionalbehaviours)intheworkplaceoverthe durationoftheplacement.TheassessmentsmaybeconductedbyCurtinstafforbystaffin theworkplace(e.g.supervisor).Asitisoftendifficulttoassignamarktofieldwork assessments,theyareoftencompetencybasedandallocatedapass/failgrade.

Advantages Assessesunique,reallifeandauthentic learningexperiences Providesanopportunityforcommunity involvementthatmayresultinjob opportunities Encouragesjobreadinessforstudent

Disadvantages Markerconsistency(reliability)isa problem Lackofcontrolofthefieldwork experiences Studentmaynotbeabletoperformtasks astheyarenotregisteredpractitioners Timeconsumingforstafftotravelto placementandconductassessment Difficulttocontroltheassessmenttaskin theworkplace

Tipsforgoodpractice: Usestrategiestoreduceperformanceanxietye.g.practicetests(selfassessments), examinertraining. Ensuretheenvironmentiscontrolled,wherepossible,toalleviateinterruptionsto theassessment.Thiswillrequireorganisationandcommunicationwithallparties. Stateclearlytheformatofthetest,theperformancecriteria,andgiveopportunities forstudentstohaveformativeassessments. 7.Projectscantesthigherorderthinkingskills

Projectsareanextendedpieceofworkinvolvinginquirybasedactivities.Projectsmaybe smallorlarge,undertakenbyindividualsoringroupsandhaveoutcomessuchasareport, design,artwork,wiki,aposterorworkingproduct. Advantages Allowforgreaterstudentengagementin andresponsibilityforlearning Assessstudentlearningincontext Encourageinitiative,independenceand problemsolving Canassessawiderangeofoutcomes includingtimeandtaskmanagement Showcasesskillsandachievements Arecomprehensive,multidimensional andflexible Studentscanexploreatopicindepth Disadvantages Timeconsumingtodevelopandmark Maymakecomparisonbetweenstudents difficultifprojectsareverydifferent Mayrequireonlinecollaborativelearning spaces Mayrequireadditionalresources

31

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

8.Presentationscantesthigherorderthinkingskills

Presentationsareusuallymadeorallytoaclassonapreparedtopicandmayincludetheuse ofpresentationaidssuchasPowerPointorhandouts.Thisassessmentmaybeundertaken individuallyorasagroup.Presentationsmaytakedifferentformssuchasroleplays, facilitatinggroupactivitiesorseminars,conferencepresentations,debating,presentinga product,questionandanswertime,andformalspeeches.

Advantages Canassessarangeofoutcomesincluding genericskills Markingwithsetcriteriaisfastand reliable Immediatefeedbacktostudents Varietyoftopics Allowstudentstodisplayargumentand originality

Disadvantages Canbetimeconsuminginlimitedclass meetings Requiresaudio/visuallearning technologiesforexternalstudents Canpromptperformanceanxietyin students Studentswillbetemptedtoreadtothe class

Tipsforgoodpractice: Setminimumandmaximumtimelimitsforeachpresentation. Ifgrouppresentationsareused,workoutbeforehandwhatisexpectedfromeach memberofthegroupandhowmarkswillbedistributedamonggroupmembers. Providestudentswithopportunitiestodevelopandpracticeoralskillbeforetheir presentation. Makesurestudentsknowtheycannotreadtotheaudiencebutthattheymust engagethem,eveniftheyusepromptingnotes. 9.Casestudiescantesthigherorderthinkingskills

Acasestudyinvolvesasituation,informationandissuesthatprovidedeeplearning opportunitiesforstudents.Thecasecouldbetheaccountofarealexperience,including authenticdetails,orarealexperienceinwhichsomeelementsarechangedtoprevent identification,oritcouldbecompletelyhypothetical.Theaimistogivestudents opportunitiestoexploreandapplyskillsandtheoriesthattheyhavelearntinarelatedfield ofstudy.Acasestudyanalysis,whichincludesthestudentspersonalresponsetoacase,is usuallypresentedasawrittenorverbalreport.Intheseanalyses,assesstheevidenceof howthestudentsapplyskillsand/ortheorieswithintheboundariesoftheunitlearning outcomes.

