Continuous Assessment for
Evaluating and Guiding Student
Learning
Rita Chan
Centre for Learning, Teaching and Supervision
Hong Kong Institute of Education
26 February 2004
1
Assessment can serve different
purposes
 Assign grades, certify
mastery
 Determine progress
 Identify strengths and
weaknesses
 Motivate students to study
 Create learning activity
 Give feedback to students
 Give feedback to teachers
 Judgment
 Learning
Use assessment to foster learning, learn about
learning and improve learning.
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Assessment assesses the extent to
which programme objectives are
achieved
 General and subject objectives
 Process and product objectives
 Knowledge and skills objectives
Match assessment tasks to objectives.
Make criteria explicit and clear.
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Different methods are appropriate for
different assessment purposes and for
different programme objectives
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Quiz
Examination
Essay
Multiple choice
Report
Dissertation / thesis
Project
Composition
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Performance
Journal
Portfolio
Self assessment
Peer assessment
Group assessment
Concept maps
Heuristics
Use a mix of methods.
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Continuous assessment
Sept
Jan
A1
A2
A3
A4
A5
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Characteristics of CASS
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Uses a variety of tasks
Measures a range of attributes
Takes place over a period of time
Creates regular teacher-student interaction
Makes reference to past, present and future
Synthesises information about learners
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CASS commonly found in course
outlines
 One essay (2000 words)
 Examination (3 hrs)
30%
70%
Dec
Jan
 5 lab reports
 Mid-term test
 Group project
30%
20%
50%
Nov
Jan
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Issues
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The ‘backwash’ effect of assessment
Modularisation and over-assessment
Larger classes and less feedback
Achievements, not numbers
Unused data
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Challenges
 Aligning objectives, learning and
assessment
 Engaging students
 Providing frequent and useful feedback
 Managing assessment workload
 Using assessment results to evaluate
and improve teaching and programme
effectiveness
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Ideas (1)
 Constructive alignment
– Programme-course mapping (examples from
Alverno College)
 Engaging students
– Clear links between task and course objectives
– Clear instructions and criteria
– Reasonable time and effort
– Choice
– Challenge
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Major
General
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Communication
Analysis
Problem solving
Valuing in decision making
Social interaction
Global perspectives
Effective citizenship
Aesthetic responsiveness
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Analyzes behavior within a
theoretical framework supported
by appropriate methodology and
data interpretation
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Explains behavior through an
integration of psychology and
specialized areas of study in the
liberal arts
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Demonstrates an awareness of
the contributions and limitations
of psychology in the world
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Acts in ways that reflect the
tenets of psychology, including
tolerance of ambiguity,
sensitivity to ethics, appreciation
of individual differences, respect
for ongoing inquiry, and the
assumptions of the complexity of
human behavior
PSY 101 General Psychology Alverno College, Milwaukee
Course
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To observe and make
appropriate inferences about
human behavior through
experience in observing
behavior and in studying the
major concepts, methods and
theories of psychology
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To use what psychology has
learned about problem solving to
(1) self assess your own
problem solving style and (2)
identify methods for researching
questions pertinent to
psychology
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To apply the knowledge and
abilities acquired in the course to
issues confronted by individuals
and groups in today’s society
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Assessment Stimulus
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Choose a behavior (habit) you would like to increase
or a behavior you would like to decrease.
Record and graph this behavior for approximately
one week. Also record any antecedents and
consequences of the target behavior.
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Formulate a hypothesis as to why this behavior is
maintained at its present rate.
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Design a program either to increase a behavior
(applying the principles of Reinforcement) or to
decrease a behavior (applying either “controlling
antecedents” and/or punishment and/or
reinforcement of reduced behavior.
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Implement your program for about two weeks.
Record the rate of your behavior during this time.
In a report for the class (written or oral), summarize
the results. Interpret them by applying the principles
of operant conditioning. Evaluate what factors
contributed to the success or failure of your program.
