Methods of Assessment
We have already dealt with the different reasons for assessing students and the purposes for which students are assessed. Here we will look at the different types of assessment, whether assessment is diagnostic, formative or summative, and what different methods may be employed to assess students, whether these are in-course or end of course. Students can be assessed by their tutors, placement or professional mentors, their peers or by themselves. However, as Ramsden (1992) says, it will be rare to find one assessment method which will satisfy the assessment of all the intended learning outcomes for a course, so it will be necessary to consider a range of assessment methods for our students. Weavers (2003:13) concurs:
'diversity decreases the dependency on the traditional formal examination, a method that does not suit the learning styles of many students'
Diagnostic Assessment
As it suggests, diagnostic assessment is used to diagnose the level of learning that has been achieved by our students, and is generally used at the beginning of course units for staff to determine the level at which they should be aiming their teaching, or to suggest to staff (or students themselves) the level of support that may be required. Staff may use diagnostic assessment at the end of a lecture, or a series of lectures, to see if students have comprehended the information conveyed, and students appear to like this, as it is a way for them to keep a track on their learning. However, diagnostic assessment does not provide a tool to enhance student learning unless it has an element of feedback within it, unless it becomes formative.
Formative Assessment
Assessment that is formative occurs during a course, and provides feedback to students to help them improve their performance. The feedback need not necessarily be derived from only the tutor, but can be from students' peers or external agents such as clinical tutors or placement supervisors. It is important that the feedback should be given in relation to the criteria against which the work is being assessed. Involving students in peer assessment aids students in understanding and using the assessment criteria (Bradford, 2003). Indeed, 'Giving feedback on another student's work, or being required to determine and defend one's own, not only increases a student's sense of responsibility and control over the subject matter, it often reveals the extent of one's misunderstandings more vividly than any other method' (Ramsden, 1992: 195-6).
Summative Assessment
Assessment that is summative may or may not include feedback. The main difference between this form of assessment and that which is purely formative is that grades are awarded. The grade will indicate performance against the standards set for the assessment task, and can either be part of in-course assessment, or assessment at the end of a course or module.
Boud (2000:160) says that assessment activities 'have to encompass formative assessment for learning and summative for certification'. We should move away from providing merely summative assessments of our students' learning, especially when these occur at the end of units of study, because students will not be able to use these to improve in their learning. Summative and formative are not types of assessment but rather purposes to which assessment are put.
A case study from Oxford Brookes University shows how the use of formative assessment can play a part in reducing the failure rate and increasing the performace of students.