Advantages Cancoverseveralunitlearningoutcomes Encouragesauthenticlearning Helpsdevelopcriticalthinkingskills Candevelopextendedwritingskills Canassessarangeofskillsoroutcomes includinggenericskills Discouragesplagiarism

Disadvantages Assessmentcriteriacanbedifficultto determine Subjectivitymayaffectfairgrading Timeconsumingtomark

32

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

Tipsforgoodpractice: Usecasestudiesthatstudentscanrelateto,giventheirexperienceandlevelof learninginthecourse. Makesuretheaccountofthecaseiscomplexandyetclearlyconstructedsostudents canrecognisewheretheycanapplytheirknowledgeoftheskillsandtheories. Stateclearlytheformatforthecasestudyanalysisreportandprovidemodelsof goodreports. Ifyouplantoassessthequalityoftheacademicwritingandreferencing,statethisin themarkingcriteria. 10.Posterscantesthigherorderthinkingskills

Aposterisavisualrepresentationofatopicortheoutcomesofalearningactivity.Posters canusedifferentmedia,includinglearningtechnologies,andcanbecreatedindividuallyor ingroups.

Advantages Allowsforcreativityandoriginality Canassessarangeofoutcomes Markingusingcriteriaisfastandreliable Allowforavarietyoftopics Encourageactivelearning Haspotentialforpeerassessment

Disadvantages Canfocusundulyonpresentationrather thancontentorunderstanding Makescomparisonbetweenstudents difficultaspostersmaybeverydifferent Mayrequireadditionalresources

Tipsforgoodpractice: Makethepurposeandmarkingcriteriaexplicittostudentsbeforetheybegin. Donotsettasksforwhichstudentscanfindexamplesalreadyavailable(e.g.onthe web),thuspromptingplagiarism. Provideannotatedexamplesofbothgoodandunacceptableexamples. Arrangeapublicdisplayofcompleteposters. 11.Journalsandblogscantesthigherorderthinkingskills

Journals(alsocalledblogs,learninglogsorlearningdiaries)arewrittenbystudentsovera periodoftime,suchasasemester,toreflectontheirlearningexperiences.Theyprovidean opportunityforstudentstoexpresstheirfeelings,thoughtsandbeliefsaboutthecontent andprocessoflearningandthemselvesaslearnersusinganinformalwritingstyleand structure.

Advantages Encourageengagementinand responsibilityforlearning Encourageselfassessmentandreflection Providevaluableinsightintostudent feelings,thoughtsandbeliefs Comprehensiveandmultidimensional Encourageregularandextendedwriting

Disadvantages Difficulttodetermineassessmentcriteria Requiretimetoestablishtherequired hightrust,lowriskenvironment Issuesofprivacyandconfidentiality Studentsmayfabricateorsanitisejournal entries Maynotdevelopacademicwritingskills

33

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

Tipsforgoodpractice: Clarifywhowillbeabletoreadthejournal.Ensureconfidentiality. Allowclasstimeforjournalwriting. Suggestareasforstudentstofocuson,possiblyusingguidequestionsorstatements. Providefrequentfeedback,especiallyintheearlystages. Keepajournalorblogyourselfandshareentrieswithyourstudents. Acknowledgethevalueofstudentcommentsbyrespondingtojournalitems. 12.Portfolios(includingCurtinsiPortfolio)

Aportfolioisapurposefulcollectionofstudentworkshowingefforts,progressand achievementsovertime.

Advantages Encourageengagementinand responsibilityforlearning Assessincontextstudentlearning Encourageselfassessmentandreflection Canassessarangeofskillsoroutcomes includinggenericskills Allowforshowcaseofskillsand achievements Arecomprehensive,multidimensional andflexible

Disadvantages Timeconsumingtodevelopandassess Canbedifficulttodetermineassessment criteria Mayrequireadditionalresources Makecomparisonbetweenstudents difficultsincetheportfoliosmaybevery different Unlesstheyareeportfolios,aportfolio cantakeupsignificantphysicalspace

Tipsforgoodpractice: Provideexamplesofcompletedportfolios. Includecompulsoryitemswhichshowlearningactivities,reflectionandself evaluation. Provideguidingquestionsforthereflectionandselfevaluation. Useacontinuingcourseportfoliofordifferentfunctionsindifferentunits.

