013955 Assessing Learning

Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a particular semester, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.

UTS: Education: Communication Studies
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level:

Undergraduate

Result type: Grade, no marks

Anti-requisite(s): 015232 Competency Assessment in the Workplace AND 015908 Assessing Learning AND 016013 Assessing Learning in Context

Handbook description

This subject critically analyses assessment practices and policies in educational, training and workplace contexts. It examines how the social and political context influences assessment paradigms and practices. Students identify and evaluate a range of models and tools of assessment, relating these to educational contexts and learning models. Students also reflect on their own skills development and professional learning needs. The subject is structured around three core content themes: assessment contexts, professional practices and learners and learning.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On completion of this subject students will be able to:

1. Identify the various contexts of assessment
2. Analyse the various purposes of assessment
3. Critically examine assessment paradigms and assessment-related issues
4. Describe and critique various models of assessment
5. Analyse methods of assessment, their appropriate uses, advantages and disadvantages
6. Identify principles in planning and organising assessment
7. Critically examine the social and ethical issues in assessment
8. Develop ‘assessment literacy’ skills and identify you ongoing learning priorities in relation to assessment

Teaching and learning strategies

• 13 workshops with lectures and structured discussions
• individual and group activities
• experiential activities
• your own research through your readings and assignments
• your own critical engagement and examination of the reading
• individual personal and professional reflections
• sharing of ideas and resources through UTSOnline
• undertaking of assessments which critically examine and apply current thinking
• your application of knowledge gained through these processes

Mode of Delivery

Weekly or Block

Content

The content is structured into three progressive sections: Assessment Contexts; Professional Practices; and Learners and Learning.

Assessment Contexts

• Policy, social, historical and cultural context of assessment
• Assessment as a policy tool
• Assessment paradigms
• Competency based assessment and its critiques

Professional Practices

• Models of assessment and learning
• Key concepts and principles
• Methods of assessment
• Planning and organising assessment
• Assessing skills, attitudes and knowledge
• Conducting and validating assessment
• What constitutes evidence

Learners and Learning

• Formative and summative assessment
• Ethics and equalities
• CPD and assessment

Assessment

Assessment Item 1: Assessment context review

Objective(s):	1,2,3,4
Weighting:	35%
Length:	1,000 words
Criteria:	There is evidence of satisfactory discussion against the core concepts outlined in the task There is evidence of reading and drawing on academic literature relevant to the subject There is evidence of critical thinking in the analysis of the assessment practice The essay is written in correct English and is submitted to the lecture on the due date and demonstrates professional presentations as a word processed document according to the word count A reference list of at least 5 scholarly sources cited in the essay is included and presented accurately according to the UTS referencing procedures

Assessment Item 2: Plan and organize an assessment process

Objective(s):	4,5,6,7,8
Weighting:	65%
Length:	Assessment Plan (equivalent 1000 words) and Justification of the Plan, 1500 words
Criteria:	There is evidence of satisfactory discussion against the key issues in planning and organising assessment as discussed in class There is evidence of reading and drawing on academic literature relevant to the subject There is evidence of professional judgment in the plan and justification There is evidence of taking into account academic critiques and debates The plan and justification are written in correct English and are submitted to the lecturer on the due date and demonstrate professional presentation as a word processed document according to the word count A reference list of at least 5 scholarly sources from this subject cited in the essay is included and presented accurately according to the UTS referencing procedures

Required texts

There is a reader for the subject. The CN number is

Recommended texts

This bibliography provides you with a range of different types of readings on the topic of assessment. It is not expected that you will read all of these!!

Broad overviews of educational assessment

Broadfoot, P. 1996, Education, assessment, and society : a sociological analysis, Open University Press, Buckingham ; Philadelphia.

Butt, G. 2010, Making assessment matter, Continuum International Pub. Group, London.

Fletcher, S. 1997, Competence-based assessment techniques, 2nd edn, Kogan Page, London.

Lamprianou, I. & Athanasou, J. A. 2009, (eds), A Teacher's Guide to Educational Assessment, Sense, Rotterdam.

Fenwick, T.J. & Parsons, J. 2000, The art of evaluation: a handbook for educators and trainers, Thompson Educational Pub., Toronto.

Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. 2005, Assessment made incredibly easy! 3rd edn, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Ambler, PA.

Moran, J. 2001, Assessing Adult Learning, Revised edn, Krieger, Malabar.

Williams, D. 2003, Planning, Conducting and Reviewing Assessment Tertiary Press Swinburne.

