Definitions
Formative Assessment> - assessment that provides students with feedback that enables improved performance on current or subsequent tasks.
Summative assessment - assessment in which a grade or score is awarded that contributes to overall unit award.
Peer assessment - assessment done by other students rather than the teaching staff.
Rubric (also termed matrix) - a two-dimensional table that makes levels of attainment against a criteria explicit by explanatory description; rubrics are a wonderful means of communicating grading criteria, ensuring grading consistency and providing informative feedback.
Assessment and Feedback
Assessment is an opportunity for communication between staff and student:
- What is assessed tells the students what are the important learning outcomes of the unit;
- The performance of students on assessment tasks tells them how they are progressing;
- What the students fail tells the staff what needs readdressing.
Assessment is also a reporting tool that certifies which learning outcomes have been achieved.
Resources
LTC Assessment and Feedback Page: http://www.mq.edu.au/learningandteachingcentre/about_lt/assessment.htm
Jackson, M., Watty, K., Yu, L., Lowe, L. (2006). Inclusive assessment. Improving learning for all. A manual for improving assessment in accounting education. Strawberry Hills: The Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, online at Inclusive Assessment Manual (PDF, 71 pages)
Jackson, M., Watty, K., Yu, L., Lowe, L. (2006). Assessing Students Unfamiliar with Assessment Practices in Australian Universities. Strawberry Hills: The Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, online at Assessing Students (PDF, 119 pages)
Krause, K., Harris, K., Garnett, R., Gleeson, D., Peat, M., Taylor, C. (2007) Enhancing the assessment of learning in Australian higher education: Biological sciences. Strawberry Hills: The Carrick Institute for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education online at Enhancing Assessment (PDF, 33 pages)
Oxford Brookes University Learning and Teaching Methods
Assessing Group Tasks University of Queensland (PDF, 32 pages)
Examples of Best Practice
Blog: Giving Students a Voice and Audience in Their Assessment