Assessment and Feedback Essay Example for Free

estimate and Feedback EssayAssessment drives the choices school-age childs make virtually their learning. It is widely recognised that appraisal and feedback contain the strongest potential to change how, and what, students do to succeed in their learning (Ramsden, 2003). This Effective Teaching get hold of on Assessment provides practical suggestions on mind and feedback.Assessment of breeding and Assessment for LearningDavid Boud, a recognised researcher and scholar of sagacity in higher education, suggests that assessment has many purposes, but peculiarly to help students to improve their learning and certify students learning. These two purposes lead to different ways of thinking about what, how, and when to assess studentsAccording to Boud and Associates septette Propositions for Assessment Reform in high Education (2010), assessment has most effect when1. Assessment is used to engage students in learning that is productive (including the make for assessment to b e designed to focus students on learning) 2. Feedback is used to actively improve student learning 3. Students and teachers become responsible partners in learning and assessment 4. Students argon inducted into the assessment practices and cultures of higher education 5. Assessment for learning is placed at the centre of subject and project design 6. Assessment for learning is a focus for staff and institutional development and, 7. Assessment provides inclusive and trustworthy representation of student achievement.The power of feedbackFeedback plays an important role in improving students learning. A useful summary is that provided by Gibbs and Simpsons (2004). In their meta-study of the research about how assessment and feedback support student learning, 7 of their 10 identified conditions relate to feedback, and students understanding of feedback. These are Sufficient feedback is provided, both often enough and in enough detail Feedback focuses on students performance, on their l earning and on actions under the students control, rather than on the students themselves and on their characteristics Feedback is convictionly in that it is featured by students while it still matters to them, and in time for them to pay attention to further learning or receive further assistance Feedback is appropriate to the purpose of the assignment and to its criteria for success Feedback is appropriate, in relation to students understanding of what they are supposed to be doing Feedback is received and attended to and, Feedback is acted on by the student.Hounsell (2004) also makes the following points about feedback It suffer be extrinsic (assessment-focused) or intrinsic (activity andpractice-based) It can be immediate and verbal (in order to cut across the potential lack of engagement when it arrives after an assessment) It can be provided to be a whole class It can be many to many where students are involved in identifying the strengths and weaknesses (peer feedback) an d, Feedback can be a loop it can be offered on unfinished work.Another useful idea is feed-forward. Feed-forward encourages students to use roundthing interchangeable a visageing rubric (also captured by the idea of criteria and standards) to help plan their approach to an assessment. While a marking rubric is routinely used by university teachers to mark/grade students work (as an expression of what a student needs to demonstrate (and the level they need to achieve) to receive a particular grade), the idea of feed-forward is about encouraging students to use that same information in the rubric to plan their work, and perhaps even, to self-assess it before submitting it for formal feedback. In summaryFeedback example Develop a marking rubric as a cover sheet. The rubric identifies the elements of the assignment, together with a breakdown of marks for each element or a translation of the standard for an A, B, C, D, P etc.Feed-forward example Provide the marking rubric to student s before the assignment is due so that they clearly understand whats expected, the levels of achievement, and can plan their approach accordingly.In marking student work, youll need a suite of feedback techniques. Remember, if youre going to be spending a lot of time providing feedback, you want to make sure that students read, use and engage with your feedback to improve their next assignment. The best way to do that is to have a ramble of techniques that you can drop back on, when you need to. The table below describes some feedback techniques.One observation you might make about each of these techniques is that they are focused on (i) engaging students with the criteria and standards, and (ii) with what the student does with the feedback they receive. If youd like to read more about these two ideas (and others like them), two articles may be especially useful to you Rust, Price ODonovan (2003) and Price, ODonovan Rust (2004).Consistency and fairness in marking and feedbackCon sistency in marking, or moderation, is aimed at ensuring fairness in marking, and requires finding or establishing agreement amongst markers. Making sure that assignments contain criteria and standards is a good start because the expectations involved are clear to the student and clear to the marker. Although this does not absolve the marker from rendering students work, without criteria or standards, the job of marking ends up being much harder.The procedures for marking are set out in the Universitys Assessment Procedures (an excerpt of the principles is below)Where in that location is more than whiz marker, selected pieces of work from each assessment task should be reviewed by the subject coordinator to verify the level and consistency of the marks allocated by the marker.This process, called moderation, increases the dependableness of the assessment process and application of standards, promotes consistency, supports objectivity and establishes a shared understanding of st andards and fairness in assessment.The university also has a grading schema with a range of Pass grades.Graduate capabilitiesAlongside the conventional grading schema, from 2012, all commencing first year students will receive a result on the achievement of the universitys six graduate capabilities at the end of the year Writing Speaking Inquiry/Research Critical thinking Creative Problem-solving TeamworkThere are some subjects which have been designated cornerstone, mid-point and capstone status. This means that their curriculum has been designed to teach, assess, provide feedback and report specifically on these graduate capabilities. For each graduate capability, students will receive one of three results exceeded expectations, met expectations or did not meet expectations. Each faculty has carefully crafted a description of what these standards look like. It may be the case that you will be asked to provide feedback to students about their graduate capability achievement as well . Because faculties will have already done substantial work outlining those standards, it is likely you will be asked to offer students that feedback.SummaryWhen considered together, assessment and feedback are incredibly powerful levers for influencing the direction of students efforts, and their learning. For many students, the assessment in the subject is the actual curriculum. It is largely students reading and acquaintance of what the assessment demands of them which is a key determinant in how they spend their time in a subject. Therefore, the messages that students take away about assessment from the documents the Subject Guide from interaction with other students, are important considerations. In the second week, you will discover just how crucial feedback is to this process and how theadoption of standards and criteria will help you mark and grade more efficiently and effectively.ReferencesGibbs, G. and Simpson, C. (2004). Conditions Under Which Assessment Supports Student Learning. Learning and Teaching, Issue 1, pp 3-31.Hattie, J. Timperley, H. (2007). The Power of Feedback. Review of Educational Research, 77(1), 81-112.Hounsell, D. (2004). Reinventing Feedback in the Contemporary Scotch University. Scottish Quality Enhancement Workshop on Assessment, University of Glasgow available online at www.enhancementthemes.ac.uk/documents/events/20040604/Hounsellpaper.pdf.ODonovan, B., Price, M., Rust, C. (2004). Know what I mean? Enhancing student understanding of assessment standards and criteria. Teaching in Higher Education, 9(3), 325-335.Orrell, J. (2006). Assessment beyond intuition. Central Queensland University available online at http//www.learning.cq.edu.au/FCWViewer/view.do?page=8896, accessed Feb 2011.Price, M., ODonovan, B., Rust, C. (2004).Know what I mean? Enhancing student understanding of assessment standards and criteria. Teaching in Higher Education, 9(3), 325-335.Ramsden, P. (2003). Learning to teach in higher education. (2nd edition ). Routledge, NY London.Rust, C., Price, M., ODonovan, B. (2003). Improving Students Learning by Developing their Understanding of Assessment Criteria and Processes. Assessment Evaluation in Higher Education, 28(2), 147-164.Taylor, J. (2008). Assessment in First Year University A model to manage transition. Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 5(1).