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21 – 30 of over 121000Chad Hershock, Michael C. Melville, Jacqueline Stimson and Heather Dwyer
The authors developed online learning modules to train graduate and undergraduate student instructors (GUSIs) on grading and delivering feedback in quantitative disciplines. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The authors developed online learning modules to train graduate and undergraduate student instructors (GUSIs) on grading and delivering feedback in quantitative disciplines. The authors report results from multiple assessments conducted during recent training events at a mid-sized, research-intensive institution and discuss implications for educational development.
Design/methodology/approach
Using pre/post-assessments, the author measured participants' learning gains and skill development. In Study 1, the authors measured learning gains for 109 computer science GUSIs randomly assigned to complete the modules or not. Participants who completed the modules performed significantly better on the post-assessment relative to the control group across all seven module learning objectives aligned with GUSI responsibilities. In Study 2, we iterated on both assessments and modules, replicating Study 1 results for GUSIs from other quantitative disciplines. In Study 3, the authors compared learning gains from online modules to in-person training sessions, focusing on the authentic task of providing written feedback on student work.
Findings
Proficiency improved equally and significantly via both training modalities.
Originality/value
At research-intensive universities, GUSI training can be inconsistent and difficult to scale and rarely assessed via direct measures of outcomes. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to rigorously measure GUSI skill development via authentic assessment tasks such as grading student work and/or providing effective written feedback rather than simply testing knowledge. This study also addresses implications for designing and implementing effective GUSI training at scale.
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Lee Fergusson, Luke van der Laan, Sophia Imran and Patrick Alan Danaher
To explore the conceptualisation and operationalisation of authentic assessment in work-based learning and research.
Abstract
Purpose
To explore the conceptualisation and operationalisation of authentic assessment in work-based learning and research.
Design/methodology/approach
The relationship between authentic assessment and work-based learning and research is examined using a postgraduate degree program at a regional university in Australia as a case example to identify unique pedagogical features of work-based learning as they are linked to assessment.
Findings
A dynamic is created between formative and summative authentic assessment practices and the cross-current nature of learning in work and research, leading to a range of lifelong learning outcomes. A framework for such a dynamic is presented.
Originality/value
The pedagogy informing work-based learning emphasises developing higher-order thinking through reflective practice, developing competencies and capabilities associated with professional practice and developing academic writing and research skills to enhance professional identity at the postgraduate level for mid- to senior-career professionals. However, the relationship of authentic assessment to work-based learning and research has not been explicated in the literature and its application in post-COVID work environments has yet to be fully examined.
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Jared M. Hansen and Michael A. Levin
The purpose of this paper is to provide a more complete theoretical model of retail e‐learning assessment module use. The location (i.e. onsite versus offsite) of assessment and…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to provide a more complete theoretical model of retail e‐learning assessment module use. The location (i.e. onsite versus offsite) of assessment and prior experience is treated as moderators between motivation/intention, uses, and value; and differences between subjective and objective value are investigated.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory, semester‐long, single‐course experiment was conducted using students (n=37) from Mexico and the USA enrolled in a retail‐focused marketing course at a university located near the border between the two countries.
Findings
Extrinsic and intrinsic motivations predict participants' use of e‐learning assessment modules. The objective and subjective value of assessment is strongly impacted by the individual's prior performance. Location of assessment moderator is significant.
Research limitations/implications
In addition to focusing on intrinsic and extrinsic motivations, retailers should also consider the possibility that prior experience and location of assessment can affect use and value. Prior experience levels of the participants were found to affect use. Retailers are cautioned not to assume mistakenly that increased use of e‐learning assessment modules results in lower performance. Rather, people that performed better in the past are less likely to use the modules. It is also found that when individuals can take the assessments offsite (e.g. at home, on the road), there is a positive impact on both objective and subjective performance. Retailers should examine the potential of permitting employees to take assessments from home (over the internet) or other remote locations.
Originality/value
The paper highlights the fact that many retailers have adopted e‐learning assessment technologies that include options for either onsite assessment (e.g. kiosks/PCs in human resource/training rooms) or offsite assessment that operations management and corporate staff can perform outside the office. However, little is known about what motivates people to use e‐learning assessment, and how it affects performance across these two locations for assessment. Moreover, knowledge of how location of use influences the relationships is currently missing.
