Assessment Methods

Identifying Possibilities and Good Practices to Achieve Competence Learning Outcomes

Pro

f. dr. sc. A

lan U

zela

c, Univ

ersity

of Z

agre

b, ©

20

05

Types of assesment

STUDENTS CURRICULUM

DIAGNOSTICASSESMENT

FORMATIVEASSESMENT

SUMMATIVEASSESMENT

Initial ability for thesuccess in study

Stimulating studyand self-assesment

Final evaluation ofthe success in study

External conditions

methods offinancing

professionaltargets

institutionalcapacity

assesment

Assesment of students at Zagreb Law School

Assesment of students at Zagreb Law School

• Advantages– long tradition– good human

resources– striving at

excellency– talented students– high thresholds– multiple individual

assesment methods

• Difficulties– poor teacher/student

ratio– lack of continuous

and individual assesment

– lack of mutual communication

– criteria not harmonised

– dubious student motivation

• Attracting good candidates!– no selection – no quality

• Adequate choice of criteria– previous education– specific competence

• Resistance to outside pressures

DIAGNOSTICASSESMENT

What can be done?

What can be done?

• Adjusting the size of the classes– hiring more professors– admitting less students

• Introducing methods of continuing tracking– mentorship over the

integral duration of the study

– tutorials

FORMATIVEASSESMENT

What can be done?

• Specific programmes for specific classes of students– students with difficulties– average students– excellent students

• Increasing motivation for excellence– awards, stimuli– working towards better

employment chances

FORMATIVEASSESMENT

What can be done?

• Most chances for improvement

• Three fields

SUMMATIVEASSESMENT

CRITERIA

METHODS

OUTPUT

Criteria – general frameworkOBJECTIVITY

TRANSPARENCYREALITY

neutrality: positive/negative(methods: written/oral ex.; anonimity?)expertise: professional and pedagogic

clear definition of demandsaccessibility of sourcespublicity of the assesment process

adequate demands(high/low)

(appropriate targets)

CHEATING

CORRUPTION ROUTINE

What do you use in

preparing for exams?

Studentcompendia

(scripta)

80%

“Other ways” to pass the exam

Money1,7%

Sex1,7%

Other2,6%

Criteria – the problems

Do you cheat on exams?

Never!17%

Methods

SHOULD EXAMS BE WRITTEN AND/OR ORAL?

SHOULD EXAMS BE ANONYMOUS AND/OR IDENTIFIED?

SHOULD THERE BE EXAMS AT ALL?

HOW MANY TIMES MAY A STUDENT TAKE ONE EXAM?

Outputs

Gauss (bell) curve

SENSITIVITY?- can you recognise the excellence?

USEFULLNESS?- is this what society needs/expects?

COMPARABILITY?- are results from different institutions roughly adequate and comparable?

Outputs• Assesment of students and its relative

importance for the curriculum

55 4455

Assessing the assessors

The future