Recommended further reading: Brown,G.(2001).Assessment:Aguideforlecturers.York:LearningandTeachingSupport Network.www.bioscience.heacademy.ac.uk/ftp/Resources/gc/assess03Lecturers.pdf Dunn,L,MorganC,O'ReillyM&ParryS(2004):Thestudentassessmenthandbook.London: RoutledgeFalmer. James,R.,McInnis,C.,&Devlin,M.(2002).AssessinglearninginAustralianuniversities: Ideas,strategiesandresourcesforqualityinstudentassessment.Melbourne:Centre fortheStudyofHigherEducation.www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/assessinglearning/

34

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

Using Marking Guides to define assessment criteria Assessmentisintegraltostudentlearningandnotjustsomethingthoughtaboutafterthe unithasbeenplanned.MarkingGuides(sometimesreferredtoasrubrics)makeexplicitto thestudentthecriteriaagainstwhichtheirworkwillbeassessedandtheycanbea comprehensiveandefficientfeedbacktool.Inbrief,aMarkingGuideisatableshowing qualityofperformanceonthehorizontalaxis,anddimensionsofperformanceontheother, asshowninFigure9:
Figure 9 Marking Guide showing quality and dimensions of performance

A Marking Guide has several advantages: it

makesassessmentprocessesopenandaccountable. providesdiagnosticfeedbacktostudentsandstaffonstudentslearningsofar. helpsstudentsdevelop,reviseandproducebetterqualitywork:theydonothaveto guesswhattheassessorislookingforbecausethemostvaluedoutcomesofthe assessmentareclear. improvescomparabilitywhenthereareseveralassessors. canbereused;thetaskorthecontentmaychangebutthescoringMarkingGuide maybethesame.

OneofthemoresophisticatedbuteffectiveusesofascoringMarkingGuideistohavethe studentscollaborativelydecidetheassessmentcriteria.Thismakesthemmuchmoreaware ofthecriteriaandwhattheymean,aswellasgivingstudentsgreaterownershipofthe process.Wherethisisnotpossible,considerotherwaysofgettingstudentstoengagewith thecriteriaatanearlystage.Asanexample,thiscouldbeachievedbyaskingstudentstouse thecriteriatomakecommentonselectedsamplesofpreviouswork.Thisapproachcould alsobeusedtoimprovefeedbackthroughpeerreview.

35

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

How to develop a Marking Guide 1. Decidethedimensionsofperformance(verticalaxis)ortheessentialelementsthat mustbeevidentinhighqualitywork.Notethatifastudentcanscorehighlyonall dimensionsbutnotscorewelloverall,youhavethewrongones. 2. Decidethelevelsofachievement:numberandtype(horizontalaxis).Examplesof masteryare:competent,exemplary,proficient,marginal,unacceptable, accomplished. 3. Avoidhavingtoomanydimensionsofperformanceorlevelsofachievement.Overly MarkingGuidescomplexreducetheeffectivenessandtheefficiencyoftheapproach. 4. Foreachdimensionofperformance,firstdistinguishbetweenacceptableand unacceptable(failing)performance:writethecriteriaforunacceptableperformance clearlyandunambiguously. 5. Foreachdimensionofperformance,writeclearperformancedescriptors(criteria)at eachachievementlevel(seebelow).State(ifpossible)theconsequencesof performingateachlevel.Forexample,thestandardoftheworkwould(orwouldnot) beacceptedbytheprofessionorabusinessoraprofessionaljournal. 6. Addthemarkingschemeyouwilluseandapplyanyweighting.Decideifmarkswillbe awardedforworkbelowtheminimumstandard.Includethecriteriaforfailure. 7. Evaluateandreviseaccordingly.FewMarkingGuideswillbeconstructedperfectlythe firsttime.Theyaredevelopmentaltoolsandneedtobecriticallyevaluatedafteruse. Differentiating performance levels ThemostdifficultaspectofconstructingaMarkingGuideisformulatingandclearly articulatingcriteriafordifferentlevelsofachievement.Trytodeterminequalitativeor quantitativedifferencesthatcharacteriseachievementatthedifferentlevels.Avoid differentgradesofthesamecharacter(e.g.good,better,bestetc),undefinedterms(e.g. trivialwork,gooduseof,significantwork),andvalueladenterms(e.g.excellentorpoor work;thesetermsmayhavemeaningfortheassessorbutdonottellthestudentthe standardexpectednorwhattheycandotoimprove). Performance criteria Theperformancecriteria,Figure10,ascitedinHubaandFreed(2000)10isforthecriterion: TeamskillsGroupfunctioning
Figure 10 Performance criteria: Team skills Group functioning.