Educational measurement and testing

Athanasou, J.A. 1997, Introduction to educational testing, Social Science Press, Wentworth Falls, N.S.W.

Bers, T.H. & Mittler, M.L. 1994, Assessment and testing : myths and realities, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, Calif.

Boyle, J., Fisher, S. & British Psychological Society. 2007, Educational testing : a competence-based approach text for the British Psychological Society's certificate of competence in educational testing (Level A), Blackwell Pub., Malden, MA.

Cohen, R.J. & Swerdlik, M.E. 2002, Psychological testing and assessment : an introduction to tests and measurement, 5th edn, McGraw-Hill, Mountain View, Calif. ; London.

Gipps, C. 1994, Beyond Testing: Towards a Theory of Educational Assessment, RoutledgeFalmer, London.

Gipps, C.V. & Murphy, P. 1994, A fair test? : assessment, achievement and equity, Open University Press, Buckingham ; Philadelphia.

Kubiszyn, T. & Borich, G.D. 2003, Educational testing and measurement : classroom application and practice, 7th edn, J. Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York.

Lamprianou, I. & Athanasou, J. A. 2009, (eds), A Teacher's Guide to Educational Assessment, Sense, Rotterdam.

Mislevy, R. 2006, 'Cognitive psychology and educational assessment', Educational measurement, vol. 4, pp. 257-305.

Stobart, G. 2008, Testing times : the uses and abuses of assessment, Routledge, London ; New York.

Strickland, K., Stillman, P. & Strickland, J. 1998, Reflections on assessment : its purposes, methods, and effects on learning, Boynton/Cook Publishers, Portsmouth, NH.

Assessment Practice

(ARG), A.R.G. 1999, 'Assessment for Learning: Beyond the Black Box', <http: www.assessment-reform-group.org.uk>.

(ARG), A.R.G. 2002, 'Assessment for Learning: 10 Principles ', <http: www.assessment-reform-group.org.uk>.

Bell, C. & Harris, D. 1990, Assessment and evaluation, Kogan Page, London.

Boud, D. 1995, 'How does Self Assessment Relate to Ideas about Assessment', in D. Boud (ed.), Enhancing Learning through Self-Assessment, Kogan Page, London, pp. 36-47.

Boud, D. (ed.) 1998, Current Issues and New Agendas in Workplace Learning, CEVER, Leaboork, SA.

Boud, D. 2000, 'Sustainable Assessment: rethinking assessment for the learning society', Studies in Continuing Education, vol. 22, no. 2, pp. 151 - 167.

Boud, D. 2007, 'Reframing Assessment as if Learning were Important', in D. Boud and N. Falchikov (ed.), Rethinking Assessment in Higher Education: Learning for the Longer Term, Routledge, London, pp. 14-25.

Boud, D. & Falchikov, N. (eds), Rethinking Assessment in Higher Education, Routledge, London.

Boud, D. and Falchilov, N. 2007, 'Assessment and Emotion: The Impact of Being Assessed', in D.Boud and N. Falchikov (eds), Rethinking Assessment in Higher Education: Learning for the Longer Term, Routledge, London, pp. 144-156.

Boud, D., Hawke, G. & Falchikov, N. 2008, 'Changing pedagogy: vocational learning and assessment', Knowledge and Practice: Representations and Identities, p. 125.

Butt, G. 2010, Making assessment matter, Continuum International Pub. Group, London ; New York, NY

Brown, S. & Glasner, A. 1999, Assessment matters in higher education : choosing and using diverse approaches, Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press, Buckingham [England] ; Philadelphia, PA.

Brown, S.A. & Black, H. 1988, Assessment : a changing practice, Scottish Academic, Edinburgh.

Carpentieri, J.D. 2008, Research Briefing: Formative Assessment, NRDC and Institute of Education, London.

Casey, A. 2005, 'Enhancing Individual and Organizational Learning', Management Learning, pp. 131-147.

Donley, J., Napper, R., National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (England and Wales) & Oxfordshire (England). County Council. Lifelong Learning Branch. 1999, Assessment matters in adult learning, NIACE, Leicester.

Elksnin, L. & Elksnin, N. 1995, Assessment and instruction of social skills, Singular Pub. Group, San Diego.

Falchikov, N. 2005, 'Changing Definitions of Assessment', in, Improving Assessment through Student Involvement: Practical Solutions for Aiding Learning in Higher and Further Education RoutledgeFalmer London, pp. 59-82.

Forster, M., Masters, G.N. & Australian Council for Educational Research. 2000, Workshop manual : implementing development assessment, ACER, Camberwell, Vic.

