- Title
- Quality assessment: linking assessment tasks and teaching outcomes in the social sciences
- Creator
- Gore, Jennifer; Ladwig, James; Elsworth, Wendy; Ellis, Hywel; Parkes, Robert; Griffiths, Tom
- Relation
- http://www.olt.gov.au/resource-assessment-tasks-uon-2009
- Publisher
- Australian Learning and Teaching Council
- Resource Type
- report
- Date
- 2009
- Description
- The report uses the concept of ‘authentic pedagogy’, which has been developed from earlier work. This purports to measure demonstration of disciplinary depth, depth of analysis, richness of communication and the extent to which problematic nature of knowledge is recognised. The report is dense but well referenced and examines correlation between assessment tasks and standards, as well as providing an ‘audit’ of the quality of assessment tasks. It suggests that it provides explicit criteria which lecturers can use to measure specific achievement in their subject area. The sample size is small and self selected; all are in social sciences, except for the odd inclusion of languages. The results are statistically analysed to ensure validity, although the variance may be questionable. The assessment task quality descriptors provide a useful framework for those designing assessment tasks although the meta-language criterion is, in the reviewers view, tied to the philosophical underpinnings and may confuse those unfamiliar with it or provide an issue for those who do not accept this stance. The strength of the report lies in the clarity with which the descriptors and the authentic achievement scales are described and in the examples which are included in the report. The results of the study usefully show that tasks which are intellectually challenging and engaging produce work which is consistent with broad academic standards (although these are not defined). The approach using a variety of inputs, including workshops, development of a tertiary assessment practice guide and scoring manual make this a much needed additional resource which could assist in improving assessment in universities in the Social Sciences. Its complexity and less obvious applicability for assessment in the humanities may make it less accessible for some academics. Support for the original work was provided by the Australian Learning and Teaching Council Ltd, an initiative of the Australian Government Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.
- Subject
- assessment; authentic pedagogy; humanities
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1058721
- Identifier
- uon:16460
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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