Excellent Good

Thegroupfunctionswell.Peerreviewindicatesequitabledistributionofeffort.All membersarechallengedandfeeltheircontributionsarevalued. Thegroupfunctionsfairlywell.Somepeopleinthegroupbelievetheyareworking harder(orlesshard)thanothers,buteveryoneiscontributing. Thegroupisstillfunctioning,buteachindividualisdoinghis/herownworkand

Needs ignoringtheeffortsofothers.Therearefrequentepisodeswhereonepersons improvement

designwillnotfitwithanothersduetolackofcommunication.

Unacceptable Thegroupfunctionspoorly.Allworkistheproductofindividualeffort.
10

Huba,M.E.,&Freed,J.E.(2000).Learnercentredassessmentoncollegecampuses:Shiftingthefocusfrom teachingtolearning.Boston:AllynandBacon.

36

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

Holistic versus analytic Marking Guides HolisticMarkingGuidesallocateagradeorperformanceleveltoastudentsimplyonthe basisofperformanceagainstexplicitstandards(withoutresortingtomarks).Analytic MarkingGuidesallocateaspecificnumberofmarksforeachcriterionorperformancelevel. Oneissueiswhetherornottoawardanymarksforunsatisfactoryperformance.Itmightbe possibletoaccumulateenoughmarksonunsatisfactoryperformancetotipastudentover themagical50%.Analternativeistosetacriterionforpassingthatstatestheremustbeno elementforwhichperformanceisunsatisfactory(regardlessoftheoverallmark).Another waytolimitthisistoallocateanoverallperformanceasoneofthedimensionsof performance.Thefollowingisasimplequantitativeapproachtoassigningmarkstoeach criterion. Scoreallitemsona4pointscale:0=taskorelementnotdone;1=taskorelementdone,but clearlyincorrect;2=taskorelementdone,butonlypartiallycorrect;3=taskorelement done,andclearlycorrect;0s,1sand3swillbeclearlyidentifiable;anythingelseisa2. Evaluating a Marking Guide AMarkingGuideshouldbereviewedeachtimeitisused,andthenrevised:

Doesitmeasurethelearningoutcome(s)thatyouwantmeasured? DoesitmeasureALLtheimportantoutcomes? Doesitmeasureunimportant/extraneousoutcomes? DoestheMarkingGuidecovertheimportantdimensionsofperformance? Aretheperformancelevelsandscaleswelldefined? Isthereaclearbasisforassigningscoresateachscalepoint? Dotheexcellentdescriptorsdescribeahighenoughperformancestandard? Istheresufficientdistinctionbetweeneachdimension? CandifferentscorersapplytheMarkingGuideconsistently? IstheMarkingGuidefairandfreefrombias? IstheMarkingGuideuseful,feasible,manageableandpractical? Canstudentseasilyinterpreteachofthedescriptors?

Recommendedfurtherreading: Huba,M.E.,&Freed,J.E.(2000).Learnercentredassessmentoncollegecampuses:Shifting thefocusfromteachingtolearning.Boston:AllynandBacon. Stevens,D.D.,&Levi,A.J.(2005).Introductiontorubrics.SterlingVA:StylusPublishing.

37

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

Figure 11 Example of a generic (re-useable) Marking Guide for problem-solving

Criteria
Accurately identifies constraintsor obstacles.

4points
Accuratelyand thoroughly describesthe relevantconstraints orobstacles.

3points
Addressesobstacles orconstraintsthat arenot immediately apparent.

2points
Accurately identifiesthemost important constraintsor obstacles.

1point
Identifiessome constraintsthatare accuratealongwith somethatarenot accurate.Omitsthe mostsignificant constraintsor obstacles.

Identifiesviable andimportant alternativesfor overcomingthe constraintsor obstacles.

Identifiescreative butplausible solutionstothe problemunder consideration.The solutionsaddress keydifficulties posedbythe constraintof obstacle.

Proposes alternative solutionsthat appearplausible andthataddress themostimportant constraintsor obstacles.

