Reflecting on Assessment and Feedback

[social_share/] [social-bio] At this time of year, faculty can see the learning that has occurred for students reflected back through the culminating assessments. Whether it’s the term project, the research paper, the reflective portfolio, the group presentation, or the final exam – this is a means to discover what has been learned by students and to what standard.

Here are 10 questions gleaned from a 2004 article by Gibbs and Simpson on assessment that support students’ learning. Looking back at the term, an instructor may ask:

1. Did the assessment require sufficient time and effort on the kind of learning intended?
2. Did the assessment indicate the appropriate proportion of effort to be allocated compared to other course elements?
3. How did the assessment encourage students toward productive practice or learning?
4. Was feedback provided often enough and in enough detail?
5. Was feedback focused on learning processes and actions under students’ control rather than grades, competitive rank, or the student as a person?
6. Did the feedback arrive in a timely way?
7. Did the feedback align with the purpose of the assessment and to the criteria for success?
8. Was the feedback at the right level of sophistication for students to benefit from it?
9. Were students motivated to attend to the feedback?
10. To what extent was the feedback acted upon?

After a sufficient look back, these questions also help instructors to look ahead and contemplate the adjustments they can make next time around to provide students well designed assessment of learning and effective feedback for more learning.

Several of us in the Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching Effectiveness have an interest in assessment design. Feel free to contact us to discuss ideas.

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Gibbs, G. & Simpson, C., (2004). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. Issue 1, pp. 3-31.

Picture courtesy of Oregon Department of Transportation via Wikimedia and carries a CC-BY license.