This document is intended to help teachers in the physical sciences with assessment. It brings together relevant reports and information about useful resources with hyperlinks to allow further investigation or downloading of materials. It contains two sections; assessment and computer-assisted assessment.
Code of practice - Assessment of students
This QAA document is a code of practice for the assessment of students in UK higher education institutions.
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/public/COP/COPaosfinal/contents.htm
Exchange
(NCT/LTSN/ILT joint publication)
The 4th issue of Exchange covers various aspects of the assessment debate and practice.
http://www.exchange.ac.uk/issue4.asp
Designing Assessment to Improve Physical Sciences Learning
LTSN Physical Sciences Practice guide
Contents
1. Putting assessment into perspective
2. How important is expertise in the design of assessment?
3. Concerns about assessment
4. Pros and Cons of Fourteen Assessment Techniques
5. Tips on assessing dissertations and theses
6. Feedback and Assessment
7. Involving students in their own assessment
8. Setting up self-assessment tutor dialogues
9. Making the most of learning outcomes
Phil Race
http://www.physsci.ltsn.ac.uk/guides/designing_assessment/index.htm
Effective Practice in Objective Assessment
LTSN Physical Sciences Practice guide
The bulk of the guide is devoted to the development of the expertise necessary to design questions, to construct papers and to handle the results. The effort expended to gain this expertise will pay off in terms of better and sharper assessment tools which will help our students to take a realistic view of their progress and which will keep us from self-delusion about our teaching.
Alex Johnstone (formerly of The Centre for Science Education, Glasgow University)
http://www.physsci.ltsn.ac.uk/practice_guides.asp
What Do Examinations Really Test?
LTSN Physical Sciences Development Project
Over the last two decades, there has been a move from examination testing to continuous assessment in chemistry at the tertiary educational level. Even so examinations still play a major part in assessment. This project set out to find if there had been a change in examinations in line with the changing assessment regimes.
Stuart Bennett, Department of Chemistry, Open University
http://www.physsci.ltsn.ac.uk/devprojs/exams.htm
Assessing group work
LTSN Physical Sciences Development Project
Covers…
1. Individual report or assignment
2. Group report or assignment
3. Observation and interview
4. Group presentations
5. Poster presentations
6. Peer assessment of contribution to the group
7. Individual exercises
plus further information and some examples of peer assessment marking schemes
Paul Chin and Tina Overton, LTSN Physical Sciences, University of Hull
http://www.physsci.ltsn.ac.uk/primers/group6.htm
The ASSHE Inventory
Changing Assessment Practices in Scottish Higher Education
The ASSHE Inventory is a rich source of information and ideas on assessment in higher education. It brings together over 120 descriptions by Scottish university and college teachers of changes in how they assess their students' progress and performance.
http://www.ltsn.ac.uk/genericcentre/asshe/
Assessment - Quality Enhancement Theme – Scotland
The theme of this work is Efficiency and Effectiveness in assessment
http://www.qaa.ac.uk/scottishenhancement/themes/assessment/default.htm
LTSN Generic Centre Assessment Series
This series takes the form of twelve booklets, each of about 24 pages in length, dealing with a range of aspects of assessment: with guides for Senior Managers, for Heads of Department., for Lecturers, for Students; and briefings on Key Skills in Higher Education, on Assessment of Portfolios, on Key Concepts, on Assessing Disabled Students, on Self, Peer and Group Assessment, on Plagiarism, on Work-Based Learning, on Assessment of Large Groups.
