Continous classroom assessment : a partnership in learning
Date
2000
Authors
Buis, Judithe-Lynne Trollope
University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Education
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Education, 2000
Abstract
The primary focus of this project will try to answer the questions if Continuous
Classroom Assessment based on anonymous feedback from students on a daily basis
directly increases the students' level of achievement, resulting in higher achievement levels
and does it influence the instructor's methodology of teaching. Classroom Assessment
consists of small-scale instruments conducted in college classrooms by discipline based
teachers to determine what students are learning in that class and how to improve learning
by providing instructors with the kind of feedback they need to refine their instructional
decisions. The longitudinal study over a period of three academic years involved 469
adult students by using Classroom Assessment Techniques in a technical writing English
class in the Criminal Justice program at Lethbridge Community College. The study
utilized the specific technique of students having to submit comment cards in which they
would provide feedback or their assessment on their comprehension levels of the material
taught during a particular unit. The assessment instruments were only used during the
research paper/report writing unit. One of the Key Performance Indicators (student
satisfaction) as set out by Department of Learning (Advanced Education sector), formed a
significant, but a small part of the rationale for this research. To support the Mission
Statement of Lethbridge Community College to be a 'learner-centered' institution also
was an significant factor for implementing this study. Patricia Cross and Thomas Angelo
are prolific writers in promoting their Classroom Assessment Techniques, yet the majority of their work is focused on describing their philosophy and methodology.
Research on the influence of Continuous Classroom Assessment at the post-secondary
level is limited with only a few examples documented from post-secondary institutions in
the United States and fewer examples for Canadian institutions. The major research in this
area has been done by the California state college system that explored the influence of
Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) on student retention rates while this research
dealt with the affects of CATs on student achievement levels and on instructor's teaching
methodology. Through close observation of students in the process of learning, the
collection of frequent feedback on students' learning, and the design of modest classroom
assessment tools, the study illustrated an increase in students' success rate, how students
responded to this particular teaching approach, and more specifically, the changes that
occurred in the instructor's teaching style.
Description
ix, 122 leaves ; 29 cm. --
Keywords
Educational evaluation , Student evaluation of teachers , College teachers -- Rating of