UNIVERSITY OF MALTA
PROGRAMME VALIDATION COMMITTEE
Assessment
Introduction
In higher education, ‘assessment’ refers to any processes that appraise an individual’s
knowledge, understanding, abilities or skills. Quality assessment practices are an
important element of the student experience, with the outcomes of assessment influencing
students’ future lives.
The University of Malta is committed to promoting good practice, consistency and rigour
in assessment by ensuring that the following principles are adhered to:
•
Assessment is reliable, with clear and consistent processes for the setting, marking,
grading and moderation of assessment exercises. A reliable assessment will produce
the same results on re-assessment, and will produce similar results with a similar
cohort of students, so it is consistent in its methods and criteria
•
Assessment is valid, effectively measuring student attainment of the intended learning
outcomes
•
Assessment is inclusive and equitable, ensuring that tasks and procedures do not
create disadvantages for any group or individual
•
Assessment procedures are transparent, and the criteria and methods by which
students’ work is judged are made clear to students, staff and external auditors
•
The amount of assessed work is manageable
•
Each programme is to include a variety of assessment types, in order to promote
effective learning and allow a range of learning outcomes to be appropriately
addressed
Purposes of Assessment
Assessment is at the heart of the learning experience for students and serves many
purposes:
•
Promoting student learning by providing appropriate feedback on performance
•
Evaluating the extent to which students have achieved the desired learning outcomes
of their programme or study-unit, in terms of knowledge, skills, understanding or
abilities
•
Providing a mark or grade that enables a student’s performance to be established and
which may be used to make progress decisions
•
Providing important information for employers and higher education providers,
indicating whether an individual has attained an appropriate level of achievement
•
Providing opportunities for staff to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching
The Assessment Process
At its most basic, the assessment process can be broken down into three parts:
1. Establishing student learning goals and objectives for the study-unit or
programme element
2. Measuring whether these goals have been met
3. Using the results to improve teaching and learning in the programme
Formative and Summative Assessment
Assessment can be administered at various times throughout a programme and a
comprehensive assessment plan will include formative and summative assessment. The
point at which the assessment occurs in a programme distinguishes these two categories
of assessment:
•
Formative Assessment
Formative assessment is often conducted during or at the beginning of a programme, thus
providing the opportunity to gather immediate evidence for student learning in a
particular study-unit or at a particular point in a programme. Classroom assessment is one
of the most common formative assessment techniques. The purpose of this technique is to
improve quality of student learning and should not be evaluative or involve grading
students. This can also lead to curricular modifications when specific study-units have
not met the student learning outcomes.
•
Summative Assessment
Summative assessment is administered on completion of a study-unit or other component
of a programme, and determines whether or not the student has "passed". It is or should
be undertaken with reference to all the objectives or outcomes of the programme, and is
usually fairly formal and comprehensive in nature. Summative assessment can also be
formative, if the feedback offered is appropriate.
Choosing Assessment Methods
In view of the wide range of methods available (refer to table of assessment methods at
the end of this document), it is necessary to determine which type of assessment is the
best for the purpose of evaluating student performance in a chosen study-unit or
programme. Different forms of assessment can, and where appropriate should, be used to
test different types of skills. The following issues should be taken into consideration
when deciding on the most appropriate method of assessment:
•
The principle of constructive alignment:
1. Intended learning outcomes, learning and teaching activities and assessment
methods should be aligned
2. From the students’ point of view, assessment determines what needs to be learnt,
and drives the learning outcomes
3. From the teachers’ point of view, the learning outcomes should drive the
assessment
Learning &
teaching activities
Intended Learning
Outcomes
Designed to meet
learning outcomes
Assessment
methods
Designed to assess
learning outcomes
Constructive Alignment
•
The role of the subject in the overall subject sequence of the programme e.g. the role
of compulsory subjects within a programme or programmes. In particular:
1. Specific knowledge – basic to the field and/or serving as a prerequisite for later
learning
2. Specific professional or academic skills
3. Specific graduate attributes
•
What is the intended purpose of the current assessment exercise, for example:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
•
To provide early feedback to students
To measure how well students have attained stated learning outcomes
To identify which students are experiencing difficulties
To develop specific graduate attributes
To determine whether students can proceed to the next level of instruction
Practical considerations, for example:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Size of the class
Mix of students – international, working, mature age etc
Resources available – equipment, facilities, staff with required expertise
Ease of setting
Ease of marking
Potential for plagiarism and other forms of cheating
Stress on students and staff
Need for disabilities support
Assessment Checklist for Teaching Staff and Programme Developers
•
Has alignment of the learning outcomes, teaching and assessment methods been
considered and ensured as far as possible?
•
Has the validity of the assessment task been taken into account, i.e. the extent to
which it evaluates what it is supposed to evaluate (the learning outcomes)?
