What are the qualities of good assessment?
Several attempts to define good assessment have been made. There is a general agreement that good assessment (especially summative) should be:
- Valid: measures what it is supposed to measure, at the appropriate level, in the appropriate domains (constructive alignment).
- Fair: is non-discriminatory and matches expectations.
- Transparent: processes and documentation, including assessment briefing and marking criteria, are clear.
- Reliable: assessment is accurate, consistent and repeatable.
- Feasible: assessment is practicable in terms of time, resources and student numbers.
- Educational impact: assessment results in learning what is important and is authentic and worthwhile.
The aspect of authenticity is an important one. Authentic assessment can be defined as:
'An assessment requiring students to use the same competencies, or combinations of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that they need to apply in the criterion situation in professional life.'Gulikers, Bastiaens, and Kirschner, (2004, p. 69)
Hence it puts emphasis on being assessed on real life skills through real life tasks that will be or could be performed by students once they leave university. Some examples of how this can be achieved in practical terms can be found in Assessment methods.
Assessment principles
The good assessment principles below were created as part of the REAP Reengineering Assessment Practices Project which looked into re-evaluating and reforming assessment and feedback practice. This set of principles in particular is referred to here as it serves as the basis for many assessment strategies across UK HE institutions. For each of the principles a number of practical strategies are provided which give a more pragmatic indication of how to put them in practice.
The principles below outline good assessment
- Clarify good performance
- Encourage time and effort on task
- Deliver high quality feedback information that helps learners self-correct
- Encourage positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem
- Encourage interaction and dialogue around learning (peer and teacher student)
- Facilitate the development of self-assessment and reflection in learning
- Give learners choice in assessment – content and process
- Help teachers adapt teaching to student needs
Resources
- Practical strategies for embedding principles of good assessment [pdf] - a printable version of the principles discussed above and practical reccommendations for their implementation
- Examples of marking criteria used for the PG Diploma in University Learning and Teaching
- Diploma feedback sheet [pdf] - an example of a feedback form linked to the marking criteria on the PG Diploma in University Learning and Teaching at Imperial.
- Formative assignment cover sheet [pdf] - an example of a coversheet asking students to specify what they would like to receive feedback on
- Reflection on feedback [pdf] - an example of a form that asks students to reflect on the feedback they have received
References
Gulikers, J., Bastiaens, T., & Kirschner, P. (2004). A five-dimensional framework for authentic assessment. Educational Technology Research and Development, 52 (3), 67-85.