Assessment & Critique

Question 1

What term describes the process of gathering measurable information to meet evaluation needs?

Answer 1

Assessment

Question 2

Why is an effective assessment an important component in the teaching and learning process?

Answer 2

1. It provides the instructor and student with information on how well the student is progressing.
2. It provides feedback to the student, including direction and guidance on how to improve performance.
3. It contributes to the development of ADM and judgement skills by helping develop the student’s ability to accurately evaluate their own knowledge and performance.
4. It helps the instructor see where more emphasis is needed by highlighting the areas in which a student’s performance is incorrect or inadequate.

Question 3

What are the general characteristics of an effective assessment?

Answer 3

1. Objective : The assessment should be focused on student performance; it should not reflect the personal opinions, likes, dislikes or biases of the instructor.
2. Flexible : The assessment should evaluate the entire performance in the context in which it was accomplished; it should be designed and executed so that the instructor can allow for variables. The challenge for the instructor is deciding what to say, what to omit, what to stress, and what to minimize at the proper moment.
3. Acceptable : The student must accept the instructor in order to accept his or her assessment willingly. They must have confidence in the instructor’s qualifications, teaching ability, sincerity, competence, and authority.
4. Comprehensive : It must cover strengths as well as weaknesses.
5. Constructive : Praise can be very effective in reinforcing and capitalizing on things that are done well.
6. Organized : Almost any pattern is acceptable as long as it is logical and makes sense to the student.
7. Thoughtful : An effective assessment reflects the instructors thoughtfulness toward the students need for self-esteem, recognition, and approval.
8. Specific : At the conclusion of the assessment, students should have no doubt about what they did well and what they did poorly.

Question 4

Briefly describe the two broad categories of assessment.

Answer 4

Traditional Assessment : Written testing, such as multiple choice, matching, true/false, or fill-in-the-blank; normally used to judge or evaluate a student’s progress at the rote and understanding levels of learning.
Authentic Assessment : The student is asked to perform real-world tasks and demonstrate a meaningful application of skills and competencies; requires the student to use critical thinking skills and exhibit in-depth knowledge by generating a solution instead of merely choosing a response.

Question 5

What is one of the most common forms of assessment used by instructors?

Answer 5

Direct or indirect oral questioning. Questions can be loosely classed as “fact” questions or “HOTS” questions. Answers to fact questions are based on memory or recall and usually concern who, what, when, and where. HOTS questions involve why or how.

Question 6

What are the characteristics of effective questions that instructors must consider?

Answer 6

Effective questions :

1. Apply to the subject of instruction.
2. Are brief and concise, but also clear and definite.
3. Are adapted to the ability, experience, and stage of training of the students.
4. Center on only one idea
5. Present a challenge to the student.

Question 7

Effective oral assessment should never include what types of questions?

Answer 7

1. Puzzle : Questions with many subparts.
2. Oversize : Questions that are too general, covering a wide subject area.
3. Toss-Up : Questions for which there is more than one correct answer.
4. Bewilderment : Questions with unclear content.
5. Irrelevant : Questions that are unrelated to what is being discussed.
6. Trick : Questions that causes students to think they are in a battle of wits with the instructor.

Question 8

Describe the characteristics of an effective critique.

Answer 8

An effective critique considers good as well as bad performance, the individual parts, relationships of the individual parts, and the overall performance. It may be oral, written, or both, and should come immediately after a student’s performance while the details of the performance are easy to recall.

Question 9

Name several useful methods for critique of a student’s performance.

Answer 9

1. Instructor/Student Critique : The instructor leads a group discussion in which members of the class are invited to offer criticism of a performance.
2. Student-Led Critique
3. Small Group Critique
4. Individual Student Critique by Another Student
5. Self-Critique
6. Written Critique

Question 10

During a student’s training, when is an assessment more appropriate than a critique?

Answer 10

In the initial stages of skill acquisition, practical suggestions are more valuable to the student than a grade. Early assessment is usually teacher-oriented and provides a check on teaching effectiveness.

Question 11

Your student asks you a question for which you don’t know the answer. How will you respond?

Answer 11

Occasionally, a student asks a question that the instructor cannot answer. In such cases, the instructor should freely admit not knowing the answer, but should promise to get the answer or, if practicable, offer to help the student look it up in available references.