UNIT NO 9 .

Assessment of Learning and

Learner

What is Assessment?
Assessment is the process of gathering and discussing information from multiple and
diverse source in order to develop a deep understanding of what students know, understand, and can
do with their knowledge as a result of their educational experiences ; the process culminates when
assessment results are used to improve subsequent learning.
Assessment is a systematic collection, review ,and use of information about educational programme
undertaken for the purpose of students learning and development.

Assessment
The
processes of
making a
judgment or
forming an
opinion ,after
considering
something or
someone
carefully.

Assessment of
Learning.
The
purpose of this
kind of
assessment is
usually
SUMMATIVE and is mostly done at the end of task, unit of work etc.

It is designed to provide evidence of achievement to parents, other educators, the students

themselves , and sometimes to outside groups (e.g employers , other educational institutions).

Assessment of Learning is the assessment that becomes public and results in statements or symbols
about how well students are learning. It often contributes to pivotal decisions that will affects students
futures. It is important, then, that the underlying logic and measurement of assessment of learning by
credible and defensible.
Teachers Roles in the Assessment of Learning:
Teachers have the responsibility of reporting student learning accurately and fairly, based on
evidence obtained from a variety of contexts and applications.

EFFECTIVE ASSESSMENT of learning requires that teachers provide:

1) A rationale for undertaking a particular assessment of learning at a particular point in time.

2) Clear descriptions of the intended learning.
3) Processes that make it possible for students to demonstrate their skills and competence.
4) A range of alternatives mechanism for assessing the same outcomes.
5) Public and defensible reference points for making judgment.
6) Transparent approaches to interpretation.
7) Descriptions for assessment process.
8) Strategies for recourse in the event of disagreement about the decision.

The Principles of Learning Assessment.

We typically assess student learning in terms of their grades on

quizzes, tests, and papers. But this kind of assessment comes too
lateit give us no chance to adjust our teaching in order to improve
students content mastery or skills.
An alternative approach emphasizes how assessment can help us
improve our teaching.
Principle 1: Assessment should be linked to our learning
objectives.
To properly assess student learning, you need to know what you
want your class to accomplish: The content you wish to convey and
the skills you want to nurture.
Principle 2: Assessment requires an instructor to be highly
specific about what outcomes to assess.
You need to spell out objectives that are clear and precise, and not
vague or allusive.

Principle 3: The objectives need to be student-focused rather

than instructor-focused.
Focus on the learning resulting from an activity rather than on the
activity that you assign.

Principle 4: The learning outcomes need to be measurable.

Real-Time Assessment
If we are serious about enhancing student learning, we want to know
what content and skills students have mastered and which they are
struggling with.
Here are some ways your can assess student learning in real time
so that you can adjust your teaching to student needs:
1. Observation
You can learn a lot just by watching students at work. Break them
into small groups and give them a problem and see how they grapple
with it.
2. Think Aloud
Give students a problem and have them articulate what they are
thinking as they attempt to solve it.
3. Diagnostics
A one minute paper or a problem or a quiz can offer an efficient
way to diagnose student strengths and deficiencies. But also
consider more creative alternatives:
In a humanities class, you might ask the students to convert the text into a
screenplay or to construct a
FaceBook
You might also ask students to serve as apprentice scholars w
4. A Survey
A survey allows students to speak for themselves and assess their own areas
of competence and deficiency
Ways to assess Learning:
Following are the ways of learning used either in classroom or in community.
1) Brainstorming;
Steps:
1. Present an open ended question for students to discuss and solve.
2. Students can work individually, in pairs or groups, or as a class ( or
combination of these).
3. Have students share ideas with class , making notes on the board.
4. Challenge their responses or have other students challenge the r
responses on the board.
5. At the end , correct any misconception, note opposing points of
view and summarize main points.
Value:
Promotes critical and creative thinking and imagination.
2) Concept Map;
Steps:
1. Provide students with a list of terms relative to their course work
(Either from the previous class , last several classes or most
recent Lecture segment). Terms may be provided as a list or
given out as a stack of cards.
2. Ask students to create meaningful pattern with these terms
(food web- how are different organism linked, cardiovascular
System blood flow ,etc).There may be one right answer or the
concepts may promote creative exploration of the topic.
3. If time allows, ask one group to share concept map with the
whole class. Or alternatively, ask one group to explain their
pattern to another group in the class.
Value:
Promotes integration of ideas , provides immediate feedback about student understanding.
3) Decision Making;
Steps:
1. Provide student with problem that they need to work on for
example Imagine you are the director of the antibiotic
discovery unit in a major pharmaceutical company and you are
 ask for a five-years plan to develop a new antibiotics. You are
told that the plan will be funded only if you can convince your
managers that you will be able to develop the five new drugs
with entirely new modes of action. Can you do it? What is your
plan and how will you defend it?
2. Ask students to work in groups ( 2-4 students) to develop a plan
based on what they have learned in class.
3. Have students share ideas with class, making notes on the board.
4. Ask other students in the class to comment on each groups
proposal and suggest changes.
Value:
Promotes integration of ideas, critical, creative thinking, provides immediate feedback about
student understanding.
4) Item Clarification;
Steps:
1. Give students a handout that lists key terms or items for
Discussion.
2. Ask student to review the list and select a few items for
Clarification.
3. Next have students get into pairs and select a particular item
for immediate clarification.
4. Call a student at random and clarify the chosen item
(or, better yet, ask if another student can offer clarification).
5. Call on additional students and continue to clarify items.
6. Near the end, If times allows, ask participants if there are your
responses or those of other students they want to change or
Debate.
7. Conclude with a brief review of the items.
Value:
Provide immediate feedback about student understanding , and it helps priorities items for
review and discussion.
5) Matrix;
Steps:
1. Student should create a table with information to compare ( i.e
pros/con , two different processes).
Learning Activity Value of Activity Limitation of Activity
Matrix
Minute paper, etc
2. Ask students to work in groups to fill out the table.
3. Have group share their ideas with class and make notes on the
Board.
Value:
Promotes integration of ideas , allows student to easily compare ideas and reduce complexity.
6) Minute paper;
Steps:
1. At the end of a lecture segment or the end of the lecture class,
have students spend two or three minutes writing the summary
of the main points.
2. Ask at least one student to share what he/she wrote.
3. Collect the paper for review ( but not for a grade).
4. You can also use the minute paper to have students to write
down questions they have about the lectures, 3 key points of
the day, indicate points they don not understand, or share
 feedback about your delivery, use of slides, etc.
Value:
Provides immediate feedback about student understanding, helps priorities items for review and
discussion, and allows students to put material into their own words.
7) Multiple-choice survey;
Steps:
1. Put a multiple-choice item, preferably conceptual in nature,
related to your mini lecture on the board, a slide, or an
overhead, and give four response options.
2. Survey student responses ( have them raise hands use colored
cards, or use electronic response system- `clicker`).
3. Next have them get into pairs and take a couples of minutes
to convince each other of their responses.
4. Then re-survey the students.
5. Clarify any misconceptions before proceeding.
Value:
Makes students apply and discuss material while fresh in their minds, it provides immediate
feedback about students understanding.
8) Quick case study;
Steps:
1. Display a brief case on an overhead or slide ( or put on a
handout if lengthy).
2. Pose specific questions for students to answer based on the
case for example What is the problem? What is the remedy?
What is the prevention?.
3. Have students write down the answers.
4. Students can work individually or in pairs or groups.
5. If time allows, select a few students to share aloud their
Answers.
Value:
Makes students apply material to realistic situation, and it promotes critical and creative thinking.
9) Quick thinks;
For each of the following , use immediate material from mini-lectures , allow students a couple of
minutes to reflect before surveying their responses ( have students share aloud, and you can collect
written responses for participation points):

