Assessing Student Performance

Introduction

This section looks at another of the key stages in any systematic approach to course or curriculum development - assessing the performance of students. It begins by discussing the role of student assessment in the systems approach to instruction that was introduced in the first of these sections - 'The Systems Approach to Curriculum Development' - and explaining the difference between assessment and evaluation. It then discusses the basic characteristics that any worthwhile student assessment scheme should possess, explaining the meaning of terms such as validity, reliability and practicability. Next, it looks at some of the main modes of assessment, distinguishing between formative and summative assessment, between norm-referenced, criterion-referenced and ipsative assessment, and so on. It then presents a broad review of the main assessment methods that are available to the modern lecturer, looking in turn at objective tests, short-answer tests, extended-answer tests, practical tests, situational assessment, assignments and projects, and portfolios. Finally, we offer some practical guidance on how to choose appropriate assessment methods, providing a general algorithm to help.

Contents

• The role of assessment in the systems approach to instruction
• Desirable characteristics of student assessment procedures
• The different modes of assessment
• Norm-referenced, criterion-referenced and ipsative assessment
• Terminal and continuous assessment
• External, tutor, peer and self assessment
• Closed-book and open-book assessment
• Written, oral and situational assessment
• Manual and computer assessment
• APL and APEL
• A review of assessment methods:
  • Objective tests
  • Short-answer tests
  • Extended-answer tests
  • Practical tests
  • Situational assessment
  • Assignments and Projects
  • Portfolios
• Some hints on how to select appropriate assessment methods
  Figure 2 : Algorithm for selecting appropriate assessment methods
• Further Reading

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