PSY 101 General Psychology Alverno College, Milwaukee
Criteria
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Accurately distinguishes between
behaviour and inferences about
behavior
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Demonstrates accurate application of
the principles of operant conditioning
(behavior modification) for the
purpose of increasing target
behaviors or decreasing target
behaviors
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Presents data and results accurately
and clearly
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Formulates acceptable hypothesis
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Designs and implements a workable
program
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Makes accurate inferences re:
effectiveness of program
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Ideas (2)
 Effective feedback
– No marks, comments only
– Focus on learning and improvement
– Comments linked to criteria and student goals
– Peer comments
– Positive, direct, timely
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Ideas (3)
 Workload
– Peer and self assessment
– Group work
– Group feedback
– Use assessment and feedback form
– Email, e-discussion
 Using assessment results
– Student self evaluation
– Error analysis
– Exam item analysis
– Audit programme achievement
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Examples
LOAP
 Peer feedback
 Mini-viva
 Unannounced open-book tests
FAST
 Peer assessment
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Peer Feedback
Aim
 To promote independent
research and enquiry
 To encourage mutual support in
learning
Context
 Educational Psychology
 Case Study as final assessment
 Group presentation on selfselected topic – not marked
Technique
 At the end of a presentation,
each student writes:
– One thing of value learnt
– One thing to know more
about
– One commendation
– One suggestion
 Comments are collated and
circulated to group
 Presentation is copied to all
Evaluation
 Adds interest to subject
 Broadens and deepens learning
 Provides practice in research,
analysis and explaining
 Promotes reflection
 Fosters positive and
constructive responding
 Generates a large number of
ideas for improvement
 Provides a window to students’
learning
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Unannounced Open-book Tests
Aim
 To assess student progress
 To enhance learning through attending
to identified learning issues
Context
 Statistics
Technique
 Inform students about the
possibility of two unannounced
tests at the beginning of term
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Evaluation
 Keeps students alert
 Has objective data on students’
progress
 Helps review and adjust
teaching
 Improves final assessment
results
Allow students to work with books and
reference materials
Give written feedback but no marks
Highlight common issues to the group
in class
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Mini-viva
Aim:
 To engage students in dialogue and
reflection on a summative
assignment
Context
 English group assignment
Technique
 Students submit group
assignment
 Lecturer makes swift provisional
assessment
 Groups attend a 15 minute viva,
where they receive feedback
and answer questions about
their assignment
 After the viva, lecturer finalises
the grade and returns
assignment to students in the
normal way
Evaluation
 Students are more responsive to
feedback without marks
 Students get a chance to clarify
muddy points in their assignment
 Assessment results may improve as
a result
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Peer assessment
From a LOAP workshop by
Graham Gibbs at HKIEd (11
February 2004):
Context
 Engineering
 Weekly lectures, problem sheets
and classes
 Student numbers >170
 Students stopped doing
problems
 Exam marks dropped from 50%
to 45%
Strategy
 Course requirement to complete
50 problems
 Peer assessed in six ‘lecture’
slots
 Marks do not count
 Lectures, problems, classes,
exams unchanged
 Exam marks increased from
45% to 85%
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Conditions under which assessment
supports student learning
Graham Gibbs, Institute for the
Advancement of University
Learning, University of Oxford
 Assessed tasks capture
sufficient student time and effort
 These tasks distribute student
effort evenly across topics and
weeks
 These tasks engage students in
productive learning activity
 Assessment communicates
clear and high expectations to
students
 Sufficient feedback is provided,
both often enough and in
enough detail
 The feedback is provided
quickly enough to be useful to
students
 Feedback focuses on learning
rather than on marks or students
themselves
 Feedback is linked to the
purpose of the assignment and
to criteria
 Feedback is understandable to
students, given their
sophistication
 Feedback is received by
students and attended to
 Feedback is acted upon by
students to improve their work
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or their learning
Resources
 Learning Oriented Assessment Project (LOAP)
http://www.ied.edu.hk/loap/
 Learning and Teaching Support Network (LTSN)
http://www.ltsn.ac.uk/application.asp?app=resources.asp&
section=generic&process=filter_fields&type=all&id=1&histo
ry=
 Alverno College: Assessment-as-Learning
http://depts.alverno.edu/saal/
 Formative Assessment in Science Teaching (FAST)
http://www.open.ac.uk/science/fdtl/index.htm
 Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA): Key skill
standards
http://www.qca.org.uk/qualifications/types/6507.html
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Contact information
Dr. Rita Chan
Centre for Learning, Teaching and Supervision (CeLTS)
Hong Kong Institute of Education
Email: rypchan@ied.edu.hk
CeLTS website: http://iediis4.ied.edu.hk/celts/index.asp
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