Traditional assessment and encouraging alternative assessment that promotes learning

2020 ◽  
pp. 33-51
Author(s):  
Lee McCallum
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
Traditional Assessment

scholarly journals The Significance of Non-traditional and Alternative Assessment in English Language Teaching: Evidence From Literature

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 210
Author(s):  
Mazin Mansory
Keyword(s):  
Language Learning ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
Language Teaching ◽  
Peer Assessment ◽  
Dynamic Assessment ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
Self Assessment ◽  
Traditional Assessment ◽  
Static Assessment

Assessment is an integral part of teaching and learning in educational organizations that requires teachers to prepare tests in order to evaluate their learners’ performance. In language teaching contexts, traditional assessment often evaluates learners’ knowledge of previously learned language items. It is a mandatory process that determines the progress of language learners and the effectiveness of teaching/learning materials. This theoretical article reviews the literature on the notion of traditional assessment or static assessment which has certain shortcomings. Owing to the various drawbacks of static assessment, the review of related literature on the topic highlights and proposes alternative assessment methods, such as authentic assessment, dynamic assessment, peer assessment, and self-assessment.  In contrast to traditional assessment, these different forms of alternative assessment share a common purpose that is to provide language learners with an opportunity to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses and set their future learning goals. The most common of the assessment methods that encourage learners' reflection were peer assessment and self-assessment which involve learners to assess their own progress as well as engage with peers in classrooms to give each other feedback on their language learning tasks assigned by teachers. The studies reviewed in this article illustrate that alternative assessment methods in the form of peer and self-assessment have a positive influence on the language learners' performance and their learning outcomes. 

The Impact of Portfolios and Journals on Iranian Pre-university Students’ Vocabulary Learning

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (7) ◽  
pp. 1403
Author(s):  
Abdolhossein Omidi ◽  
Nahid Yarahmadzehi
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
Vocabulary Learning ◽  
Sampling Procedure ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Traditional Assessment ◽  
University Center ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Experimental Group

This study was conducted to investigate the impact of portfolios and journals on Iranian Pre-university students’ vocabulary learning. Fifty female pre-university students who were studying General English as a part of their course syllabus at Tooba Pre-university Center of Tang Eram, Bushehr, Iran comprised the participants in the main phase of the study. This study adopted a convenience sampling procedure, since the real act of randomization was not feasible. The participants of the study were divided into two groups. The experimental group (N=25) received the treatment i.e. portfolios and journals, while the control group (N=25) underwent the traditional assessment. The results of data analyses indicated that the students in experimental group outperformed the students in control group in terms of their lexical knowledge. Moreover, the results of correlational analyses revealed that there was a strong positive correlation between the students’ lexical scores and their scores on motivation to alternative assessment in the experimental group. The results have some implications for EFL teachers, learners, and parents as well as for curriculum developers and syllabus designers.

scholarly journals The Patchwork Text as Assessment Tool for Postgraduate Law Teaching in South Africa

Obiter ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-308
Author(s):  
JG Horn ◽  
L Van Niekerk
Keyword(s):  
Deep Learning ◽  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
Assessment Tool ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Traditional Assessment ◽  
Academic Knowledge ◽  
Assessment Approach ◽  
Problem Solvers ◽  
The Right

