L8 2 4

=There is an explicit relationship between the individual assessments and other timetabled activities. =

Evidence
Rust (2002) notes that there has been a paradigm shift in recent times away from a focus on teaching to a focus on learning. He points out, however, that assessment practices have been slow to align with these changes, and that in all too many cases, although the course or unit may now be written with four or five learning outcomes, the assessment tasks have remained the same and the linkage between outcomes, coursework, essay or exam is tenuous at best and almost always implicit. What is needed are clear and explicit linkages between all course activities.

Students are more likely to take a deep approach to learning if they are intrinsically motivated. To be intrinsically motivated they need to see the relevance and importance of what they are being required to do. This necessitates an appreciation of the structure of the learning activities, the pedagogical approach and how assessment relates to the activities. Also, assessment systems must be unthreatening, fair and the assessment process and criteria should be explicit and transparent to students (Rust 2002).

Mager (1997) notes that without instructional objectives the following three problems arise: teachers can’t decide which content and procedures will help them to achieve their objectives, it is difficult to create assessments to tell whether students are competent or not, and students won’t know when to stop practicing.

Assessment (L8) was consistently poor in the ‘report on the eMM evaluation of the NZ tertiary sector’ and therefore needs addressing. This is consistent with Rust’s (2002) claims that UK higher learning institutions frequently have inconsistent assessment practices.

Resources
Rust (2002) – Describes Biggs (1999) ‘constructive alignment’. There are three steps that must be undertaken. 1. Identify learning outcomes, 2. Design appropriate assessment to assess if the outcomes are met, 3. Design learning opportunities so that students are ready to face the assessments. ‘A good teaching system aligns teaching method and assessment to the learning activities stated in the objectives so that all aspects of this system are in accord in supporting appropriate student learning’ (Biggs 1999, p. 11).