Gardner, J. 2006, Assessment and learning, Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA.

Gipps, C.V., Stobart, G. & Lawton, D. 1993, Assessment : a teachers' guide to the issues, 2nd edn, Hodder & Stoughton, London.

Glasson, T. & Curriculum Corporation (Australia) 2008, Assessment for learning, videorecording, Curriculum Corporation,, [Melbourne].

Gravells, A. 2009, Principles and Practices of Assessment in the Lifelong Learning and Skills Sector, Learning Matters, Exeter.

Hagar, P., Athanasou, J.A., Gonczi, A., Rumsey, D.J. & Australia. Dept. of Employment Education and Training. 1994, Assessment technical manual, Australian Govt. Pub. Service, Canberra.

Hargreaves, E. 2005, 'Assessment for learning? Thinking outside the (black) box', Cambridge Journal of Education, vol. 35, no. 2, pp. 213-224.

Harlen, W. 2007, Assessment of learning, SAGE, Los Angeles ; London.

Harris, D.M.J. & McCann, P. 1994, Assessment, Heinemann, Oxford.

Hashway, R.M. 1998, Assessment and evaluation of developmental learning : qualitative individual assessment and evaluation models, Praeger, Westport, Conn.

Little, A. & Wolf, A. 1996, Assessment in transition: learning, monitoring, and selection in an international perspective, 1st edn, Pergamon, Oxford, OX, UK ; Tarrytown, N.Y., U.S.A.

Knight, P. 1995, Assessment for learning in higher education, Kogan Page, London.

Knight, P., Yorke, M. & Society for Research into Higher Education. 2003, Assessment, learning and employability, Society for Research into Higher Education & Open University Press, Maidenhead.

OECD 2010, 'The OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) ', viewed 22 January 2010 <<http://www.oecd.org/document/7/0,3343,en_2649_201185_44378247_1_1_1_1,00.html>>.

Reich, A., Bye, J. & Henley, I. 2003, 'Assessment and Evaluation', in I. Henley (ed.), Aviation Education and Training: Adult Learning Principles and Teaching Strategies, Ashgate, London.

Rumsey, D.J., Hagar, P. & Australia. Dept. of Employment Education and Training. 1994, Assessment practical guide, Australian Govt. Pub. Service, Canberra.

Ward, A. & Murray-Ward, M. 1999, Assessment in the classroom, Wadsworth, Belmont, Calif. ; London.

Webb, G. & Schwartz, P. 2002, Assessment: case studies, experience and practice from higher education, Kogan Page, London.

Yorke, M. 2003, 'Formative assessment in higher education: Moves towards theory and the enhancement of pedagogic practice', Higher Education, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 477-501.

Competence based assessment

Fletcher, S. 1997, Competence-based assessment techniques, 2nd edn, Kogan Page, London.

Garavan, T. & McGuire, D. 2001, 'Competencies and workplace learning: some reflections on the rhetoric and the reality', Journal of Workplace Learning, vol. 13, no. 4, pp. 144-164.

Hager, P., Gonczi, A. & Athanasou, J. 1994, 'General Issues about Assessment of Competence', Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 3 - 16.

Hagar, P., Athanasou, J.A., Gonczi, A., Rumsey, D.J. & Australia. Dept. of Employment Education and Training. 1994, Assessment technical manual, Australian Govt. Pub. Service, Canberra.

McMullan, M., Endacott, R., Gray, M.A., Jasper, M., Miller, C.M.L., Scholes, J. & Webb, C. 2003, 'Portfolios and assessment of competence: a review of the literature', Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 283-294.

Smith, E. & Keating, J. 2003, 'Competency Based Training', in, From Training Reform to Training Packages, Social Science Press, Tuggerah, pp. 120-145.

Wolf, A. 1995, Competence Based Assessment Open University Press, Buckingham

Velde, C. 1999, 'An alternative conception of competence: implications for vocational education', Journal of Vocational Education & Training, vol. 51, no. 3, pp. 437 - 447.

Wheelahan, L. & Carter, R. 2001, 'National training packages: a new curriculum framework for vocational education and training in Australia', Education and Training, vol. 43, no. 6, pp. 303-316.

TESOL, Language, Literacy and Numeracy

Baker, A. & Baker, J. 2006, Natural maths strategies : assessment guide with work samples, Blake Education, Clayton South, Vic.

Brindley, G. 2001, 'Outcomes-based assessment in practice: Some examples and emerging insights', Language Testing, vol. 18, no. 4, p. 393.