In the increasingly competitive higher education sphere, delivering graduates with a sound academic grounding in their discipline is no longer enough. Institutions of higher learning must yield lifelong learners who are employable and equipped with the practical skills required by the profession. To ensure this, the right assessment approach is key. While assessment has always been a crucial component of instruction, traditional assessment tools run the risk of being mere tools for certification, facilitating surface learning instead of deep learning. Assessment approaches need to be re-evaluated to strike a balance between encouraging deep learning and instilling proper academic knowledge in graduates. To contribute to such a re-evaluation of traditional assessment methods, this article reports on the introduction of the patchwork text (PWT) as an alternative assessment tool in postgraduate law teaching at the University of the Free State (UFS). After making the case for the move towards more authentic, alternative assessment techniques, the authors embark on a discussion of the main features of the PWT, as well as guidelines for drafting a PWT assessment. The focus then shifts to an overview of PWT implementation in other postgraduate modules, ending with a discussion of the authors’ experience introducing the PWT in their own teaching. Useful information about the authors’ approach is shared, including examples of formative assessment exercises used as part of the PWT, specifics regarding the portfolio of evidence of learning to be handed in, and an outline of the four “patches” making up the assessment. It is concluded that the PWT has proven to be a viable tool for assessing postgraduate students in certain law modules at the UFS. It has managed to promote deep learning, develop students into critical thinkers and problem-solvers, and compel them to continuously engage with the study material – all while achieving the intended learning outcomes. The PWT is therefore recommended to lecturers who seek to equip students with a macro-vision of their field of study, the ability to integrate and contextualise different areas of the discipline, and the skill to reflect critically on new, emerging developments in the field.

IMPLICATION OF TRADITIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE ASSESSMENT IN THE COLLEGE CLASSROOM

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nguyen Thi Hong Minh
Keyword(s):  
Student Learning ◽  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
College Classroom ◽  
Traditional Assessment ◽  
Alternative Assessments ◽  
Complex Process ◽  
Assessment Measures ◽  
Traditional Assessments ◽  
Entire Network

Assessment is a complex process dependent upon an entire network of practices. It presumes a variety of strategies and procedures and requires multiple indicatorsand sources of evidence. There are two methods of assessement: Traditional assessments and Alternative assessments. Each one has its own potential for enhancing student learning. Traditional assessment is used to determine what students know at the end of a chapter, unit, or series of lectures on a topic in which assessment measures emphasize the interconnections, coherence, and understanding among skills, concepts, and procedures, as well as among knowledge, abilities, and dispositions. We can assess with the goal of increasing that learning. In fact we should think of assessment as a means for enhancing student learning aligns assessment with instruction.

scholarly journals Assessment in Higher Institutions: Do Students and Lecturers Share Similar Preference?

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 8806-8816
Keyword(s):  
Formative Assessment ◽  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
Management Accounting ◽  
Final Examination ◽  
Teaching Management ◽  
Traditional Assessment ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Interview Session ◽  
Assessment Preference ◽  
Assessment Activities

This paper aims to understand the assessment preference of Gen Z, a student cohort currently being served in higher learning institutions. It tends to investigate the formative assessment activities preferred by Gen Z, followed by the range of marks for each activity. It also tries to discover their preference for the proportion of mark for formative assessment as compared to final examination. Data was collected from 420 diploma students and 22 lecturers taking (and teaching) management accounting subject in a public university in Malaysia. The values of mode and the frequency were used to achieve the above objectives. In addition, the interview session with students and lecturers was also conducted to gather additional related information. The results revealed that both students and lecturers favor traditional assessment over alternative assessment. In terms of alternative assessments, unlike lecturers, students ranked activities that require higher order thinking last. Both students and lecturers also allocate the highest marks to test and quiz, while other activities are only allocated with the lower range of marks. Majority agreed with the 40:60 ratio with the higher weightage goes to the final examination. This finding somehow contradicts previous finding which suggest that Gen Z prefer coursework rather than examination. The findings of the study might help academicians in designing appropriate assessment activities in order to maximize students learning especially in the field of management accounting. However, this study was conducted on the diploma students who might have different view and perception regarding assessment as compared to bachelor’s degree students.

scholarly journals A phenomenographic study on language assessment literacy: hearing from Iranian university teachers

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Afsheen Rezai ◽  
Gudarz Alibakhshi ◽  
Sajjad Farokhipour ◽  
Mowla Miri
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
Language Assessment ◽  
Assessment Methods ◽  
Acceptable Level ◽  
Assessment Literacy ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Pedagogical Content ◽  
Teachers Perceptions ◽  
University Teachers ◽  
Traditional Assessment

