Evaluation is a ‘systematic collection and analysis of data needed to make a decision’ (p. 3, Fenwick & Parson, 2009). The 9 purposes of evaluation include 1) comparing performance of the learner to the goals of the instruction, 2) guiding learners on what to improve, 3) keeping track of the progress, 4) assessing teaching strategies, 5) deciding on changes to a program, 6) updating the stakeholders, 7) determining what learners already know, 8) gauging how satisfied the learners are, and 9) facilitating the capacity of learners to evaluate themselves (Fenwick & Parson, 2009). Among these purposes, I am particularly interested in the ninth purpose which is self-assessment.
Why is self-assessment important?
In my experience as a university lecturer, my 3 main purposes of evaluating my students are to guide them on what to improve on, keep track of their progress, and ultimately measure whether they have met the instructional goals or not. In a research class, I evaluate my students’ progress in their research proposal so as to provide them feedback on what to improve on and monitor their learning progress, which will give me an idea of their current state of meeting the goal. Other purposes like assessing teaching strategies, deciding on changes to the program, updating the stakeholders, gauging the previous knowledge of students, and their satisfaction with the learning experience are for the purpose of communicating to my colleagues and to the administrators.
I believe that developing the capacity for self-assessment among students is the essence of evaluation. Aside from the macro-level purpose of evaluation which is to check the department or the institution in terms of reaching the institutional learning goals, evaluation is more meaningful if this is delivered on a personal level. One of the ways to do this is to develop students’ capacity for self-assessment. Students see tasks as having an impact on their learning experience when these represent real-job preparation (authentic learning), present a doable workload, and can be useful not only in the class but also in the future (Sambell, McDowell, & Brown, 1997). An evaluation method may not be able to capture all these aspects but students capable of self-assessment have the skill of at least intuitively measuring these themselves.
Application of Self-Assessment in my Teaching Practice
I am not asserting though that I give the burden entirely to the students to assess themselves. What I want to do is to make sure that I regularly engage in evaluation with my students so that in time they will not be intimidated by such a process, get the most of the evaluation, and eventually incorporate the evaluation experience as a way to monitor their own progress. Evaluation also has to be directed on a target output or outcome – this means that participation in the class is not always part of the evaluation unless it is the specific target outcome to be evaluated. For example, if the outcome is to facilitate a group discussion, then participation in a group discussion has to be evaluated. However, if the outcome is to create a summary of the case analysis, then group participation is a means to arrive with that summary and not the target of evaluation per se. Hence, being mindful of what outcome should be evaluated makes the evaluation more focused and meaningful. A meaningful evaluation, in addition, has to involve an interaction between the teacher who gives points to improve on and the student who integrates the feedback for the purpose of improvement and continuous monitoring of his/her learning process (hence, self-assessment).
Self-assessment makes the students in-charge of their own learning through thinking of and implementing strategies to bridge the learning gaps (Ndoye, 2017). In a class where the main requirement is to submit a research proposal, regular evaluation scaffolds students on what to do next one step at a time. This regular evaluation then facilitates the students in terms of assessing their own learning especially the areas of improvement in their research proposal. Hence, identifying what has been done well and what needs to improve on are important aspects of learning which can be achieved through self-assessment (Andrade & Valtcheva, 2009).
To properly use self-assessment in improving student learning, actionable instructions and clear interpersonal communication have to be present (Harris & Brown, 2013). Hence, at the start of the class, I have to explicitly present my evaluation methods and corresponding rubrics to my students so they have the idea of what needs to be done. Engaging in a discussion with them about the evaluation criteria can be a way to establish a transparent communication on what is expected in the class.
In my teaching philosophy, I emphasized that my role as a teacher is to facilitate the learning process by articulating it to the learner through visual representation. Articulation of the learning process involves the teacher and the students in a continuous “feedback loop” which is one of the characteristics of classroom assessment (Angelo & Cross, 1993). Through this, I will be able to journey with the student from being a mere receiver of knowledge to a seeker of knowledge capable of directing the self to learn.
References
Andrade, H., & Valtcheva, A. (2009). Promoting learning and achievement through self-assessment. Theory Into Practice, 48(1), 12 – 19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405840802577544
Angelo, T. A., & Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques: A handbook for college teachers, 2nd Edition. Jossey Bass Wiley.
Fenwick, T. J., & Parsons, J. (2009). The art of evaluation: A resource for educators and trainers, 2nd Edition. Thompson Educational Publishing.
Harris, L. R., & Brown, G. T. (2013). Opportunities and obstacles to consider when using peer-and self-assessment to improve student learning: Case studies into teachers’ implementation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 36, 101 – 111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2013.07.008
Ndoye, A. (2017). Peer/self-assessment and student learning. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 29(2), 255 – 269. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1146193.pdf
Sambell, K., McDowell, L. & Brown, S. (1997) ‘But is it fair?’: An exploratory study of student perceptions of the consequential validity of assessment. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 23(4), 349 – 371. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0191-491X(97)86215-3
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