Brindley, G. & Adult Migrant Education Program (Australia) 1986, The Assessment of second language proficiency : issues and approaches, National Curriculum Resource Centre, [Adelaide, S. Aust.].

Brooks, G., Heath, K. & Pollard, A. 2005, Research Report: Assessing adult literacy and numeracy: a review of assessment instruments NRDC and Institute of Education, London.

Byram, M. 2008, From foreign language education to education for intercultural citizenship : essays and reflections, Multilingual Matters Ltd., Clevedon ; Buffalo.

Burrows, C. & New South Wales. Adult Migrant English Service. 1993, Assessment guidelines for the Certificate in spoken and written English, Educational draft. edn, NSW Adult Migrant English Service, Darlinghurst, N.S.W.

Christie, J., Delaruelle, S. & National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research (Australia) 1997, Assessment and moderation a professional development resource for teachers and trainers in adult ESL, kit :, National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research, Macquarie University, Sydney, pp. 2 books, 1 video (VHS).

Curriculum Corporation (Australia) & Australia. Dept. of Education Training and Youth Affairs. 1999, Assessment of literacy and numeracy in the early years of schooling : a collaborative project on current literacy and numeracy entry level assessment materials, AusInfo, Canberra.

Cole, K.N., Dale, P.S. & Thal, D.J. 1996, Assessment of communication and language, P.H. Brookes, Baltimore.

Marr, B., Helme, S. & Tout, D. 2003, Rethinking Assessment: Strategies for Holistic Adult Numeracy Assessment, ARIS, Melbourne.

Hancock, J. 1996, Assessment methods for English : a minicourse resource, Adelaide

Holmes, M.G.a.J. 1978, How's it Going? An Alternative to Testing Students in Adult Literacy ALBSU, London

Lee, C. 2006, Language for Learning Mathematics: Assessment for Learning in Practice, Open University Press, Maidenhead.

Looney, J. 2007, 'Formative assessment in adult language, literacy and numeracy', Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 373 - 386.

Looney, J. 2008, Teaching, learning and assessment for adults: improving foundation skills, OECD Publishing.

McKay, P. & Brindley, G. 2007, 'Educational Reform and ESL Assessment in Australia: New Roles and New Tensions', Language Assessment Quarterly, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 69 - 84.

McRae, A. 1994, Assessing Students in Numeracy Programs, Numeracy in Focus, ALIO, Sydney.

Morgan, W. & Wyatt-Smith, C.M. 2000, 'Im/proper Accountability: towards a theory of critical literacy and assessment', Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, vol. 7, no. 1, p. 123.

NRDC 1994, 'Special Report on Assessment', Reflect Magazine.

O'Loughlin, K. 2006, 'Coming to Grips with Assessment in TESOL: A Personal Perpective', TESOL in Context vol. 16, no. 1, pp. 3-9.

Osmond, P. 2006, Literacy Face to Face: A Resource for Volunteer Adult Literacy Tutors, TAFE NSW, Granville, NSW.

Statistics, Aus.Bureau 2007, Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey: Summary of Results, Australia

Stenmark, J.K. 1989, Assessment alternatives in mathematics : an overview of assessment techniques that promote learning, EQUALS, Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley, Calif.

VET

Foreman, D.J., Bone, J., David, P., Australian National Training Authority. & National Centre for Vocational Education Research (Australia) 2003, Assessment practices at diploma and advanced diploma levels within training packages, NCVER, Leabrook, SA.

Hyde, P., Clayton, B. & Booth, R. 2004, 'Exploring assessment in flexible delivery of vocational education and training programs', NCVER Adelaide.

Smith, E. & Keating, J. 2003, 'The Historical Development of Vocational Education and Training in Australia', in, From Training Reform to Training Packages, Social Science Press, Tuggerah, pp. 2-15.

Smith, L. 2009, 'Issues impacting on the quality of assessment in vocational education and training in Queensland'. Queensland. Dept of Employment, Training and Industrial Relations (DETIR).

Tillema, H., Kessels, J. & Meijers, F. 2000, 'Competencies as building blocks for integrating assessment with instruction in vocational education: a case from the Netherlands', Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 265-278.

Williams, M. & Bateman, A. 2003, 'Graded Assessment in Vocational Education and Training: An Analysis of National Practice, Drivers and Areas for Policy Development'.

Work based Learning and Organisational Learning

Cohen, N.H. 2001, Assessment of organizational readiness for mentoring : guidance and inventories, HRD Press, Amherst, Mass.

Edenborough, R. 2005, Assessment methods in recruitment, selection, and performance a manager's guide to psychometric testing, interviews, and assessment centres, Kogan Page, London

Eraut, M. 2007, 'Learning from other people in the workplace', Oxford Review of Education, vol. 33, no. 4, pp. 403-422.