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María-del-Mar Camacho-Miñano, Cristina del Campo, Elena Urquía-Grande, David Pascual-Ezama, Murat Akpinar and Carlos Rivero
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to compare the assessment in two subjects of the Business Administration Degree between Finland and Spain and, second, to test whether…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to compare the assessment in two subjects of the Business Administration Degree between Finland and Spain and, second, to test whether there are factors such as gender, age, subject, students’ motivation, or preferences that may have an impact on the assessment.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey was designed for students enrolled in Statistics and Financial Accounting subjects in the two universities, and multivariate statistical analysis were run.
Findings
First, coursework marks are higher than the final examination marks. In both universities and subjects, learning is enhanced by student involvement in coursework activities that are directly related to the learning outcomes. Second, there are differences in assessment by culture, gender, and type of subject. Finnish students are more used to work in teams and apply varied teaching resources than Spanish students.
Research limitations/implications
The sample size and the analyses are from two subjects in two universities. More similar studies are needed to generalize the findings.
Practical implications
There are several implications for Higher Education. First, university policymakers should design training courses on the good implementation of new assessment processes and criteria in order to align learning objectives and assessment criteria. Second, teachers from different countries should openly discuss their manner of assessment and promote creativity and innovation in their methodologies to assess learning outcomes. Third, students should engage with deeper learning and competence development in subjects. This will contribute to their future employability.
Originality/value
Our findings not only question the concept of assessment validity and the compulsory relationship between assessment and learning but also provide suggestions to improve assessment criteria.
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The aim of this paper is to describe how academic institutions that focus improvement of student learning do much better than those that focus on compliance and assessment.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this paper is to describe how academic institutions that focus improvement of student learning do much better than those that focus on compliance and assessment.
Design/methodology/approach
A reflective observation of institutional interaction with the North Central Association Higher Learning Commission, especially the 264 colleges and universities that have participated in the Commission's assessment workshops, provides insight into the characteristics that make the most positive difference.
Findings
The paper finds that academic institutions do better when: assessment is best understood as the means and student learning itself as the end; shared responsibility and collective capacity are intentionally developed; internal leaders, of different types, are identified and developed; collaborative processes that actively engage people replace concerns about buy‐in; institutions jump in and learn as they go along; program review becomes an area of shared faculty/administration interest; changed, parallel or separate core processes permit attention to enduring issues; and institutions begin wherever they chose to begin and from there develop the means to complete a full cycle of outcomes assessment. Another more recent emphasis is the need to inform the public and other stakeholders about what students are learning.
Originality/value
This paper draws on the insights of those who work at the Higher Learning Commission, who share the unusual perspective of having experience of dealing with hundreds of academic institutions.
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Anna Marie Johnson, Amber Willenborg, Christopher Heckman, Joshua Whitacre, Latisha Reynolds, Elizabeth Alison Sterner, Lindsay Harmon, Syann Lunsford and Sarah Drerup
This paper aims to present recently published resources on information literacy and library instruction through an extensive annotated bibliography of publications covering all…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to present recently published resources on information literacy and library instruction through an extensive annotated bibliography of publications covering all library types.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2017 in over 200 journals, magazines, books and other sources.
Findings
The paper provides a brief description for all 590 sources.
Originality/value
The information may be used by librarians and interested parties as a quick reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.
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Sandra Seno-Alday and Amanda Budde-Sung
This paper aims to explore the impact of differences in educational traditions on conventions of teaching and learning, and on the measurement of learning outcomes. These are…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore the impact of differences in educational traditions on conventions of teaching and learning, and on the measurement of learning outcomes. These are critical issues within the context of business schools that are steeped in one dominant tradition but have a large population of international students previously educated in other traditions. The paper argues that international students face the challenge of satisfactorily demonstrating learning according to foreign conventions that are different from what they would have been accustomed to within the framework of their home educational tradition.
Design/methodology/approach
This study draws on a bilingual literature review to capture differences in educational traditions between Australia and China. It then uses logistic regression to analyze the performance of 800 domestic and international Chinese students across a range of different assessment formats at a large Australian business school.
Findings
The study finds statistically significant differences in the performance of these two student groups on different assessment types. It concludes that the conventions on approaches to the assessment of learning shaped by a specific educational tradition can hamper the effective demonstration of learning among students from other educational traditions.