Presentsalternative solutionsfor dealingwiththe obstaclesor constraints,butthe solutionsdonotall addressthe important difficulties. Triesoutthe alternativesbutthe trialsare incompleteand importantelements areomittedor ignored.

Presentssolutions thatfailtoaddress criticalpartsofthe problem.

Selectsand adequatelytries outalternatives.

Engagesin effective,validand exhaustivetrialsof theselected alternatives.Trials gobeyondthose requiredtosolve theproblemand showa commitmenttoan indepth understanding.

Putstheselected alternativesintrials adequateto determinetheir utility.

Doesnot satisfactorilytest theselected solutions.

Ifother alternativeswere tried,accurately articulatesand supportsthe reasoningbehind theorderoftheir selection,andthe extenttowhich eachovercamethe obstaclesor constraints.

Providesaclear, comprehensive summaryofthe reasoningthatled totheselectionof secondary solutions.The descriptionincludes areviewofthe decisionsthat producedtheorder ofselectionand howeach alternativefaredas asolution.

Describesthe processthatledto theorderingof secondary solutions.The descriptionoffersa clear,defensible rationaleforthe orderingofthe alternativesandthe finalselection.

Describesthe processthatledto theorderingof secondary solutions.The descriptiondoes notprovideaclear rationalforthe orderingofthe alternatives,orthe studentdoesnot addressallthe alternativesthat weretried.

Describesan illogicalmethodfor determiningthe relativevalueofthe alternatives.The studentdoesnot presenta reasonablereview ofthestrengths andweaknessesof thealternative solutionsthatwere triedand abandoned.

38

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

Assessing group work Groupworkcanhelpdevelopstudentsgenericskillssuchas:

Teamwork(workingwithteamdynamics,leadership); Analyticalandcognitiveskills(analysingtaskrequirements;questioning;critically interpretingmaterial;evaluatingtheworkofothers); Collaborativeskills(conflictmanagementandresolution;acceptingintellectual criticism;flexibility;negotiationandcompromise);and Organisationalandtimemanagementskills.

Therearethreedimensionstotheassessmentofgroupwork:

Demonstratedabilitytoworkeffectivelyasateammember(process); Demonstratedapplicationofknowledgeforsuccessfultaskcompletion(process);and Thequalityofthegroupsoutput(product).

Groupscanbeaskedtoproducetangibleproductssuchasposters,modelsorartefacts, formalreportsandelectronicorotherformsofmedia.Theycanalsobeaskedtosubmit recordsofmeetings,planningsheetsorothermonitoringdocumentsasevidenceoftheir progress.Theoutputcanalsoincludeaperformanceorseminarpresentation.Group assessmentcanbeconductedbyexternalexpertsinthefield,colleagues,groupsofpeers,or throughselfassessment.Thisallowsmultipleperspectivesofstudentworkandreducesthe chanceofbias.

Assessmenttasksmustbedesignedtoassessstudents'achievementoftheunitlearning outcomes.Ifteamworkskillsarestatedexplicitlyinthelearningoutcomes,theymustbe learned,demonstratedandassessedusingpredeterminedcriteria.Itisimportantthat studentsunderstandwhygroupbasedassessmentisappropriateforthattask,andteaching staffshouldtaketimetoexplainthis.

Studentsneedtobetaughthowgroupsfunction,andgiventheopportunitytopractice groupworkskillsbeforetheyareassessed.Studentsneedtoknowwhatwillhappenshould oneormoregroupmemberswithdraworifoneormorecontributessolittlethatit jeopardisesthelikelihoodthatthegroupcancompleteitstask.Studentsmustbeinformed oftheappealprocessshouldthegroupnotbeabletonegotiateamongthemselvesabout distributionofmarks.

Studentsmustknowhowincidentsofacademicmisconduct,suchasplagiarismorcollusion, canoccuringroupworkandhowtheycanbeavoided.Studentsmustbegivenexplicit guidelinesonwhatisacceptableandwhatisnotacceptableintermsofcollaborativeversus individualwork,particularlywhentheyareassessedingroups.

