tutoring through assessment: practices and innovations

Commonwealth Educational Media Centre for Asia

Tutoring through Assessment

Practices and innovations

Sanjaya Mishra

Assessment

It is a process of obtaining information about learners progress and achievement in learning

Why Assessment? Selecting learners Certification Motivating learners Improve the practice of teachingPrimarily assessment serves two purposes To provide support and feedback to

learners to improve their on-going learning

To report on what they have already achieved, whether this be a grade or written comment

Trends in Assessment• Shift from

– Assessing knowledge

– Assessing products– End of course test– Written

assessments– Norm-referenced– Pass/Fail summative

• Towards– Assessing skills and

understanding– Assessing processes– Continuous assessment– Use of variety of

methods/evidence– Criterion-referenced– Formative identification of

strengths and weaknesses and recording of positive achievements I addition to summative

Qualities of Good Assessment

Aligning assessment with objectives Explicit/open criteria and standards Authentic and holistic tasks Facilitative degree of structure to

promote self-direction Sufficient and timely formative feedback Balanced tension between workload and

time

Assessment in ODL

Non-assessable activities and feedback in study materials

Self-assessment questions with feedback in the learning materials

Assignments (TMAs and CMAs) Dialogue with tutors and peer groups Practicals and portfolio Project work, seminars, field work, etc. Formal examinations

Types of Tests

Objective– Matching– Multiple Choice– True-False– Sequencing– Fill in the Blanks– Sentence completion

Short Answer (50-150 words) Long Answer (600-1200 words)

Self Assessment

One of the psycho-pedagogic basis of distance learning materials

Promotes self-monitoring of progress by learners

Develops independent and self-directed learning

Important to apply for recognition of prior learning

Promotes self knowledge and understanding

Self-Assessment Research shows that high achievers tend

to under-estimate and low achievers tend to over-estimate (Falchikov and Boud, 1989; and Mishra, 2004).

Tutor feedback is important Assessment criteria for self-assessment

– What I have been doing?– How have I been doing?– What do I think of what I have been doing?– How could I improve my approach?

Portfolios Collection of evidence that learning has

taken place Collection of what learners themselves

judge to be most meaningful representation of their learning in a subject

Both a learning as well as assessment tool

Developmental growth of a learner over a period of time can be tracked

Also useful to prospective employers Provides opportunity for self-reflection

Portfolios

Reflects evidence of: Progress over time Understanding of key principles and/or

processes Lack of understanding and hence future

learning needs Originality and creativity Achievements in different context and

application Key skills development

Reflective Journaling

Reflection is important for learning Two types: Reflection-on-action and

Reflection-in-action Reflection is a systematic meaning

making process that requires attitude to value the personal and intellectual growth of oneself and others.

It is not just writing diary

Reflective Journaling

Use action verbs in the level beyond "Remember" in revised Blooms Taxonomy

Cover critical reflection approach by using questions such as what, how and why

Provide opportunity for contextualize, theorize, personalize, and generalize

(Source: Mishra and Panda, 2007)

Assessment Tools Marking Scheme

(Source: Morgan & O'Reilly, 1999)

Assessment Tools SOLO Taxonomy (Biggs, 1999)

SOLO Level Description Example of verbs associated

Pre-structural The task itself is not attacked in an appropriate way. The student has not understood the point.

Missed point

Uni-structural One relevant aspect of task is picked up and there is no relationship between facts or ideas. Understanding is nominal.

Identify, Do simple procedure.

Multi-structural

Several (two or more) independent aspects are picked up or understood serially but are not interrelated.

Enumerate, Describe, List, Combine, Do algorithms

Relational Relevant aspects are integrated into an overall coherent structure.

Compare, Contrast, Explain causes, Analyse, Relate, Apply.

Extendedabstract

The coherent whole is generalised or re-conceptualised to a higher level of abstraction.

Theorize, Generalize, Hypothesize, Reflect.

Assessment Tools

IGNOU Marking Scheme

Assessment Tools Using Rubrics

– Rating scales or scoring guides that consists of specific pre-defined performance criteria used in assessing student performances

– Two types: Holistic rubrics and Analytic rubrics

– Use online tools such as Rubistar to develop Rubrics at http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

Rubrics Holistic Rubrics

(Source: Mertler, 2001)

Rubrics Analytical Rubrics

(Source: Mertler, 2001)

Assignments at IGNOU

TMAs and CMAs depending on the requirements and decision of the School Board and Academic Council

Used as 2-way communication through tutor comments (academic and personal) and supplemental communication

Tutoring through Assignments

Removes the isolation of students at ODL

Supports them in their learning process to identify areas which they should further develop

Creates a dialogue between teacher and learner

Promotes reflective and self-evaluative thinking

Inside Tutor Comments Drawing attention to facts they have

overlooked or misinterpreted Suggesting alternative approaches or

interpretations Drawing attention to gaps in learning Suggesting how the learners might

improve Identify relationships with student’s

present response and previous learning Appreciate special efforts or

improvements in competence Suggest new sources of information

Tutor comments should/may

Always be Positive Always be Constructive Rarely be Negative Sometimes be Null Never be Hollow Never be Misleading Never be Harmful

Examples… Positive Comment: Your explanation with

regard to ---- is very good. I appreciate the diagrammatic representation of the concepts.

Constructive Comment: You could have discussed the following three parts: – (i)…– (ii)…– (iii)…

Use of more examples and illustrations are welcome

Examples Negative Comment: The example given

is not correct Null Comment: ?? ‗ ‗ ‗ X ( ) ~ ~ ~ Hollow Comment: Your answer is so so.

You can improve your presentation. You may spend some more time in writing this answer.

Misleading Comment: Where the student is right, but teacher indicates it as wrong.

Harmful Comment: Really bad/ Horrible language/ This is nonsense/ Are you writing English for the first time?

Global Comments Specified Format of Global Comment

Sheet Give Grade:

– A = Excellent– B = Very Good– C= Good– D = Satisfactory– E = Unsatisfactory

Provide an overview of the comments Explain grade The grade and comments should be

matching

THANK YOU