Swedish and Finnish Pre-Service Teachers’ Perceptions of Summative Assessment Practices

Summative assessments are an exercise of authority and something that pupils cannot easily appeal. The importance of teachers being able to assess their pupils correctly is consequently both a question of national equivalence and individual fairness. Therefore, summative assessment is a paramount theme in teacher education, and we aimed to investigate the perceptions and competence of student teachers regarding common summative assessment practices. The study was conducted at three universities, two in Sweden and one in Finland involving prospective language teachers responding to an online survey (N = 131). In addition, interviews were carried out with 20 Swedish and 6 Finnish student teachers. The analysis of the data indicates that student teachers value practices that enhance communication and collaboration as well as the curricular alignment of summative assessments. With respect to perceived competence, the respondents in general felt most confident with deploying traditional forms of summative assessment, while they were more uncertain about process evaluation and oral skills. Regarding significant differences in the participants’ perceptions of competence among the three universities, Finnish university students reported higher levels in all variables. However, room for improvement was found at all universities involved.

Pharmacy education shift during times of pandemic and collapse: A perspective from a school of pharmacy in Lebanon

Introduction: The health and economic crisis in Lebanon during the COVID-19 pandemic has had detrimental effects on many sectors including higher education. This report presents the major changes in teaching/learning undertaken by three departments of the bachelor programme in a school of pharmacy in Lebanon to cope with uncertain times. Description: The educational process was modified from autumn 2019/20 to spring 2020/21, with economical instabilities and the emergence of COVID-19, where regular teaching and summative assessments were completely and forcefully switched to remote and online. Evaluation: Although a grade trend showed some changes in evaluation with the crisis, grades returned nearly to normal upon adopting the completely online system. Technical support and training for the faculty were required to help cross transitioning periods and maintain the quality of the programme. Conclusion: The crisis and the pandemic influenced pharmacy education, but gave students and faculty the chance to learn and utilise modern information and communication technology (ICT) educational tools.

COVIDifying Education through the Lens of Award-Winning Educators in a State University in the Philippines

Paradigm shifts in the field of education have been an issue in the Philippines since the COVID-19 pandemic struck. To fill this gap, this study sought to highlight the pedagogical practices and teaching experiences of award-winning educators in a State University. The qualitative data extracted from semi-structured interviews were analyzed following a thematic analysis based on descriptive phenomenology. One finding revealed that the educators’ years in service and educational attainments were helpful in their migration from face-to-face to distance education, even though the number of course preparations was a weight on their shoulders. Secondly, the educators conducted their classes through preparation and implementation via fifteen instructional methods, formative and summative assessments, and feedback. On another note, the educators determined six roadblocks in their teaching practice with explanations on how they overcame them. Amidst all these, they mentioned that it is imperative to uphold empathy in the conduct of their classes.

Learning from 2020: How the Challenges of Remote Teaching Reinforce the Need for Care-Informed Pedagogy

How did instructors design their sociology courses for remote teaching during the 2020–2021 academic year, and what challenges did they face in teaching those courses? To answer these questions, we surveyed lead instructors and graduate teaching assistants (n = 77) in the Sociology Department at the University of Michigan, supplemented by interviews with students and our experiences as remote course consultants. Through this case study, we found that instructors cited increased workload and lack of connection as challenges with remote teaching, in addition to pandemic-related struggles. Most instructors reported using either synchronous or a mix of synchronous and asynchronous instruction in course design, incorporating both formative and summative assessments, and implementing communication and community-building strategies to establish connections with and among students. We argue that these challenges and course designs highlight the importance of care-informed pedagogy to not only remote teaching in 2020–2021 but also sociology instruction in general.

Instructionally Embedded Assessment: Theory of Action for an Innovative System

Policy shifts in the United States are beginning to reduce the emphasis on using statewide assessment results primarily for accountability and teacher evaluation. Increasingly, there are calls for and interest in innovative and flexible assessments that shift the purposes of assessment and use of results toward instructional planning and student learning. Under the Innovative Assessment Demonstration Authority, some states are exploring options for replacing traditional large-scale summative assessments with innovative measures. However, many of these programs are still in early phases of planning and research and have not yet fully articulated how the innovative system achieves desired outcomes. This conceptual paper presents an argument in the form of a theory of action for a flexible and innovative assessment system already in operational use. The system replaces traditional summative assessments with large-scale through-year Instructionally Embedded assessments. We describe the components of the theory of action, detailing the theoretical model and supporting literature that illustrate how system design, delivery, and scoring contribute to the intended outcomes of teachers using assessment results to inform instruction and having higher expectations for student achievement, in addition to accountability uses. We share considerations for others developing innovative assessment systems to meet stakeholders’ needs.

EMERGING ISSUES IN EDUCATIONAL MEASUREMENT: AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENT

Authentic assessment is a tool of evaluating students learning applicable to real world situation. It is unavoidable tools for modern assessment of learning outcomes. It can be apply as formative or summative assessments or for both assessment types. This paper attempted to examined the concept of assessment and its types, the concept of authentic assessment and its categories, the forms of authentic assessment, the tools used for authentic assessment, methods used in authentic assessment, steps involved in authentic assessment, advantages of authentic assessment, challenges of authentic assessment among others. The paper concludes that it is a high time for authentic assessment to replace traditional methods of assessment in all level of learning. The paper also recommended that the Curriculum Planners should design a curriculum based on types of authentic assessment for all levels of learning, the application of authentic assessment at all levels of learning, time has comes to move from traditional method of assessment to authentic assessment form and required competencies must be possessed by the teacher in order to carry out authentic assessments through proper training.

CONSTRAINTS TO EFFECTIVE CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OF TEACHERS IN GOVERNMENT SECONDARY SCHOOL IN FCT

Authentic assessment is a tool of evaluating students learning applicable to real world situation. It is unavoidable tools for modern assessment of learning outcomes. It can be apply as formative or summative assessments or for both assessment types. This paper attempted to examined the concept of assessment and its types, the concept of authentic assessment and its categories, the forms of authentic assessment, the tools used for authentic assessment, methods used in authentic assessment, steps involved in authentic assessment, advantages of authentic assessment, challenges of authentic assessment among others. The paper concludes that it is a high time for authentic assessment to replace traditional methods of assessment in all level of learning. The paper also recommended that the Curriculum Planners should design a curriculum based on types of authentic assessment for all levels of learning, the application of authentic assessment at all levels of learning, time has comes to move from traditional method of assessment to authentic assessment form and required competencies must be possessed by the teacher in order to carry out authentic assessments through proper training

Team-based learning and English grammar: Building community and lowering affect

This paper explores the initial use of Team-Based Learning (TBL) and Ungrading approaches in a synchronous on-line basic English grammar course for non-linguistics majors. The study employs TBL and Ungrading approaches to create a supportive learning community, address students’ fear of grammar, and provide more effective formative and summative assessments. Qualitative analysis of students’ reflective writing suggests that implementation of both TBL and Ungrading has a positive effect on students’ learning experiences.