Module 4 Activity: Assessment Analysis

Assessment of student knowledge and ability is not only challenging, it is also complex. As Hager & Gonczi (1996) write, “assessment of competence will inevitably be based on inference from a sample of performance.” The question is whether or not the demonstration of ability from the student on the assessment is a good enough inference of overall ability or knowledge if applied to a situation outside of the classroom. In Module 4 of OL 2050 we talked at length about how to plan assessments, why it is important to think about assessments at the beginning of the course rather than as an afterthought to the content, and the kind of feedback that we can offer student to help them learn.

You may be teaching a course where these activities are already developed. In this case you may be working with assignments and assessments that have already been created. Understanding how to use those tools effectively in order to maximize student learning is essential. Linked below is an example syllabus. Analyze the way that the course describes the way students will be assessed. Look at the course objectives and see whether or not there is an alignment of those objectives with how students are being assessed. Offer a critique of the syllabus that:

1. Argues why the course demonstrates an effective or ineffective model for assessing student learning. Is there an alignment with assessments and the course objectives?
2. Offers corrections or alternatives to the assessments in order for students to offer the best demonstrations of their learning.
3. Overall length of submitted work should be 300-400 words.

Hager, P., & Gonczi, A. (1996). What is competence?. Medical Teacher, 18(1), 15.

Download the syllabus that you will be analyzing.