Theory and Research
What is assessment? Simply, assessment is data collection with a purpose. In each of our courses, we engage in the process of gathering data about our students' learning. The type of data we gather depends on the evidence we will accept that students have learned what we want them to learn. Generally, the data we collect are intended to be measures of students' knowledge, attitudes and performance. Ideally, these data are also matched or "aligned" with the goals of the course and our daily or weekly course activities.
Four functions of assessment data are described by Hodson (1992):
- formative assessment provides diagnostic feedback to students and instructors at short-term intervals (e.g., during a class or on a weekly basis);
- summative assessment provides a description of students' level of attainment upon completion of an activity, module, or course;
- evaluative assessment provides instructors with curricular feedback (e.g., the value of a field trip or a writing assignment).
- educative assessment develops in students and instructors further insight and understanding about their own learning and teaching. In effect, assessment IS a form of learning (NRC 1996, p. 76).
We need confidence in the quality of the data we gather about our students if we want to justify our subsequent decisions about teaching. Many of us who teach introductory science courses are dissatisfied with the type of evidence we are collecting about our students' learning. We admit that data from multiple choice tests measure inert bits of knowledge and some comprehension but provide us incomplete and inadequate feedback about our students' learning. We would like to use alternative forms of assessment to gather multiple, substantive forms of data about active student learning, such as understanding, analysis, reasoning, and synthesis (Ebert-May et al 1997). These kinds of assessments include short answer items, essays, minute papers, oral communication, poster presentations, laboratory projects and research papers, but because of large class sizes and individual research priorities we have limited time to evaluate extended responses from students.
Assessment is learning. We and our students both benefit from meaningful assessment information about the achievement of the broader course goals. Multiple assessment strategies can be implemented to provide evidence that students have or have not learned, have or have not accomplished the goals of the course. Rubrics help us set well-defined standards for our students, provide students guidelines for achieving those standards and facilitate grading extended written and oral responses. This feedback provides us data to interpret and make informed decisions about our students' learning and our own teaching practice, similar to the process of data evaluation that we use daily in our scientific research.
Links
- Diane Ebert-May, Director, Lyman Briggs School and Professor, Botany and Plant Pathology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
email: ebertmay@pilot.msu.edu
Sources
Ebert-May D, Brewer C, Allred S. 1997. Innovation in large lectures-teachings for active learning. Bioscience 47: 601-607.
Freeman, RHL. 1994. Open-ended questioning: a handbook for educators. Menlo Park, California; Reading, Massachusetts; New York; Don Mills, Ontario; Wokingham, England; Amsterdam; Bonn; Sydney; Singapore; Tokyo; Madrid; San Juan; Paris; Seoul; Milan; Mexico City; Taipei. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company (The book is published by Innovative Learningª, an imprint of the Addison-Wesley Alternative Publishing Group.)
King PM, Kitchener KS. 1994. Developing reflective judgement: understanding and promoting intellectual growth and critical thinking in adolescents and adults. San Francisco (CA): Jossey-Bass Publishers.
MacGregor J. 1993. Student self-evaluation: fostering reflective learning. San Francisco (CA): Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Magolda, MBB. 1992. Knowing and reasoning in college: gender-related students' intellectual development. San Francisco (CA): Jossey-Bass Publishers.
National Research Council. 1996. National science education standards. Washington (DC): National Academy Press.
Novak JD, Gowin DB. 1984. Learning how to learn. New York: Cambridge University Press.
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