CITERS Keynote

Scaling up Assessment for Learning

CITERS 2017, June 9

Professor David Carless

University of Hong Kong

The University of Hong Kong

Overview

• Assessment for learning (AfL)

• AfL & MOOCs

• Peer feedback & technology

• Leadership & communities of practice



Chapter 1: Scaling up AfL: Progress & prospects (Carless)

Chapter 14: How does Technology enable Scaling up AfL? (Dawson & Henderson)


AfL definition

Assessment for which the

first priority is promoting students’

learning (Black et al., 2004)

Cf. Formative assessment

Learning-oriented assessment

(Carless, 2007, 2015a)


Interlinked AfL strategies

1. Productive assessment design

2. Students making judgments

3. Effective feedback processes

4. Developing student appreciation of quality

(Carless, 2017)


Scaling up (Coburn, 2003)

Spread

Depth

Sustainability

Shifts in ownership


Why scale-up AfL?

Research evidence

(Black & Wiliam, Hattie)

Dissatisfaction with current assessment & feedback practices


Black & Wiliam (1998)

Formative assessment & learning gains

Effect sizes: 0.4 - 0.7

… But implementation is generally weak


Hattie: Visible Learning The University of Hong Kong

MOOCs & AfL


MOOC Assessment design

Alignment of goals, activities & low-stakes assessment

MC quizzes + automated

feedback

Higher order thinking?


Peer assessment

Peer reviewed assignments + detailed rubrics as key feature of MOOCs

(Admiraal et al, 2015; Huisman et al., 2016)


Reliability of PA

Moderate reliability of peer assessment (Admiraal et al., 2015)

Use of multiple peer assessments to mitigate variance in judgments (Hew, 2016)


Peer feedback for learning

Learners gain more from composing than receiving peer feedback (Nicol et al., 2014)


Peer & Self-evaluation

Students did 5 peer reviews then self-evaluated own work

(Hew, 2016)


FEEDBACK PROCESSES & TECHNOLOGY


Audio & Video feedback

Rapport

Nuance

Personalisation

Monologue or Dialogue?

Time saver?


Peer video feedback

Peer-to-peer video feedback

delivered via Facebook

Hung (2016)


Personalised feedback at scale

Using learning analytics to

scale the provision of

personalised feedback

https://www.ontasklearning.org/


https://www.ontasklearning.org/

Sustainable feedback

Students generating & using feedback from peers or self as part of self-regulated learning (Carless et al., 2011)


DEVELOPING STUDENT APPRECIATION OF

QUALITY


MOOC limitation?

MOOCs do not systematically develop student understanding of quality

(Dawson & Henderson, 2017)


Using exemplars The University of Hong Kong

Exemplars convey messages that nothing else can

(Sadler, 2002)


Appreciating quality

Students need to debate nature of quality & develop capacities in making judgments


SCALING UP POSSIBILITIES


Enhancing design

Adding technology to existing design & expecting improvements is flawed

Invest in improved assessment & feedback designs to leverage gains from technology

(Dawson & Henderson, 2017)


Leadership

Resourcing & support

Incentives & rewards


TELI

Technology-Enhanced Learning Initiative


Associate Vice-President (Teaching and Learning) Ricky Kwok

Incentives

Teaching Innovation Award

Teaching Feedback Award


Communities of practice (CoPs)

Surfacing and sharing AfL practices (Hounsell & Zou, 2017)


Staff development

Good CoPs

Dialogue & communication


References

Admiraal, W., Huisman, B., & Pilli, O. (2015). Assessment in massive open online courses. The Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 13(4), 207-216.

Black, P., Harrison, C., Lee, C., Marshall, B., & Wiliam, D. (2004). Working inside the black box: Assessment for learning in the classroom. Phi Delta Kappan, 86(1), 8-21.

Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education, 5(1), 7-74.

Carless, D. (2007). Learning-oriented assessment: Conceptual basis and practical implications. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 44(1), 57-66.

Carless, D. (2015a). Exploring learning-oriented assessment processes. Higher Education, 69(6), 963-976.

Carless, D. (2015b). Excellence in University Assessment: learning from award-winning teachers. London: Routledge.

Carless, D. & K.K.H. Chan (2016). Managing dialogic use of exemplars. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2016.1211246

Carless, D., Salter, D., Yang, M., & Lam, J. (2011). Developing sustainable feedback practices. Studies in Higher Education, 36(4), 395-407.

Coburn, C. (2003). Rethinking scale: Moving beyond numbers to deep and lasting change. Educational Researcher, 32(6), 3-12.


http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2016.1211246

References

Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning. London: Routledge.Hew, K. F. (2016). Promoting engagement in online courses: What strategies can we

learn from three highly rated MOOCS. British Journal of Educational Technology, 47(2), 320-341.

Hounsell, D. & Zou, T. (2017). Surfacing and Sharing Advances in Assessment: A Communities-of-practice approach. In D. Carless, S. Bridges, C.K.W. Chan & R. Glofcheski (Eds.), Scaling up Assessment for learning in Higher Education. Singapore: Springer.

Huisman, B., Admiraal, W., Pilli, L., van de Ven, M., & Saab, N. (2016). Peer assessment in MOOCs: The relationship between peer reviewers’ ability and authors’ essay performance. British Journal of Educational Technology. Doi: 10.1111/bjet.12520.

Hung, S.-T. A. (2016). Enhancing feedback provision through multimodal video technology. Computers & Education, 98, 90-101.

Nicol, D., Thomson, A., & Breslin, C. (2014). Rethinking feedback practices in higher education: a peer review perspective. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 39(1), 102–122.

Sadler, D. R. (2002). Ah! … So that’s ‘quality’. In P. Schwartz & G. Webb (Eds.), Assessment: Case Studies, Experience and Practice from Higher Education (p.130-136). London: Kogan Page.


THANK YOU
