Continous classroom assessment : a partnership in learning

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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
Citation