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As we are envisioning the future of learning, we also need to revisit what we do with assessment. In many ways, predominant assessment practices are not particularly helpful. They mostly serve the purpose of certification and not focus on learning. 1/n https://twitter.com/patricklolivier/status/1333511558886899712
Assessment is essentially not a wrong concept. It is actually a good thing as long as it serves several functions i) helps further learning, ii) is highly coupled with feedback, and iii) promotes important skills/literacies. 2/n
Final exams don’t meet any of these criteria. They are used to meet some administrative criteria of non-cheating and some imaginary standards of fairness, but they don’t improve learning, don’t offer useful feedback, and don’t promote development of some of they. 3/n
Exams are associated with a thing called test anxiety. Test anxiety deteriorates motivation and leads to procrastination. It is induced by students’ assessment of testing situations and outcomes (Pekrun, 2006). Also, text anxiety grows over school years, also Pekrun. 4/n
These issues can be address by pedagogical innovation, effective use of technology and learning analytics, and most importantly focus on learners and their needs including skills, culture, and equity. 5/n
I haven’t exams for about 15 years in my classes, though I very much appreciated different forms of assessment. For assessment to be helpful, it needs to be framed as developmental – it should guide students where they can focus in the future. 6/n
The need for improvement requires that assessment has a pedagogical value and is coupled with feedback. Feedback shouldn’t just say whether students correctly or not, but rather how students can improve their learning (i.e., focus on process and self-regulation). 7/n
If assessment and feedback are embedded effectively into pedagogy, they prepare students for the future tasks. 8/n
There are many different strategies for combining assessment and feedback. Clearly tutor assessment + feedback is very beneficial, but may not scalable always. 9/n
This brings me to the point that modern research does not consider feedback to be unidirectional and information sharing but rather dialogic. 10/
Peer assessment and feedback is much more scalable and beneficial. Research shows that just act of providing feedback to others actually benefits own learning. 11/n
Providing, receiving, and negotiating feedback promotes feedback literacy. It also promotes good communication literacy. Both of these are deemed important for future work and life. 12/n
Analytics can also be very helpful in providing feedback. Analytics however needs to be used as an act of developmental assessment + feedback and an opportunity that calls for dialogue. 13/n
Some excellent examples of using analytics to promote peer-assessment and development of feedback literacy by @e_r_k_a_n_e_r with his work on https://synergylearn.net/ and @haskhosravi on his work on http://ripplelearning.org/ . 14/n
Analytics can also be very helpful at empowering teachers to provide personalised feedback at scale, focused on process and self-regulation. @abelardopardo lead excellent work with @ontasklearning 15/n
Very promising work analytics-based assessment is done in game-based learning by @valshute through the concept of stealth assessment. http://myweb.fsu.edu/vshute/pdf/shute%20pres_h.pdf 16/n
Really great suggestions for reimagination of assessment are suggested by @DWShaffer based on his work on theory of epistemic frames, epistemic network analysis, epistemic games, and virtual internships. http://www.epistemicanalytics.org/ 17/n
With analytics we already see some promising results in developmental assessment and progression tracking for complex skills such as collaborative problem solving, second language learning, and time management, self-regulated learning. See for example https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1096751619300235 18/n
. @SandraMilligan3 who leads the Assessment Research Centre @unimelb has a very interesting idea of learning profiles and the whole way how to reimagine assessment with the extensive use of analytics https://education.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/3397469/MGSE_Future-Proofing-Students_Web_Updated-9-7-20.pdf 19/n
However, we must build a culture that uses analytics with care and does not get into the trap of measuring what is ease rather than to measure what it is important. 20/n
Future of assessment and analytics must also not go into the trap of assessment, through exams, to become an instrument of control and certification rather than a way to promote learning, support feedback, develop important skills, and build trust. End (for now!).
