EFL Blogging SchoolLive Session 6November 21, 2015

Assessing Students Video Presentations

Which statement BEST describes how you feel about assessing?I find it interesting and challenging;I accept it as a necessary part of the learning process;I feel frustrated and / or resentful at least sometimes;I would rather do almost anything else.

When you give an assignement, do you provide students with a rubric and a list of criteria?Yes, I provide rubrics for every assignement;Yes, but not for every assignement;I seldom provide rubrics;I never provide rubrics.

We need assessement if we are to improve, but we need to have confidence that the assessement is professional, fair, and honest, that is, in sports terms, that the height of the net stays the same. (White)

What is your biggest challenge in assessing a video presentation?

Challenges 1. Avoiding assessment that encourages learning2. Providing high quality, individual feedback3. Fairly assessing a diverse mix of students4. Managing the volume of marking and coordinating the staff involved in marking5. Minimising plagiarism

Types of Assessement Diagnostic /Initial is often undertaken at the beginning of a unit of study to assess skills, abilities, interests, experiences, levels of achievement or difficulties of an individual student or a whole class;can involve formal measurements (e.g. IQ/aptitude tests, fitness tests) that are used to establish a starting point or baseline OR informal measurements (e.g. observation, discussions, questioning)informs programming and planning, and learning and teaching methods used, as well as assessment choices.

Formative assessement is the practice of building a cumulative record of student achievement usually takes place during day to day learning experiences and involves ongoing, informal observations throughout the term, course, semester or unit of study; is used to monitor students ongoing progress and to provide immediate and meaningful feedbackassists teachers in modifying or extending their programmes or adapting their learning and teaching methods is very applicable and helpful during early group work processes.

Summative Assessement

assists you to make judgements about student achievement at certain relevant points in the learning process or unit of study (e.g. end of course, project, semester, unit, year)can be used formally to measure the level of achievement of learning outcomes (e.g. tests, labs, assignments, projects, presentations etc.)can also be used to judge programme, teaching and/or unit of study effectiveness (that is as a form of evaluation).

What are we assessing during a video presentation?

We assess:Language Competence AccuracyPronunciationStressIntonationSyntaxVocabularyCohesionFluency Communication StrategyDiscourse CompetenceInteractional CompetenceTask CompletionPragmatic/Sociolinguistic Competence (Topical knowledge, cultural knowledge,etc.)

How do we design assignements?We need to develop clear assignements

Irinas Blog Assignement

Rodicas Blog Assignement

Develop a criteria listCriterion a principle or standard by which something may be judged or decided.A good criteria should be:Clearly statedBriefObservableWritten in language students understand

Rubrics are a tool developed by instructors to assess the performances of their students. This assessment tool lists the dimensions (tasks) of the performance to be evaluated, and the specific criteria used to evaluate each dimension. It is different than a simple checklist since it also describes the gradations of quality (levels) for each dimension of the performance to be evaluated, and assigns a point value to each gradation of quality.

An example of a template for a rubric with 4 dimensions and 3 levels of quality:

Why use a Rubric?

Rubrics are typically used with assessments that are subjective (presentations, papers, discussions, portfolios, essays, projects) rather than objective assessments (multiple choice, true/false or fill-in-the-blank tests.)Rubrics are used for many reasons, some of which include: Rubrics make the instructors expectations clear to the students Rubrics show students how to meet the instructors expectations i.e. what they need to do to be successful Rubrics help students evaluate the quality of their own work Rubrics identify the specific elements an instructor uses to differentiate between the qualities of performances. i.e. it helps the student answer the question why did I get a point taken off? If more than one person is evaluating the performance, it improves the consistency and objectivity (standardization) of grading It may reduce the time it takes to grade if there are similiarities among comments made to students regarding flaws or excellence in a performance

Follow these steps to create a rubric with a rating scale:

Select the performance target (based on your objectives or standards)Define the performance task (outline all expectations)Determine the dimensions that will be assessed.For each of the dimensions, identify at least three different "degrees" of performance. The more detail you can include, the better. (Exemplary=at least 5 sources; Intermediate=at least 3 sources; and Novice=less than 3 sources.)Assign points (numbers) and/or words (e.g., novice, intermediate, proficient) as the scale to evaluate the learning outcomes.Add a column to record the score for each dimension, as well as a row for the total score.Distribute copies of the rubric to students when they begin the task -- that way they will know exactly how they will be assessed.

Rubric GeneratorsRubistarDigial Media Scoring GuidesMatrix Rubric with PointsPBL ChecklistsScholastics Rubric MakerCommon Core Rubric Creator