39

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

Allocating marks in group assessment Therearemanydifferentwaysofallocatingmarkstoindividualstudentsforthequalityof theircontributiontothegroupproduct.Keyconsiderationsare:

Whatexactlywillbeassessed:theproductofthegroup,theprocessofthegroup work,orboth(andwhatproportionofthetotalmarkwillbeallocatedtoeach)? Whatassessmentcriteriawillbeusedandwhowilldeterminethem:teachingstaff, studentsorboth? Whowillapplytheassessmentcriteriaanddeterminemarks:teachingstaff,students (peerand/orselfassessment),anexternalassessororacombination? Ifgroupsaretobegivenatotalmarktoshareaccordingtoindividualcontributions, howwillthesharedmarkbedetermined,distributedandjustified?

Group assessment criteria Studentsingroupsneedassessmentcriteriabeforetheystartwork.Theyshouldknowwhat outcomestheywillbeexpectedtodemonstrateandhowtheevidenceoftheirworkneeds tobedocumented.Wherestudentsaretobeinvolvedindecidingthecriteria,thisprocess shouldoccuratthebeginningandallstudentsmustreceiveawrittencopyoftheagreed criteria.Thefourmarkingmodelsdescribedbelowrepresentdifferentwaysofrecognising thecontributionoftheindividualstudent.Ineachcase,itisassumedthatstudentshave writtencriteriathatenablethemtoawardmarksandthat,whererelevant,theyaregiven thedistributionofmarks. Model1:Allstudentsgetthesamemarkorgraderegardlessofindividualcontribution

Example Agroupofstudentspreparesabusinessplanforacompany.Thebusinessplanisawardeda markof16/20.Eachstudentthusgets16marks. Ifprofessionalsinadisciplineareacustomarilysucceedorfailonthebasisofteam performancealone,andthecontributionofindividualsisoflittleimportance,assessing studentsthiswaymaybefair.Thisgroupassessmentmodelisusedfrequentlyandstudents oftencomplainaboutitbecausetheyknowthatsomestudentsgetmarkswithoutmakinga faircontribution.

Model2:Studentsgetanindividualmarkfromalimitedpoolofmarks Example Agroupoffourstudentspreparesanenvironmentalimpactreport.Theyget24/30marksfor thereport.Theydistributethemarksamongthemselvesaccordingtotheirindividual contribution.Somestudentsgetmorethan24marksandothersless. Thismodelisdifficulttojustifyexceptinindustrieswheregroupprojectearningsaredivided accordingtocontribution(andthisisusuallydonebycontractbeforetheworkbegins): studentscompeteforalimitednumberofmarks(andstudentshavetonegotiatetheirmark withthegroup),andstudentsfromdifferentgroupswhomakethesameeffortprobably wontgetthesamereward.

40

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

Model3:Studentsareallocatedmarksaccordingtotheroletheyplayedinthegroup

Example Agroupofthreestudentspreparesaneducationalwebsite.Onestudenthastheroleof websitedesigner/manager,anotheristheinstructionaldesignerandthethirdresearches thecontentforthesite.Eachstudenthascriteriaforthequalityoftheiraspectofthe completedwebsite,andisrequiredtoexplainorjustifytheircontribution.Thewebsiteis awarded18/20forwebdesign,15/20forinstructionaldesignand17/20forcontent.The studentsget18,15and17marksrespectively. Thismodelisfairifallthecriteriaaremadeclearbeforehand,andifallstudentshavean equalchanceofplayingtheroleinwhichtheyfeelmostcompetent:thisisunlikelytobethe case.

Model4:Studentsgetagroupprojectmarkandaseparatemarkforanindividualproduct Example Agroupofsixstudentsundertakesasixweekresearchprojectonthegeomorphologyofa particularregion.Theywillproduceafinalgroupreport,forwhichtheywillreceiveagroup mark.Inadditionstudentswillbeassessedindividually:theyarerequiredtosubmita researchdiaryrecordingtheirprogress,relevantdiagramsandprintoutsandfindingsat weeklyintervalsthroughoutthesixweeks. Thismodelisfairerinthesensethataseparatemarkisallocatedforevidenceofindividual effort.Iftheindividualworkshowsthatthestudentclearlymadenoortoolittlecontribution tothegroupproject,thenthegroupmarkforthatstudentcanbewithdrawn.Inthiscase, studentsmustbewarnedwellinadvance. Whichevermodelischosen,carefulthoughtisrequired.Otherissuesariseingroupwork: theallocationofstudentstogroups(shouldgroupsbesetbytheteacher,orwillstudentsbe allowedtoselfselecttheirowngroup?),providingsupportforgroupstokeepthemon track,anddealingwithgroupsofunequalsize,orwherestudentsdropout. Automating group assessment Thereareanumberofwaysthattheassessmentofgroupworkcanbesupported,including paperandonlinemethods.Onewayistoaskstudentstorecordgradesandfeedbackon reportsheetswhichcanthenbeprocessedusingExcel.Templatesareavailabletosupport thisapproach.Amorepowerfulalternativeistouseanonlinesystemwhichautomates muchofthetediouscollationthatispresentinpaperbasedalternatives.Onlinetoolssuch asSPARKandTectraareavailable,althoughtheyarenotalwaysfreeofcharge.During2010, theOATLaimtoevaluateanumberofthesewiththeaimofdevelopingasystemavailable foruseacrossCurtin.

