Assessment of Assignments and Student Performance

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Assessment of Assignments and Student Performance

• Michael C. Loui
• Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering
• Distinguished Teacher/Scholar
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• November 15, 2001

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Assessment versus Evaluation

• Assessment primarily formative for monitoring
  and improvement
• Evaluation primary summative for grades or other
  decisions
• Assignments, courses, and student performance can
  be assessed

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Student PerformanceIndividual Accountability

• Individual examinations
• Bonus could depend on performance of other group
  members
• Could re-take the exam as a group
• Individual portfolios
• Moor and Drake design memos
• Peer evaluations
• Grade on assignment could depend primarily on
  peer evaluations

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Confidential Peer Evaluation

• Each student first evaluates own effort
  self-evaluation not used in determining grade
• Each student evaluates each other student
• Cooperation and timeliness
• Quality and quantity of contributions
• Ratings (Excellent to Poor) and comments
• Students grade on assignment incorporates both
  group grade and individual ratings

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Explicit StandardsQuality of Argument

• Excellent (5) Original, clearly stated thesis
  well-organized, persuasive, imaginative use of
  materials
• Good (4) Clearly stated thesis, good use of
  sources, well-organized
• Satisfactory (3) Facts straight with a
  reasonable explanation of the subject
• Fair (2) Poorly stated thesis, inadequate
  survey, poor organization
• Poor (1) No awareness of argument or complexity
• (From Walvoord and Anderson, page 82)

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Explicit Standards Writing

• Excellent (5) Well focused, graceful. Precise
  diction. No errors in spelling, grammar,
  punctuation, or usage
• Good (4) Some awkward passages and minor errors
  in spelling, grammar, punctuation, or usage.
• Satisfactory (3) Occasionally wordy or vague.
  Individual sentences may be awkward, but the
  meaning is always clear.
• Fair (2) Some organizational faults. Verbose,
  often vague, but understandable. Several
  solecisms
• Poor (1) Unclear. Many grammatical errors.
• (From ECE/Phil 216)

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Classroom Assessment

• Purpose formative (improvement)
• Start with learning goals
• Discipline-specific knowledge and skills
• Cognitive skills (problem solving, critical
  thinking)
• Academic skills (writing, speaking, studying)
• Interpersonal skills (teamwork, leadership)
• Personal development (confidence, ethics)
• Cycle plan, implement, respond

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Classroom Assessment Methods

• More specific than informal early feedback (Keep
  / Quit / Start)
• Generally anonymous
• Examples
• Pre-test/post-test define concept with example
• Minute paper key point, muddiest point
• Short questionnaire, survey
• Class representatives, quality circle

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Classroom Assessment Example Using Groups in
Assessment

• Background knowledge probe Weimar Republic,
  Senator Joseph McCarthy, etc.
• Never heard of it/him
• Have heard of it/him but dont know significance
• Have some idea but uncertain
• Have clear idea and can explain
• Used Jigsaw
• Each of five groups had one-fifth of list
• Students learned whole list in groups of five

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Classroom Assessment Example Peer Editing

• Group work evaluation form
• What specific suggestions, criticisms, and
  comments did other group members offer you that
  are likely to help you improve your draft essay?
• What specific suggestions, criticisms, and
  comments did you offer to other group members
  that are likely to help them improve their
  drafts?
• Changes identify specific strength and weakness
  explain reasons suggest improvements

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Classroom AssessmentGroup Processing Questions

• How effectively did your group work together?
• How many members participated actively?
• How many members were prepared?
• What did you learn from the group that you would
  not have learned on your own?
• What did other members learn from you?
• What specific, practical change to the group
  would improve everyones learning?

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References

• Thomas A. Angelo and K. Patricia Cross, Classroom
  Assessment Techniques A Handbook for College
  Teachers, 2nd ed., Jossey-Bass, San Francisco,
  1993.
• Barbara E. Walvoord and Virginia Johnson
  Anderson, Effective Grading A Tool for Learning
  and Assessment, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, 1998.

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End of Workshop Series

• One more form!
• Assessment of whole series
• Assessment of this session
• Follow-up