•
Has the reliability of the assessment task been considered i.e. is it accurate and
repeatable and have clear and consistent processes for the setting, marking, grading
and moderation of assignments been established?
•
Is the assessment efficient i.e. does the assessment achieve its various purposes (of
giving feedback to students; of returning reliable marks and grades; and of generating
and encouraging appropriate student activity) in a way which makes the best use of
staff and student time and other resources?
•
Does the assessment scheme cover all the learning outcomes and test them only once?
•
Have issues of plagiarism been addressed?
•
Are the assessment tasks appropriately productive and stimulating i.e. are they likely
to stimulate students to undertake work of the appropriate nature, quantity and
quality?
•
Has the issue of over-assessment been addressed, both in relation to other study-units
and within the current study-unit?
•
Have issues of equity and diversity been taken into account in devising the scheme of
assessment?
•
Have the assessment requirements and criteria been communicated and made clear to
the students, so that they are fully aware of what they need to do to be assessed and
awarded a grade?
•
Has feedback been considered so that sufficient time is available for students to
respond to assessments?
•
Have students been made aware of grade descriptors?
•
Have practical considerations been taken into consideration e.g. size of class,
resources available etc. to ensure that the method of assessment is appropriate and
manageable?
Please refer to the University General Regulations:
•
For information on marking and grading, calculating average marks, assessment
methods, supplementary assessments and classification of undergraduate
•
For information on marking and grading, re-assessment of study-units and
classification of postgraduate awards
The following links provide further information related to assessment:
•
http://www.assessment.uconn.edu/docs/resources/Eric_Soulsby_Assessment_Notes.pdf
•
http://www.apa.org/ed/eval_strategies.html
•
http://www.apa.org/ed/avoid_pitfalls.html
•
http://www.um.edu.mt/aqpru/LO-AB.pps
ASSESSMENT TYPE
REVISED ASSESSMENT
CODE
TYPE CODE
ASSIGN
ASSIGN
FULL NAME
COMMENTS
Assignment
For this purpose, assignment means an essay set for
students to be done away from the classroom and
submitted by a set date.
AT
ANL TSK
Analysis Task
CASE1
CASE ST1
Case Study (take home)
CASE2
CASE ST2
Case Study (exam
conditions)
CLI AS
CLIN ASS
Clinical Assessment
CLI RE
CLIN REP
Clinical Report
CLW
CLWK
Classwork
COMP
COMP
Competencies
Examined during a pre-set time
Competence is the acquisition of knowledge skills and
abilities at a level of expertise sufficient to be able to
perform in an appropriate work setting (within or outside
academia).
DISS
DISS
Dissertation
A dissertation is an extended written report involving
research by the student, usually undertaken individually,
which contributes significantly towards a final assessment
for a degree.
ESSAY
ESSAY
Essay
EXAM
EXAM
Examination
A written assessment held under supervision on a set
date, at a set time and venue, or an oral assessment, the
result of which contributes to the final mark of a study-
unit.
EXER
EXER
Oral and Written Exercises
FLDW
FLDWK
Fieldwork
Practical work conducted in the natural environment
LBK
LOGBK
Logbook
A systematic record of work done or experiences
LESS
LESS
Long Essay
ORAL
ORAL
Oral Examination
OSCE
OSCE
Objective Structured
Used only at IHC.
Clinical Examination
PAPER
PAPER
Seminar Paper
PERF
PERF
Performance
Process of performing a piece of music or staging a
theatrical production
PLAC
PLAC
Placement
PORT
PORT
Portfolio
A systematic and organized collection of a student's work
that exhibits to others the direct evidence of a student's
efforts, achievements, and progress over a period of time.
It should include representative work, providing a
documentation of the learner's performance and a basis
for evaluation of the student's progress. Portfolios may
include a variety of demonstrations of learning and have
been gathered in the form of a physical collection of
materials, videos, CD-ROMs, reflective journals, etc.
PRAC
PRAC
Practical
PRES
PRES
Presentation
PROJ
PROJ
Project
A complex assignment involving more than one type of
activity and production. Projects can take a variety of
forms; some examples are a mural construction, a shared
service project, or other collaborative or individual effort.
PRTST
PROG TST
Progress Test
RD
REF DRY
Reflective Diary
REPORT
REPORT
Report
RESP
RES PAP
Research Paper
STST
SUB TST
Subject Test
THS
THS
Thesis
A formally presented written report based on independent
research which is required for the award of an SThD,
MPhil or PhD degree.
TRAN
TRAN
Transcription
To arrange music for an instrument
WB
WRKBK
Workbook
A record of work done
WRKSH
WRKSH
Workshop
A meeting for concerted discussion or activity