Some questions raised by the mapping
المؤلف:
Sue Gelade & Frank Fursenko
المصدر:
Enhancing Teaching and Learning through Assessment
الجزء والصفحة:
P485-C40
2025-08-30
240
Some questions raised by the mapping
From our evaluation of the project, the mapping tool, and the results obtained, we realize that while we have answered a number of questions, we have raised many others not previously apparent. This factor is in itself valuable, as it indicates we were able to move our thinking from purely practical into a more theoretical framework. Our questions allow us to continue thinking about issues and seeking alternative answers. For example:
• How do curriculum writers develop assessment tasks that can clearly be seen to build graduate qualities?
In many cases a successful and high marking completion of a task will indicate that a student has not only attained the requisite discipline knowledge, but also has the required graduate qualities. Yet it may be that a student already had those qualities, and used them in order to arrive at the high mark. Thus they would have demonstrated their ability. However, for students starting without whatever particular quality is required, there may not be a transparent and enabling pathway to follow. Hence if an assessment task is designed with a marking scheme that accounts only for outcomes, rather than processes as well, it may work against the attainment of graduate qualities.
• How can staff developing courses that are taught in the final years of a program be able to assume that Graduate Qualities are already established and thus be able to offer assessments that pursue the development of graduate qualities at comparatively sophisticated levels?
From our mapping it would seem that this is not currently the case and a method of effectively measuring cumulative graduate qualities is proving evasive so far. The method of summing graduate qualities for courses already undertaken is tractable but unreliable. As guidelines for specifying graduate quality values are not available to course designers, significant discrepancies in graduate quality weightings are likely to exist.
• How do students read the graduate qualities being assumed in assessments? Are students adequately equipped to undertake further development of graduate qualities?
We knew that these questions could only be reliably addressed by referring to students, but this was outside the scope of our project. However, the question is one that needs to be addressed.
• Given the uncertainties that our mapping task has raised, is it possible to specify trans-national implications for course developers?
Our research suggests that the best method of determining trans-national implications is through an analysis of assumptions made by course developers. As this analysis requires a good knowledge of the course content it an exercise best done by a nominated course moderator with specialist knowledge of that course.
• Can we develop an understanding of graduate quality pre-requisites among course developers?
Our research suggests that this is possible through the use of assessment marking schemes that give due emphasis to process as well as to outcomes produced by students. Course developers often assume that students already possess a number of graduate qualities and this seems further aggravated when cultural factors are taken into account.
• What tools (for defining program outcomes; course content; assessment; all in terms of graduate qualities) can this research provide staff with?
For example, templates for writing course objectives and course statements.
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