2012/10/03: Tutoring through Assessment: Practices and innovations, Online Skype presentation by Sanjaya Mishra for the staff of Wawasan Open University, Penang, Malaysia

1. Commonwealth Educational
Media Centre for Asia
Tutoring through
Assessment
Practices and innovations
Sanjaya Mishra

2. Assessment
 It is a process of obtaining information about
learners progress and achievement in
learning

3. Why Assessment?
 Selecting learners
 Certification
 Motivating learners
 Improve the practice of teaching
Primarily assessment serves two purposes
 To provide support and feedback to learners
to improve their on-going learning
 To report on what they have already
achieved, whether this be a grade or written
comment

4. Trends in Assessment
• Shift from • Towards
– Assessing knowledge – Assessing skills and understanding
– Assessing products – Assessing processes
– End of course test – Continuous assessment
– Written assessments – Use of variety of methods/evidence
– Norm-referenced – Criterion-referenced
– Pass/Fail summative – Formative identification of
strengths and weaknesses and
recording of positive achievements
I addition to summative

5. Qualities of Good Assessment
 Aligning assessment with objectives
 Explicit/open criteria and standards
 Authentic and holistic tasks
 Facilitative degree of structure to promote
self-direction
 Sufficient and timely formative feedback
 Balanced tension between workload and time

6. Assessment in ODL
 Non-assessable activities and feedback in
study materials
 Self-assessment questions with feedback in
the learning materials
 Assignments (TMAs and CMAs)
 Dialogue with tutors and peer groups
 Practicals and portfolio
 Project work, seminars, field work, etc.
 Formal examinations

7. Types of Tests
 Objective
– Matching
– Multiple Choice
– True-False
– Sequencing
– Fill in the Blanks
– Sentence completion
 Short Answer (50-150 words)
 Long Answer (600-1200 words)

8. Self Assessment
 One of the psycho-pedagogic basis of
distance learning materials
 Promotes self-monitoring of progress by
learners
 Develops independent and self-directed
learning
 Important to apply for recognition of prior
learning
 Promotes self knowledge and understanding

9. Self-Assessment
 Research shows that high achievers tend to
under-estimate and low achievers tend to
over-estimate (Falchikov and Boud, 1989;
and Mishra, 2004).
 Tutor feedback is important
 Assessment criteria for self-assessment
– What I have been doing?
– How have I been doing?
– What do I think of what I have been doing?
– How could I improve my approach?

10. Portfolios
 Collection of evidence that learning has
taken place
 Collection of what learners themselves judge
to be most meaningful representation of
their learning in a subject
 Both a learning as well as assessment tool
 Developmental growth of a learner over a
period of time can be tracked
 Also useful to prospective employers
 Provides opportunity for self-reflection

11. Portfolios
Reflects evidence of:
 Progress over time
 Understanding of key principles and/or
processes
 Lack of understanding and hence future
learning needs
 Originality and creativity
 Achievements in different context and
application
 Key skills development

12. Reflective Journaling
 Reflection is important for learning
 Two types: Reflection-on-action and
Reflection-in-action
 Reflection is a systematic meaning making
process that requires attitude to value the
personal and intellectual growth of oneself
and others.
 It is not just writing diary

13. Reflective Journaling
 Use action verbs in the level beyond
"Remember" in revised Blooms Taxonomy
 Cover critical reflection approach by using
questions such as what, how and why
 Provide opportunity for contextualize,
theorize, personalize, and generalize
(Source: Mishra and Panda, 2007)

14. Assessment Tools
 Marking Scheme
(Source: Morgan & O'Reilly, 1999)

15. Assessment Tools
 SOLO Taxonomy (Biggs, 1999)
SOLO Level Description Example of verbs
associated
Pre-structural The task itself is not attacked in an Missed point
appropriate way. The student has not
understood the point.
Uni-structural One relevant aspect of task is picked up Identify, Do simple
and there is no relationship between procedure.
facts or ideas. Understanding is
nominal.
Multi- Several (two or more) independent Enumerate, Describe, List,
structural aspects are picked up or understood Combine, Do algorithms
serially but are not interrelated.
Relational Relevant aspects are integrated into an Compare, Contrast,
overall coherent structure. Explain causes, Analyse,
Relate, Apply.
Extended The coherent whole is generalised or re- Theorize, Generalize,
abstract conceptualised to a higher level of Hypothesize, Reflect.
abstraction.

16. Assessment Tools
 IGNOU Marking Scheme

17. Assessment Tools
 Using Rubrics
– Rating scales or scoring guides that consists of
specific pre-defined performance criteria used in
assessing student performances
– Two types: Holistic rubrics and Analytic rubrics
– Use online tools such as Rubistar to develop
Rubrics at
http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php

18. Rubrics
 Holistic Rubrics
(Source: Mertler, 2001)

19. Rubrics
 Analytical Rubrics
(Source: Mertler, 2001)

20. Assignments at IGNOU
 TMAs and CMAs depending on the
requirements and decision of the School
Board and Academic Council
 Used as 2-way communication through tutor
comments (academic and personal) and
supplemental communication

21. Tutoring through Assignments
 Removes the isolation of students at ODL
 Supports them in their learning process to
identify areas which they should further
develop
 Creates a dialogue between teacher and
learner
 Promotes reflective and self-evaluative
thinking

22. Inside Tutor Comments
 Drawing attention to facts they have
overlooked or misinterpreted
 Suggesting alternative approaches or
interpretations
 Drawing attention to gaps in learning
 Suggesting how the learners might improve
 Identify relationships with student’s present
response and previous learning
 Appreciate special efforts or improvements in
competence
 Suggest new sources of information

23. Tutor comments should/may
 Always be Positive
 Always be Constructive
 Rarely be Negative
 Sometimes be Null
 Never be Hollow
 Never be Misleading
 Never be Harmful

24. Examples…
 Positive Comment: Your explanation with
regard to ---- is very good. I appreciate the
diagrammatic representation of the
concepts.
 Constructive Comment: You could have
discussed the following three parts:
– (i)…
– (ii)…
– (iii)…
 Use of more examples and illustrations are
welcome

25. Examples
 Negative Comment: The example given is not
correct
 Null Comment: ?? ‗ ‗ ‗ X  ( ) ~ ~ ~
 Hollow Comment: Your answer is so so. You
can improve your presentation. You may
spend some more time in writing this answer.
 Misleading Comment: Where the student is
right, but teacher indicates it as wrong.
 Harmful Comment: Really bad/ Horrible
language/ This is nonsense/ Are you writing
English for the first time?

26. Global Comments
 Specified Format of Global Comment Sheet
 Give Grade:
– A = Excellent
– B = Very Good
– C= Good
– D = Satisfactory
– E = Unsatisfactory
 Provide an overview of the comments
 Explain grade
 The grade and comments should be matching

27. THANK YOU