AbstractThis study aims to disclose the Iranian university teachers’ perceptions of the fundamentals of language assessment literacy (LAL). To this aim, using purposive sampling, eighteen university teachers from two Iranian universities were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Their viewpoints were audio-recorded, transcribed, and subjected to a phenomenographic analysis. Findings yielded two overarching LAL domains: knowledge (e.g., having an acceptable level of digital LAL, satisfying ethical requirements, benefiting more from performance assessment, considering students’ individual differences, making assessment valid, assuring that tests are reliable, and having an acceptable level of pedagogical content knowledge) and skills (e.g., involving students in assessment, using alternative assessment methods, employing logically traditional assessment methods, informing students about test results, administering tests in standardized ways, using valid grading procedures, and bringing positive wash-back effects). After discussing the results, the study concludes with proposing a range of implications for different testing stakeholders and highlighting some avenues for further research.

Alternative Approaches to Assessment with Online Technologies

2011 ◽  
pp. 368-383
Author(s):  
Catherine McLoughlin ◽  
Joe Luca
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
Student Assessment ◽  
Real Life ◽  
New Wave ◽  
Traditional Assessment ◽  
Online Technologies ◽  
Planning And Design ◽  
Broad Array ◽  
Alternative Approaches ◽  
Assessment Procedures

There is now a new wave of pedagogy advocating “alternative assessment” in which forms of student assessment are integrated into learning through engagement in real life contexts facilitated by online technologies. The use of the WWW in tertiary learning environments offers greater adaptability and flexibility than traditional assessment procedures as it enables the planning and design of tasks that monitor both learning processes and learning outcomes. This chapter proposes that the move towards alternative assessment paradigms has been accelerated by technology with its capacity to offer learners a broad array of authentic activities, and tasks and forums for engaging in constructivist learning.

Assessment is as Assessment Does

2005 ◽  
pp. 1-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeanette M. Bartley
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Just In Time ◽  
Online Assessment ◽  
Mediated Learning ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Relative Significance ◽  
Traditional Assessment ◽  
Assessment Systems ◽  
Principles Of Good Practice

With the increasing adoption of advanced education technologies, such as Internet-based communications, there are greater demands for more effective, flexible, interactive, customized and just-in-time online instructional and assessment systems. As institutions rush to digitize, virtualize and globalize their campuses, there remains the significant issue of the ability to measure outcomes as a means of determining the credibility of technology-mediated learning experiences. This chapter addresses selected concerns including the distinction between online assessment and traditional assessment; the relevance of authentic and alternative assessment; the practical considerations relating to security, integrity, validity, and reliability of assessment; emerging principles of good practice relating to quality indicators, benchmarks and criteria for effective online assessment; and the relative significance of online assessment trens to various drivers and stakeholders.

Accounting for service quality to customers in the efficiency of water companies: evidence from England and Wales

Water Policy ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 513-532 ◽  
Author(s):  
María Molinos-Senante ◽  
Alexandros Maziotis ◽  
Manuel Mocholí-Arce ◽  
Ramón Sala-Garrido
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Service ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Technical Efficiency ◽  
Alternative Assessment ◽  
England And Wales ◽  
Traditional Assessment ◽  
Efficiency Assessment ◽  
Water Companies ◽  
High Level

This paper investigates the role of service quality to customers in the efficiency assessment of water companies in England and Wales. To achieve this, data envelopment analysis techniques are employed to compute the technical efficiency of the water companies following two approaches: (i) traditional assessment based on quantity variables (without the inclusion of service quality variables) and (ii) alternative assessment considering quantity and service quality variables as undesirable outputs. The analysis covers 22 water and sewerage companies and water only companies providing drinking water services. The results indicate that the traditional efficiency assessment reveals a high level of technical efficiency, suggesting that the English and Welsh water industry is mature and that one of the challenges it faces is improving service quality. When introducing service quality variables in the evaluation, the average scores of technical efficiency slightly decrease. This suggests that, on average, water companies do not necessarily provide high quality of service, meaning that the traditional efficiency assessment favours their performance. Quality of service supplied to customers within a water sector matters and should be taken into account during the benchmarking process as it could assist regulated companies and regulators to improve performance and incentives, respectively.

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