Various authors - whole collection edited and produced by LTSN Generic Centre
http://www.ltsn.ac.uk/genericcentre/index.asp
Self and Peer Assessment of Text
An online tool that allows a tutor to set a text-based assessment exercise with a criterion-based marking scheme for use online by a small or large number of students
Richard Parsons, Centre for Learning and Teaching, University of Dundee
http://www.dundee.ac.uk/learning/leu/ilt/selfpeer.htm
Development of a Generic Computer-based system for the Assessment of Practical Work in Chemistry
An intranet based system using a database has been developed and implemented for the assessment of some chemistry practicals
Dr George Olivier, University of Brighton
http://www.physsci.ltsn.ac.uk/devprojs/chemprac_assessment.htm
The LTSN Generic Centre Assessment project
This covers; case studies, managing effective student assessment, writing an assessment strategy, using new assessment techniques, publications, links and resources
http://www.ltsn.ac.uk/genericcentre/index.asp?id=16892
SAPHE - Self Assessment in Professional and Higher Education
(FDTL phase 1 project)
Aims and Objectives
1. Develop, pilot and evaluate a variety of self and peer
assessment tools.
2. Explore the relationship between self assessment techniques and course
content.
3. Develop staff and student skills of self reflection and self monitoring.
4. Develop strategies for facilitating institutional acceptance for self
assessment.
5. Disseminate the results of the project regionally and nationally.
http://www.ncteam.ac.uk/projects/fdtl/fdtl1/projectdescriptions/46-96.htm
FAST: Improving the Effectiveness of Formative Assessment in Science
(FDTL phase 4 project)
This project is concerned with the way assessment affects student learning. It is not about measuring learning but about supporting learning
http://www.open.ac.uk/science/fdtl/
This project also support a Special Interest Group on Formative Assessment
http://www.physsci.ltsn.ac.uk/special.htm
Assessment in Universities: A critical review of research
This critical review of research has been constructed with these audiences in mind:
1.Those who wish to maintain good practice within current
assessment methods.
2.Those who wish in the main to improve practice within current assessment
methods.
3.Those who wish in the main to change current assessment methods.
http://www.ltsn.ac.uk/application.asp?app=resources.asp&process=full_record§ion=generic&id=13
ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation
ERIC/AE promotes the best resources and provides balanced information concerning educational assessment, evaluation and research methodology.
Assessment Websites
This is a US-based catalogue of organisations interested in Higher Education assessment, resources for Higher Education Outcomes Assessment and Support Centres in Higher Education: Learner Assessment
http://www.aahe.org/assessment/web.htm
Assessment Project Network
Links to projects on assessment funded by FDTL, National Teaching Fellowships, TLTP and LTSN subject centres plus other assessment resources
http://www.ncteam.ac.uk/projects/fdtl/fdtl4/assessment/index.htm
Getting started with Computer-assisted assessment
LTSN Physical Sciences Primer
Covers definitions, usage, benefits and pitfalls and resources for CAA; including useful web sites, products, examples of usage in physical sciences
Roger Gladwin, LTSN Physical Sciences, University of Liverpool
http://www.physsci.ltsn.ac.uk/primers/caa.htm
IMS Question and Test Interoperability
This is a summary of the current position of the new international standard for computer based questions and tests, for those who are using, or planning to use, computer based assessments in courses. It also includes links for more information and to testing systems
Dick Bacon, LTSN Physical Sciences, University of Surrey
http://www.physsci.ltsn.ac.uk/newslett/news10/SharingQuestionBanks.htm
CETIS
the centre for educational technology interoperability standards
CETIS represents UK higher-education and further-education institutions on international learning technology standards initiatives.
It has Special Interest Group for assessment, and this group's web site contains information about the group's activities, about the progress of the development of IMS assessment specification and a simple working introduction to the specification.
For examples of CAA products and examples of using CAA in the physical sciences see Getting started with Computer-assisted assessment http://www.physsci.ltsn.ac.uk/primers/caa.htm
For examples of CAA resources in the physical sciences see LTSN Physical Sciences Development Projects
http://www.physsci.ltsn.ac.uk/devprojs.asp
CAA Centre
This site was designed to provide information and guidance on the use of computer-assisted assessment (CAA) in higher education. The site is no longer maintained as the project has formally closed, but it contains much useful information.
Source of the CAA Blueprint – the ‘Bible’ for CAA implementers