Plenary HKU conference, May 14, 2015

1. Assessment for student learning
David Carless,
Plenary HKU AfL conference,
May 14, 2015
The University of Hong Kong

2. Overview
1. Researching teaching award winners
2. Learning-oriented assessment
3. Assessment task design
4. Implications
The University of Hong Kong

3. Research process
The University of Hong Kong
Classroom observations
Interviews with teachers & students

4. Learning-oriented assessment
To tackle competing
priorities
&
circumnavigate
formative/summative
divides
The University of Hong Kong

5. A focus on student learning
By prioritizing student learning as a key aim of
all assessment
The University of Hong Kong

6. The University of Hong Kong
Productive assessment
task design
Understanding quality in the
discipline
Student engagement
with feedback
Learning-oriented assessment framework

7. What might be some features of
good assessment task design?
The University of Hong Kong

8. Sustained engagement
Facilitating persistent
intellectual engagement
via a series of well-
designed tasks
And/or a cumulative task,
such as a portfolio
The University of Hong Kong

9. Mirroring real-life
Tasks which mirror real-
life uses of the
discipline
Museum visit in History
Designing a village
house in Architecture
The University of Hong Kong

10. Flexibility & choice
Flexibility, choice and personal investment so
that students develop ownership
The University of Hong Kong

11. Feedback & task design
Assessment designed
to facilitate feedback
processes
In which students seek,
generate and act on
feedback
The University of Hong Kong

12. Implications
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13. Relational trust
Trust as key factor in feedback processes
(Carless, 2013)
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14. Trust in teachers
Innovative assessment thrives when teachers
are trusted (Carless, 2009)
The University of Hong Kong

15. Excellence in University Assessment …
An impossible mission (Barnett, 2007)
The University of Hong Kong

16. Teacher X factor
Teacher will & determination to
overcome real or perceived
barriers and strive for
… learning-oriented assessment
The University of Hong Kong

17. Final words
“Being a good teacher is very much about being
a good designer of tasks” (Knight, 2002, Being a
Teacher in Higher Education)
The University of Hong Kong