Correct the Error:

Present students with a statement, equation, or visual that you have intentionally made incorrect
and have them correct the error. The error may be illogical or inaccurate statement , premise,
inference, prediction or implication.
Correct a Sentence Stem:
Present student with a sentence starter and have them complete the sentence. The completed
statement may be the definition, category, cause-and -effect relationship, rationale or controversy, etc.
Try to avoid statements that ask for wrote knowledge.
Recorder the steps:
Present sequence items in the wrong order and have students reordered the sequence correctly.
This might be a process, cycle, method, plan, technique etc.
Interpretation/Paraphrase:
Let students know that you will be calling on them at random during your lectures and asking
them to interpret what you have said, putting the material into their own words. When you are ready,
pause for a moment to signal that are about to call on someone. Once a student has shared, call on
another students to add any missing items. You can also put items on the board, slide or a handout- a
definition, theory , statement, procedure, etc.- and have students write them in their own words.
 Value:
These exercises foster attentiveness, provides immediate feedback about the students
understanding, and promotes critical thinking skills.
10) Plus/Delta;
Steps:
1. At the end of the class ask the students to take a sheet of
paper and divide it into two columns.
2. In column 1(Plus) students write down what was very
positive about the class, an activity or instructional material.
In column 2(Delta) students write what they would like to
change in the future.
3. Collect student responses.
4. Read student responses and make changes for the next class
accordingly.
5. In the next class share some of the highlights with students
and make changes as necessary.
Value:
It provides the immediate feedback to the instructor, allows for quick changes even in the mid of
a term.
11) Strip sequence;
Steps:
1. Provide students with an out of order list of step in a
multi-stepped process( can be written on small strips of paper
or on the class screen).
2. In groups or individually, have students put the strips into
the correct order from beginning to end.
3. Have student groups compare answers with other group.
4. Review order and answers ( especially to clarify
misconception) for the whole class.
Value:
Promotes critical thinking and promotes collaborative learning.
12) Reflection;
Steps:
1. Have students take a few minutes to think and write down their
thoughts about the lecture material just presented or a
2. Collect student papers, if you wish, and review their responses
to assess their understanding and identifying areas that need
clarification at the beginning of the next lecture ( you can also
assign participation points for responses to allow students to
particular question or problem that has been posed.
submit them anonymously).
Value:
Allows students to think through material and put it in their own words.
13) Think-Pair-Share;
Steps:
1. Pose a question.
2. Students get into pairs and discuss question, coming to
some resolution.
3. Each student pair then share conclusions with entire
class ( in large classes or when time is limited, call on as
many pairs as times allows)
Value:
Promotes critical thinking and promotes collaborative learning.