The Impact of Innovative Assessment Practices on Students Learning Conclusions
المؤلف:
Rosario Hernández
المصدر:
Enhancing Teaching and Learning through Assessment
الجزء والصفحة:
P275-C23
2025-07-20
444
The Impact of Innovative Assessment Practices on Students' Learning Conclusions
We have tried to ascertain if innovative assessment methods contribute to the enhancement of students' learning. The evidence shows that the innovative assessment practices adopted in this particular module have facilitated students' learning in a way that complements or offers an alternative to the more traditional assessment methods. An analysis of students' views has provided significant data to conclude that innovative assessment practices contribute to the enhancement of students' learning in ways that traditional assessment may not. Brown (1999) states that students are often presented with a "very restricted diet of assessment methods" (Brown, 1999, p.9). Consequently those methods do not allow them to demonstrate a wide range of knowledge and skills. By adopting four different methods to assess students' learning, it is our belief that they offer learners the possibility to display their knowledge in a variety of ways.
Hence, one of the features of innovative assessment methods has been their high relevance in the context where they are implemented. In the eyes of those that argue for reliability or consistency in marking, this type of assessment is considered very subjective. However, if assessment criteria are clearly stated, alternative assessment can be as reliable as any other type of assessment. The advantage of using innovative assessment methods is that, usually, there is a variety of methods that would provide evidence of students' having gained knowledge from different sources.
Let us not forget that innovative assessment can take place using traditional methods if they are used in such a way that their purpose is to achieve something different. There is agreement among researchers and practitioners that the most effective assessment of student learning is the one where multiple assessment methods are adopted.
The success of innovative assessment practices in promoting students' learning is not always guaranteed (McDowell & Sambell, 1999). Great care needs to be given to the introduction of such innovative practices. It is important to help students understand assessment criteria and to involve them in the developing of such criteria too. It is also essential to provide them with constructive feedback that motivates them to improve their learning. Furthermore, it is necessary to build trust among students and between the teacher and the learners so as to create a relaxed atmosphere where collaborative learning can take place. When teachers share with students the process of assessment, assessment becomes something not 'done to' learners but 'done with' learners (Harris & Bell, 1994). This, in turn, could contribute to an increase in learners' intrinsic motivation so that they adopt a deep approach to learning.
Although teachers and some students may be in favor of innovative assessment, there may be some reluctance on the part of learners to accept new assessment methods (McDowell & Sambell, 1999). This has pedagogical implications and it brings us to consider some of the issues outlined in the previous paragraph. More than with traditional assessment methods, the early intervention of the teacher is crucial when alternative assessment methods have been adopted. As the process of learning is assessed by these methods, it may be the case that learners have nothing to show as evidence of their learning by the end of the course. There is no possibility of cramming at the end of the course because the process and the product of learning are assessed.
Although it may not be possible for the results of this small study to be generalized to other learning contexts, it is my belief that they are significant enough to claim that innovative assessment enhances students' learning in areas where other assessment methods are inadequate or missing.
الاكثر قراءة في Assessment
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