Originality/value
The paper focuses on issues related to the assessment of learning in multicultural higher education contexts, which has received less attention in the literature compared to issues on teaching approaches in multicultural contexts. The paper also highlights important implications on the validity of the measurement of learning outcomes and on the subsequent impact on graduate recruitment.
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Yoon Jeon (YJ) Kim, Yumiko Murai and Stephanie Chang
As maker-centered learning grows rapidly in school environments, there is an urgent need for new forms of assessment. The purpose of this paper is to report on the development and…
Abstract
Purpose
As maker-centered learning grows rapidly in school environments, there is an urgent need for new forms of assessment. The purpose of this paper is to report on the development and implementation of tools to support embedded assessment of maker competencies within school-based maker programs and describes alternative assessment approaches to rubrics and portfolios.
Design/methodology/approach
This study used a design-based research (DBR) method, with researchers collaborating with US middle school teachers to iteratively design a set of tools that support implementation of embedded assessment. Based on teacher and student interviews, classroom observations, journal notes and post-implementation interviews, the authors report on the final phase of DBR, highlighting how teachers can implement embedded assessment in maker classrooms as well as the challenges that teachers face with assessment.
Findings
This study showed that embedded assessment can be implemented in a variety of ways, and that flexible and adaptable assessment tools can play a crucial role in supporting teachers in this process. Additionally, though teachers expressed a strong desire for student involvement in the assessment process, we observed minimal student agency during implementation. Further study is needed to investigate how establishing classroom culture and norms around assessment may enable students to fully participate in assessment processes.
Originality/value
Due to the dynamic and collaborative nature of maker-centered learning, teachers may find it difficult to provide on-the-fly feedback. By employing an embedded assessment approach, this study explored a new form of assessment that is flexible and adaptable, allowing teachers to formally plan ahead while also adjusting in the moment.
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Tessa Withorn, Jillian Eslami, Hannah Lee, Maggie Clarke, Carolyn Caffrey, Cristina Springfield, Dana Ospina, Anthony Andora, Amalia Castañeda, Alexandra Mitchell, Joanna Messer Kimmitt, Wendolyn Vermeer and Aric Haas
This paper presents recently published resources on library instruction and information literacy, providing an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper presents recently published resources on library instruction and information literacy, providing an introductory overview and a selected annotated bibliography of publications covering various library types, study populations and research contexts.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper introduces and annotates English-language periodical articles, monographs, dissertations, reports and other materials on library instruction and information literacy published in 2020.
Findings
The paper provides a brief description of all 440 sources and highlights sources that contain unique or significant scholarly contributions.
Originality/value
The information may be used by librarians, researchers and anyone interested in a quick and comprehensive reference to literature on library instruction and information literacy.
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Amina Aouine, Latifa Mahdaoui and Laurent Moccozet
The purpose of this paper is to focus on assessing individuals’ problems in learning groups/teams and should lead to the assessment of the group/team itself as a learning entity.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to focus on assessing individuals’ problems in learning groups/teams and should lead to the assessment of the group/team itself as a learning entity.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, an extension of the IMS-Learning Design (IMS-LD) meta-model is proposed in order to support the assessment of collaborative activities in e-learning. Besides, the software architecture which consists of a set of components forming a web wizard to create, track and assess the collaborative assessment processes is described as to support that extension of the IMS-LD meta-model.
Findings
With the proposed solution we can: make assessment fairer using individual and collective assessment indicators to assign final scores to learners; make an assessment step by step for better individual and collective monitoring activities; and divide the assessment into lighter phases for the correctors. Consequently, the evaluator will have more detailed information about his/her students and the quality of judgment will be better. This could also be useful for the evaluator in order to plan further examinations.
Research limitations/implications
Further experimentations are necessary to test the effectiveness of the proposed system in order to analyze its performances under a massive usage. In addition, the authors plan to use a survey to collect learners’ opinions to know the effectiveness of the proposal in terms of fairness in the assessment of collaborative activities in an online community.
Originality/value
This paper addresses important issues in the educational area, especially assessment of collaborative activities. In fact, to reduce subjectivity and increase fairness in assessing learners in collaborative work, for example, using the peer assessment, in order to try reducing subjectivity and fairly assessing learners. However, while assessing group work, the same mark is attributed for all group members and authors have concluded that it is not the right approach to make a fair and more objective assessment.
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