CTVSD2/Introduction/Principles

Activity

Before we get into what good assessment looks like and the principles that can guide you to design good assessments, take a few moments to reflect on your personal views of assessment.

Think about what are your views on good assessment and how you came to these views or beliefs.

Discussion

Share your views and experience with other course participants in the CTVSD2 forum See if collectively you can arrive to shared views what good assessment looks like and why.

Let's look at what is good assessment. Whether online or at the workplace assessments must provide for valid, reliable, fair, flexible assessment in an efficient way. Here are few principles that have been accepted as what good assessment should look like;

Validity is concerned with the extent to which an assessment decision about whether a learner is competent or not yet competent, based on the evidence of performance by the learner, is justified.

Validity requires:

• assessment against the unit(s) of competency/ outcomes and the associated assessment requirements covers the broad range of skills and knowledge essential to competent performance;
• assessment of knowledge and skills is integrated with their practical application;
• assessment is to be based on evidence that shows that a learner can demonstrate these skills and knowledge in other similar situations;and
• judgement of competence is based on evidence of learner performance that is aligned to the unit(s) of competency/ outcomes and associated assessment requirements.

Reliability is an estimate of how accurate or precise the assessment task is as a measuring instrument of competence. Reliability is also concerned with how much error is included in the evidence.

Reliability requires evidence presented for assessment to be consistently interpreted and assessment results to be comparable, irrespective of the assessor conducting the assessment.

Fairness requires consideration of the individual's needs and characteristics, and any reasonable adjustments that need to be applied because of them.

Fairness requires clear communication to ensure that the learner is fully informed about, understands, is able to participate in, the assessment process, and agrees that the process is appropriate.

Flexibility assessments should reflect the learner’s needs; draw on a range of methods appropriate to the context, consider the competency of the learner; and support continuous competency development.

Flexibility requires assessment to be:

• reflecting the learner’s needs;
• assessing competencies held by the learner, no matter how or where they have been acquired; and
• drawing from a range of assessment methods and using those that are appropriate to the context, the unit of competency/ outcome and associated assessment requirements, and the individual.

Efficiency means, assessments are not too costly and do not impose excessively high time burden on assessors or markers.

Readings

Guiding Principles for Assessment of Student Learning is an article from the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning Guide Series which will help you develop further understanding of the broader assessment principles.

COL Guidelines for Online Assessment for Educators is another useful reading. It clarifies the concept of online assessment, the principles of online assessment and what informs good online assessment practice. It also provides a selection of online resources.