41

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

Peer and Self assessment Peerassessmentcanbeanextremelypowerfulwayofhelpingstudentsgraspthe characteristicsofqualitywork.Often,studentsarewellplacedtoofferdevelopmental feedbacktotheirpeers.Peerassessmentcantakemanyforms.Onewaymightbetoask studentstogiveformativefeedbackonthreeotherpiecesofstudentwork.Anotherway mightbetousetheaudiencetorateandreviewstudentpresentationsonatopic.Peer feedbackcanbeusedtogiveextremelyrapidfeedbackinlargergroupsettings. However,iftheapproachistobesuccessful,studentsmustclearlyunderstandwhypeer assessmentisbeingusedtoavoidtheapproachbeingviewedasawayofreducingmarking loads.Studentsmustalsoengagewiththeassessmentmarkingguidesothattheyhavean understandingofwhatisinvolved.Thistakessometimetosetupandsupport. Isitworthit?Theresearchsuggeststhatitis.Rust(2003)describesaprocesswhereby studentsengagedwiththeassessmentcriteriabymarkingotherworkandgivingfeedback. Thisimprovedtheirfinaloutcomescomparedtoaparallelgroupthatdidnotundertakethis exercise.Significantly,thisbeneficialeffect(animprovementofapproximately5%ofthe finalmark)wasstillapparentinthegroupayearlatersuggestingthatthecloseengagement withassessmentcriteriahadbeeneffectiveovertime. Self Assessment Studentslearning(andtheirabilityto'learnhowtolearn')canbeimprovedwhenthey engageindeliberatethoughtaboutwhattheyarelearningandhowtheyarelearningit. Encouragingstudentstostepbackandreflectontheirlearningcanbeapowerfulwayof identifyingstrengthsandareasforimprovementespeciallywhereselfassessmentsareset againstassessmentsmadebytheirpeersortutors.
Recommendedfurtherreading: Caspersz,D.,Skene,J.,&Wu,M.(2006).Managingstudentteams.Milperra,NSW:The HigherEducationalResearchandDevelopmentSocietyofAustralasia. Cohen,R.,Boud,D.&Sampson,J.(2001).Dealingwithproblemsencounteredinassessment ofpeerlearning.InFalchikov,N.LearningTogether:PeerTutoringInHigherEducation. London:Routledge.248253 Grellier,J.&Goerke,V.(2006).CommunicationSkillsToolkit:UnlockingtheSecretsof TertiarySuccess.SouthMelbourne:Thompson.SeeChapter15:Teamwork. Rust,C.,Price,M.&ODonovan,B.(2003)Improvingstudentslearningbydevelopingtheir understandingofassessmentcriteriaandprocesses,AssessmentandEvaluationin HigherEducation,28(2),147164.

42

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

Marking and grading assessments TheCurtinUniversityStudentCharterstatesthateverystudentcanexpecttohavefair assessmentandtimelyandusefulfeedbackontheirperformanceandprogress,including finalresults.Assessmenttasksmustbemarkedinsuchawaythatthemarkorgradereflects howwellastudentachievedthelearningoutcomesandinaccordancewiththeassessment criteria.Inadditiontoamark,returnedassignmentsmustbeaccompaniedbyfeedbackthat clearlyexplainshowthefinalmarkwasderived,aswellashowthestudentcanimprove. Assignmentsand/orfeedbackmustbereturnedtostudentsintimeforthemtoimprove theirperformanceonthenextassessmenttask.Unitcoordinatorsareresponsiblefor organisingthesecurecollectionandreturnofassignments(onlineorhardcopy).Students arerequiredtokeepacopyofallassignmentssubmittedforgrading.