Docking, R. 1998, 'The Assessment of Learning', in D. Boud (ed.), Current Issues and New Agendas in Workplace Learning, NCVER, Leabrook, SA, pp. 94-107.

Guest, D. 1997, 'Human resource management and performance: a review and research agenda', The International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 263-276.

Guion, R.M. 1998, Assessment, measurement, and prediction for personnel decisions, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, N.J.

Jansen, P.G.W. & Jongh, F. 1997, Assessment centres : a practical handbook, J. Wiley, Chichester, West Sussex, England ; New York.

Lesgold, A.M., Feuer, M.J., Black, A.M. 1997, Transitions in work and learning implications for assessment : papers and proceedings, National Academy Press, <http://site.ebrary.com/lib/utslibrary/Doc?id=10041074>.

Moore, D., Cheng, M. & Dainty, A. 2002, 'Competence, competency and competencies: performance assessment in organisations', Work Study, vol. 51, no. 6/7, pp. 314-319.

Mulder, M., Weigel, T. & Collins, K. 2007, 'The concept of competence in the development of vocational education and training in selected EU member states: a critical analysis', Journal of Vocational Education & Training, vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 67-88.

Norcini, J. & Burch, V. 2007, 'Workplace-based assessment as an educational tool: AMEE Guide No. 31', Medical Teacher, vol. 29, no. 9/10, pp. 855-871.

Sackmann, S. 2006, Assessment, evaluation, improvement : success through corporate culture, Bertelsmann Stiftung, Gütersloh [Germany].

Woodruffe, C. & Institute of Personnel Management (Great Britain) 1990, Assessment centres : identifying and developing competence, Institute of Personnel Management, London.

Equality and Assessment

Chilisa, B. 2000, 'Towards Equity in Assessment: crafting gender-fair assessment', Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, vol. 7, no. 1, p. 61.

Elwood, J. 2008, 'Gender Issues in Testing and Assessment', in P. Murphy & K. Hall (eds), Learning and practice: Agency and identities. Sage Publications Ltd, Los Angeles.

Ferris, G. & King, T. 1992, 'The politics of age discrimination in organizations', Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 11, no. 5, pp. 341-350.

Gillborn, D. 2005, 'Education policy as an act of white supremacy: whiteness, critical race theory and education reform', Journal of Education Policy, vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 485-505.

Gulson, K. 2006, 'A White Veneer: Education policy, space and race in the inner city', Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 259 - 274.

Goh, D.S. 2004, Assessment accommodations for diverse learners, Allyn and Bacon, Boston, MA.

Leathwood, C. 2005, 'Assessment policy and practice in higher education: purpose, standards and equity', Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 307 - 324.

Reay, D. & Wiliam, D. 1999, ''I'll be a nothing': structure, agency and the construction of identity through assessment [1]', British Educational Research Journal, vol. 25, no. 3, p. 343.

Reynolds, M. & Trehan, K. 2000, 'Assessment: a critical perspective', Studies in Higher Education, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 267-278.

Ringrose, J. 2007, 'Successful girls? Complicating post-feminist, neoliberal discourses of educational achievement and gender equality', Gender & Education, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 471-489.

Stobart, G. 2005, 'Fairness in multicultural assessment systems', Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 275-287.

Willingham, W. & Cole, N. 1997, Gender and fair assessment, Lawrence Erlbaum, London.

Assessment and Learning

Hager, P. 2004, 'The Conceptualization and Measurement of Learning at Work', in H. Rainbird, A. Fuller & A. Munro (eds)Routeldge, London, pp. 242-258.

Hager, P. & Butler, J. 1996, 'Two models of educational assessment', Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, vol. 21, no. 4, p. 367.

James, M. 2008, 'Assessment and Learning', in S. Swaffield (ed.), Unlocking Assessment: Understanding for Reflection and Application, Routledge, London, pp. 20-35.

Poehner, M.E. 2008, Dynamic assessment : a Vygotskian approach to understanding and promoting L2 development, Springer, [Berlin?].

Sfard, A. 1998, 'On two metaphors for learning and the dangers of choosing just one', Educational Researcher, vol. 27, no. 2, p. 4.

Shay, S. 2005, 'The assessment of complex tasks: a double reading', Studies in Higher Education, vol. 30, no. 6, pp. 663 - 679.

Shepard, L.A. 2000, 'The Role of Assessment in a Learning Culture', Educational Researcher, pp. 4-14.