Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Introduction to Student Assessment

Go to Course: https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-assessment

Introduction

### Course Review: Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Introduction to Student Assessment on Coursera If you're looking to enhance your teaching skills, particularly in the realm of assessment, the **Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Introduction to Student Assessment** course on Coursera is a highly recommended choice. This course provides a robust framework for educators of all levels—whether you teach in a school, home, or workplace—to explore the critical components of student assessment. #### Course Overview The **Foundations of Teaching for Learning** programme is designed for anyone interested in refining their teaching techniques across various subjects and contexts. Through a series of dynamic lessons delivered by experienced professionals from around the Commonwealth, you will engage with essential topics that will bolster your understanding of teaching methodology, professionalism, and assessment practices. #### Syllabus Highlights The course is structured to cover five key areas, each crucial for effective student assessment: 1. **An Introduction to Assessment Theory and Practice**: This module lays the groundwork by examining the various purposes of assessment. It invites participants to reflect on their own experiences and consider cultural factors that may influence educational practices. Comparing global perspectives enriches the discourse around assessment, making it a thought-provoking start to the journey. 2. **The Nature of Feedback in Improving Teaching and Learning**: Feedback is integral to the learning process. This section delves into what constitutes effective feedback and how it varies among teachers and students. Participants will learn to craft impactful feedback, particularly for minority students, fostering an inclusive learning environment. 3. **Reporting Student Achievement**: The third week focuses on how student achievements are reported. Participants will explore the pros and cons of standardized testing and learn techniques for writing meaningful reports that genuinely assist students in improving their learning outcomes. 4. **Guidelines for Developing and Using Objectively Answered Question Procedures**: This week emphasizes the importance of designing effective assessment tools. Using techniques like multiple-choice questions (MCQs), learners will understand the necessity of creating well-constructed test questions that accurately reflect a student’s knowledge and skills. 5. **Guidelines for Developing and Using Human Judgement Scoring Procedures**: Transitioning from objective assessments to judgment-based evaluations is crucial for modern education. In this segment, the course tackles the challenges and methodologies of designing assessments such as rubrics and essays, emphasizing the need for accuracy, reliability, and validity in evaluations. 6. **Guidelines for Developing and Using Procedures that Involve Students in Assessment**: The final week introduces participatory assessment practices like self-assessment and peer assessment. Participants will create their own assessment tasks that promote student involvement, critical thinking, and collaborative learning. #### Why You Should Enroll - **Expert Instruction**: The course features lessons from highly respected professionals who bring a wealth of knowledge and real-world experience in education. - **Comprehensive Curriculum**: Covering both theoretical and practical aspects of assessment, you will leave this course equipped with the tools to apply what you've learned in diverse educational settings. - **Flexible Learning**: As a Coursera course, it allows you to learn at your own pace, making it accessible for busy professionals. - **Engagement with a Global Community**: Interacting with peers from around the world enriches the learning experience and broadens your perspective on educational practices. #### Conclusion The **Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Introduction to Student Assessment** course is an invaluable resource for anyone looking to enhance their teaching proficiency, particularly in assessment strategies. With a focus on ongoing professional development and practical applications, this course sets the stage for effective teaching practices that can adapt to the diverse needs of learners. Whether you're a seasoned educator or just starting out, this course is a solid investment in your career and the success of your students. Don't miss out on the opportunity to expand your skills and make a meaningful impact in the world of education!

Syllabus

An Introduction to Assessment Theory and Practice

What is the purpose of assessment? Research has shown that opinions on this differ around the world. In this week’s general introduction to assessment theory and practice, you can compare your own experience of assessment with some contrasting experiences from different parts of the world. We will take a clear look at how educational assessment integrates and links curriculum, teaching, and learning. We will then look at cultural factors that may influence the teaching practices of your workplace.

Feedback can vary greatly in its effectiveness. In the lectures this week we will identify the key characteristics of good (and bad) feedback. We will explore the practice of incorporating feedback into teaching. Teachers and students have their own views on what constitutes effective feedback. Understanding these views can help you to decide how you should give feedback to your own students. We will ask you to consider how you can best provide feedback to minority students. By the end of the week you should be able to generate your own examples of effective feedback for students.

Welcome back to our third week of exploring ideas connected to assessment. In the lectures this week, we explore current approaches to reporting and raise important questions about their validity. We will consider the strengths and weaknesses of standardized test scores and point you to effective techniques for writing reports and giving feedback that will actually help students and pupils improve their learning. We will give you tools for use in your own practice and encourage you how reporting practices used with majority groups might need to be modified for use with parents from minority groups.

This week we describe specific techniques for designing assessment tools. The assessment tool that we will focus on is multiple-choice questions (MCQs), however we will present a number of different formats. You will be given practical advice and tools for creating a variety of good test questions. The key point to note is that unless such objectively-scored questions are written well, getting them right will not be an indicator of knowledge or skill in the domain being assessed. Test-wiseness (i.e., knowing how to answer such questions) increases test scores but this is no guarantee students actually understand more. Hence, care and attention needs to be paid to how test questions are written. Stay active – and enjoy the learning this week.

Last week we focused on assessments that could be scored against agreed correct answers. We will now look at judgement-based assessments. The main assessment method used in teaching has changed from objective-style to using judgement-based assessment. This change has brought forward some new issues for us to consider. We will introduce you to challenges that are inherent in designing and evaluating student performance in open-ended formats in the first lecture. In the next two lectures we will focus on two assessment tools that are often used under judgement-based conditions: the rubric and the essay. In the last lecture, we will explore the concepts of moderation and inter-rater reliability. The topics for this week require you to grapple with notions of accuracy, quality, reliability, validity, and error. By the end of the week you should be able to design a valid and reliable assessment task and corresponding marking scheme (rubric).

In this final week we will define two assessment practices that involve student participation: self-assessment and peer assessment. We will provide you with exemplars of both kinds of assessment for your own personal use, and point you to important issues that you will need to consider when preparing your own assessments. By the end of this week you should be able to create peer and self-assessment tasks that facilitate learning for children you teach.