“Assessment is an ongoing process aimed at understanding and improving student learning. It involves:
- making our expectations explicit and public;
- setting appropriate criteria and high standards for learning quality;
- systematically gathering, analyzing, and interpreting evidence to determine how well performance matches those expectations and standards; and
- using the resulting information to document, explain, and improve performance.
(Angelo, T. A. (1995)Reassessing (and Defining) Assessment.The AAHE Bulletin, 48 (2).
If learning is the goal of our teaching, then it is crucial that assessment be closely integrated with the learning outcomes and the instructional activities.
CTL WORKSHOP RESOURCES
Assessment Strategies – Introduction (Bob Marchessault’s slides in PDF format)
Defining Explicit Assessment Criteria
Assessment – Reflection Worksheet
PEDAGOGGLES
Designing Formative Assessments (Vol.1, No.2)
Applying Principles of Good Practice for Assessment (Vol. 3, No. 1)
ARTICLES ON EVALUATION
Boud, D. & Flachikov, N. (2006). Aligning assessment with long-term learning. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education 31(4). 399-413. This article can be accessed through Academic Search Premiere, one of Georgian’s Subscription Databases. http://library.georgianc.on.ca/Research_Support/A-Z_Databases
Garfield , J.B. (1994). Beyond testing and grading: Using assessment to improve student learning.Journal of Statistics Education, 2(1). Retrieved November 2005 from http://www.amstat.org/publications/jse/v2n1/garfield.html
BOOKS AVAILABLE IN THE CENTRE FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING
Angelo, T.A., & Cross, K.P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for college teachers. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass
Banta, T.W. Lund. J.P., et. al. (1996). Assessment in practice: Putting principles to work on college campuses. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Brown, S., & Glasner, A. (Eds.) (1999). Assessment matters in higher education: Choosing and using diverse approaches. Open University Press.
Fink. L.D. (2003). Creating significant learning experiences: An integrated approach to designing college courses. Jossey-Bass
Huba, M. E. & Freed, J. E. (2000). Learner-centered assessment on college campuses: Shifting the focus from teaching to learning. Allyn and Bacon.
EXTERNAL WEB RESOURCES
American Psychological Association. (2005). Assessment CyberGuide. Retrieved September 15, 2003 from http://www.apa.org/ed/guide_outline.html
This guide has excellent resources for designing effective assessment strategies. Although it is designed for a Psychology department, it applies to almost any discipline.
American Psychological Association. (2005). Evaluating assessment strategies. Retrieved November 15, 2005 fromhttp://www.apa.org/ed/eval_strategies.html
In this section of the assessment cyberguide, 17 common assessment strategies are examined in terms of their advantages, disadvantages, and recommendations.
Fulks, J. & Pluta, K. (2004). Assessing student learning in higher education. Bakersfield College. Retrieved September 2005 from http://online.bakersfieldcollege.edu/courseassessment/Default.htm
Learning Technology Dissemination Initiative. (n.d.) Evaluation Cookbook. Retrieved September 10, 2003 fromhttp://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ltdi/cookbook/recipes_classified.html
This site names and describes about 20 different types of evaluation.
Mueller, J. (n.d.). Authentic Assessment Toolbox. Retrieved September 17, 2009 from http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/index.htm