Glossary

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This glossary is being developed with the help of course participants and will continue to grow.


This link takes you to a list of instruction words and their definitions from the Online Information Literacy collaborative project between the University of Otago, Dunedin College of Education and Otago Polytechnic.


Glossary of Useful Terms provides a larger range of assessment definitions from SABES (System for Adult Basic Education Support) Massachusetts Department of Education.

Course Title

Assessment - defined

as·sess·ment n. 1. The act of assessing; appraisal.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

assess verb [T] to judge or decide the amount, value, quality or importance of something

(from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

Assessment = Any systematic method of obtaining information from tests and other sources, used to draw inferences about characteristics of people, objects, or programs; the process of gathering, describing, or quantifying information about performance; an exercise-such as a written test, portfolio, or experiment-that seeks to measure a student's skills or knowledge in a subject area.

(from SABES glossary of useful terms)

Evaluation - defined

e·val·u·ate tr.v. e·val·u·at·ed, e·val·u·at·ing, e·val·u·ates

  • 1. To ascertain or fix the value or worth of.
  • 2. To examine and judge carefully; appraise. See Synonyms at estimate.
  • 3. Mathematics To calculate the numerical value of; express numerically.

e·valu·ation n.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

evaluate verb [T] to judge or calculate the quality, importance, amount or value of something evaluation noun [C or U]

(from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

Evaluation = When used for most educational settings, evaluation means to measure, compare, and judge the quality of student work, schools, or a specific educational program.

(from SABES glossary of useful terms)


Other assessment words

Compare – defined

Compare – write the advantages and disadvantages (pros & cons) of two points of view (or key points)

Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09

Critically analyse – defined

Critically analyse – indepth evaluation

  1. break it down and evaluate
  2. think about how it works and what you think about it
  3. what would you tell your friend over coffee of how it does not work
Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09


Define – defined

Define – a clear concise definition of the term or concept

Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09


Demonstrate – defined

Demonstrate – to show how something is done, process and completion

Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09


Discuss – defined

Discuss – explain your ideas from different angles

Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09


Discuss – explain the topic of the assignment from a variety of perspectives

Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09


Discuss – to provide information on the topic from several angles, ie, not a one word answer

Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09


Evaluate – defined

Evaluate – to identify positives, negatives and then to conclude

Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09


Evaluate – find the value for… value can be either quantitative or qualitative

Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09


Identify – defined

Identify – point out

Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09


List – defined

List – create a column of important points/components/aspects of the item

Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09


Rote learning– defined

Rote learning is learning things by repeating them without thinking about them or trying to understand them. Rote learned material can be recited or reproduced in writing, but it does not necessarily mean that the knowledge has been understood or can be applied to another situation.

Informal definition from A&E course participant, Aug 09