CurtinsassessmentpoliciesareavailableinasingletextcalledAssessmentandStudent ProgressionManualSeehttp://policies.curtin.edu.au/policies/viewpolicy.cfm

Examinations Anexaminationisaformal,supervisedassessmentoflearningoutcomeswhichnormally takesplaceattheconclusionofaformalteachingperiod.Unitcoordinatorsareresponsible forpreparingexaminationswhichassesstheunitlearningoutcomes.Centrallyscheduled examinationsnormallytakeplaceattheconclusionofasemesterorformalteachingperiod andmustbeworthatleast30%andnotusuallymorethan50%ofthefinalunitmark.In general,examinationsshouldnotexceedtwohoursinlengthandareprecededbya mandatory10minutesreadingtime.Studentswhorequestspecialconsiderationbecauseof religiouscommitments,adisabilityormedicalconditionshouldbedirectedtoUniversity CounsellingService.Ifsuchspecialconsiderationisrequired,studentsshouldbeadvisedto makealternativeexaminationarrangementsassoonastheFinalTimetableispublished(four weekspriortotheexaminationperiod).Theabsolutedeadlineforchangesforalternative examinationsis2weekspriortothecommencementoftheexaminationperiod.

Final marks and grades Itistheteachersresponsibilitytoensurethataccuraterecordsofmarksaremaintained securely.MarksshouldberecordedandbackedupontheUniversitynetwork.Ifmarksare storedelsewheretheyshouldbeuploadedtotheUniversitynetworkonaregularbasis.For endofsemesterexaminations,resultsmustbeuploadedby5:00pmontheWednesdayof theweekimmediatelyaftertheexaminationperiod.

FordetailedinformationaboutCurtinsgradingprocedures,includingdeferredand supplementaryassessment,seerelevantinformationinAssessmentandStudent ProgressionManualathttp://policies.curtin.edu.au/policies/viewpolicy.cfm

43

Office of Assessment, Teaching and Learning. (2010). Developing appropriate assessment tasks. In Teaching and Learning at Curtin 2010. (pp.22-44). Curtin University: Perth.

Curtinsgradingsystem:ABoardofExaminersisaformalCurtincommitteetoreviewthe performanceforeachstudentandtoensurethatallassessmentisconductedinafairand equitablemannereachsemester.Unitcoordinatorsmustsubmitfinalmarksand/orgrades ontimetotheBoardofExaminerseachsemester.Thecourseresultsforeachstudentare ratifiedbytheBoardofExaminersattheendofsemester,andacoursestatusofGood Standing,Conditional11,orCourseTerminatedisdetermined.UnitCoordinatorsarerequired toattendtheBoardofExaminerstocheckgrades,andtodiscusstheperformanceandstatus ofstudents.CurtinsGradingSystemshowninFigure12:

Figure 12 Curtin's Grading System

GradesAwarded F 5 6 7 8 9 10

Percentagemarkrange Under50% 5059 6069 7079 8089 9099 100

EquivalenttoAVCCgrade Fail(F) Pass(P) CreditPass(CP) Distinction(D) HighDistinction(HD) HighDistinction(HD) HighDistinction(HD)

Appeals:Studentscanappealassessmentresults.Beforeusingtheformalappealprocedure studentsshoulddiscussanydisputedassessmentwithappropriatemembersoftheunit teachingstaff.Inanysuchdiscussion,studentsandstaffmembersmayeachbe accompaniedbyanyotherpersonfromwithintheUniversity.Iftheissueisnotresolved,itis therightofallstudentstoappealinwriting(usingtheappropriateform)totheHeadof School(upto14calendardaysafterofficialpublicationoffinalresults)iftheyfeelthatan assessmentmarkorgradeforanyformalassessmentisunfairorincorrect.TheUniversity CounsellingServiceandGuildStudentAssistServiceprovidestudentadviceconcerningthe appealsprocess.

FordetailedinformationonCurtinsproceduresforappealssee www.policies.curtin.edu.au/documents/student_appeals_policy.doc.

11

In2010thetermconditionalislikelytobereplacedbytwotermsindicatingthatastudentisatrisk.

44