Alternative Assessment
GradSTEP 2011
John Morrell
Blaine Smith
Which of these best describes the discipline in
which you teach?



1. Natural Sciences / Math / Engineering
2. Humanities / Fine Arts
3. Social Sciences
Think of a course in which you expect to be
assessing students. How many students will be
in this course?





1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
15 or fewer
16 – 30
31 – 60
61 – 120
121 or more
Now think of an assignment in that course that will
be challenging to grade. What kind of assignment
is it?







1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Test / Exam
Homework
Short Paper
Long Paper
Project
Presentation
Other
Muddiest Point

What is the most challenging or confusing
aspect of assessment for you?
Alternative Assessment
The utilization of non-traditional approaches in
judging student performance.
Alternative Assessment
Common Characteristics of
Alternative Assessments

Asks students to perform, create or produce something

Evaluation criteria and standards are known to the student

Involve interaction between assessor (instructor, peers,
self) and person assessed

Provides self-assessment opportunities for students

Provides opportunities for both individual and group work

Encourages students to continue the learning activity
beyond the scope of the assignment
Key Features of Alternative
Assessments



Assesses a learning process and encourages
student self-reflection
Based on authentic task with real-world
application
Topics and means of expression are of interest
to the students
Assess Process of Learning





Flexible
Show development
Increases
communication
Promotes reflection
Provides feedback
Assess Process of Learning




Process Journals
Interactive Journal
Drafts
Portfolio
Classroom Assessment Techniques



Background Knowledge Probe: short, simple
questionnaire given to students at the start of a course,
or before the introduction of a new unit, lesson or topic.
Minute Paper: brief response to the following questions:
“What was the most important thing you learned during
this class?” and “What important question remains
unanswered?”
Muddiest Point: jot down a quick response to one
question: “What was the muddiest point in [the lecture,
discussion, homework assignment, film, etc.]?”
Authentic Assessment




Close to actual
practice
Real world scenarios
Relevance outside of
class
Larger audience
Student Choice





Choose topic or propose
assessment
Help to develop
evaluative criteria
Mode of expression
 Visual
 Written
 Multimodal
Genre
Media
Questions to Ask






Does the assessment meet outcome goals?
Does the assessment enable students to
demonstrate their progress and capabilities?
Do the assessments use authentic, real world
tasks?
What options/choices are allowed?
Will the assessment be meaningful and engaging
to students so that they will be motivated?
Does the assessment involve real problems,
situations, and audiences?
Revamp an Assignment: 3-minute Paper


On the top of your paper write down an
assignment that could be revamped into
an alternative assessment
Consider ways to make it:





Authentic
Measure process
Reflective
Include student choice
Engaging and motivating
Grading
Denis Rancourt


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0HZD
N6xXZ8
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/200
9/02/08/the-two-languages-of-academicfreedom/
What are the purposes of grading?
•
•
Evaluation
Motivation
•
•
•
Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic
Ranking relative to others
More?
What are the potential problems
with grading?





Validity
Reliability and Accuracy
Fairness
Bias
Others?
The Curve
Norm-Referenced Assessment

Obtain information about a learner’s performance in
relation to others’.



ACT, GRE, MCAT, etc.
Can take more than a year for a single multiple choice
question to be approved.
Some instructors “curve” test scores for various
reasons



Department requirements, personal preference,
compensating for lower than average scores, etc.
Is the adjusted distribution fair to all of the students?
Do you have other assessments that reflect similar score
distributions for the same students?
Criterion-Referenced Assessment




Define the content for assessment in terms of
what knowledge and skills the student must
demonstrate
Define a grading scale for judging student
performance
Make sure that the assessment requires students
to perform the same skills they practiced during
their learning activities prior to the assessment
Distribution can take any shape
Teaching with Rubrics



Evaluative Criteria
Quality Definitions
Scoring Strategy


Holistic
Analytic
Potential Problems with Rubrics





Task specific evaluative criteria
Excessively general evaluative criteria
Dysfunctional detail
Equating the test of the skill with the skill
itself
From “What’s Wrong—and What’s Right—with Rubrics” in
Educational Leadership (Oct. 1997)
Class Participation
0.
Absent.
1.
Present, not disruptive.
Tries to respond when called on but does not offer much.
Demonstrates very infrequent involvement in discussion.
2.
Demonstrates adequate preparation: knows basic case or reading facts, but does not show evidence of trying to interpret or
analyze them.
Offers straightforward information (e.g., straight from the case or reading), without elaboration or very infrequently (perhaps
once a class).
Does not offer to contribute to discussion, but contributes to a moderate degree when called on.
Demonstrates sporadic involvement.
3.
Demonstrates good preparation: knows case or reading facts well, has thought through implications of them.
Offers interpretations and analysis of case material (more than just facts) to class.
Contributes well to discussion in an ongoing way: responds to other students' points, thinks through own points, questions
others in a constructive way, offers and supports suggestions that may be counter to the majority opinion.
Demonstrates consistent ongoing involvement.
4.
Demonstrates excellent preparation: has analyzed case exceptionally well, relating it to readings and other material (e.g.,
readings, course material, discussions, experiences, etc.).
Offers analysis, synthesis, and evaluation of case material, e.g., puts together pieces of the discussion to develop new
approaches that take the class further.
Contributes in a very significant way to ongoing discussion: keeps analysis focused, responds very thoughtfully to other
students' comments, contributes to the cooperative argument-building, suggests alternative ways of approaching material and helps class analyze
which approaches are appropriate, etc.
Demonstrates ongoing very active involvement.
VALUE Rubrics (AAC&U)

VALUE: Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education

Intellectual and Practical Skills











Personal and Social Responsibility





Inquiry and analysis
Critical thinking
Creative thinking
Written communication
Oral communication
Reading
Quantitative literacy
Information literacy
Teamwork
Problem solving
Civic knowledge and engagement
Intercultural knowledge and competence
Ethical reasoning
Foundations and skills for lifelong learning
Integrative and Applied Learning

Integrative and applied learning
Participatory / Consensus Rubrics

Have students collaborate in the creation
of a rubric.
Self Evaluation
•
•
•
Create opportunities for self reflection.
Can you allow students to contribute a
self-reflection as part of the assignment?
Could you allow students to grade
themselves?
Revision and Test Correction

Create structured opportunities for
learning and improvement. Allow
students to revise papers and correct test
questions.

Before or after assigning grades?
Other ideas?


Non-binding grades.
More?
Exercise



Think of an assignment on which you
might experiment with some form of
alternative grading (3 mins)
Share with your neighbor (5 mins)
Ideas?
Return to Muddiest Point

Other questions and thoughts?
Resources

Vanderbilt Center for Teaching
(http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/teachingguides/assessment/)




The CFT is hosting a workshop on January 26 entitled
“Negotiating Student Expectations about Grades and
Goals” from 4:10 – 5:30
Furman Center for Teaching
(http://facweb.furman.edu/~ctel/rubrics.htm)
RubiStar – rubric templates
(http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php)
AAC&U VALUE Rubrics
http://www.aacu.org/value/rubrics/)