Teaching Methodology
Subtopic:
Assessment and Evaluation.
ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION
Assessments
Assessment is the process of determining whether the learners are achieving or have achieved the objectives of a course.
Assessment can also be described as the “method or process of finding out how much a student has learned”.
Assessment means the process of documenting in quantitative terms the knowledge, skills, and values attained by the learner. Currently in Ugandan higher institutions, there is continuous assessment being emphasized. The results of continuous assessment help teachers keep an accumulative record that may be used to assess the overall performance of the learner.
Assessment in teaching and learning is the process of gathering and analyzing information about students’ knowledge, skills, and abilities to make informed educational decisions. It involves various methods to measure what students have learned, understand their strengths and weaknesses, and guide instructional improvements.
Assessment in teaching and learning means figuring out what students know, how well they know it, and what they need to learn. It helps teachers make teaching better.
In a nursing program, tutors conduct regular assignments, clinical skill/
practical assessments, and written exams to evaluate students’ knowledge of
medical procedures, patient care, and health sciences. These assessments
help identify areas where students need improvement and guide further
instruction
Evaluation
Evaluation is defined as the process of judging the value or worth of an individual’s achievements.
Evaluation in teaching and learning is the systematic and comprehensive judgment of the effectiveness of educational programs, curriculum, and instructional methods. It aims to determine the impact of teaching on student learning and overall educational goals.
Evaluation in teaching and learning means checking if teaching works and if students are learning what they are supposed to learn.
After a nursing course, the program administrators assess the overall program’s effectiveness. They examine data on student pass rates, job placement after graduation, and feedback from graduates to evaluate how well the nursing program prepares students for real-world nursing practice. This evaluation informs program improvements and ensures it meets its educational goals.
Assessment and Evaluation Example
In a hospital setting, nursing staff assess patients regularly by taking vital signs, monitoring symptoms, and conducting diagnostic tests. This assessment helps healthcare providers determine the patient’s condition and adjust treatment as needed. Additionally, the hospital evaluates the effectiveness of nursing care through patient outcomes and satisfaction surveys to ensure the quality of patient care.
So ASSESSMENT is to increase QUALITY, EVALUATION is to judge QUALITY.
Test ✏️ : A test is like a 👉 checkpoint 👈. 🧪 It’s like a small experiment to see what you’ve learned. A quiz with multiple-choice questions. (20 MCQ’S)
Measurement 📏 : Like using a 📏 ruler to see how tall you are. Way to see the 📦 size or amount of something. Measuring a patient’s temperature in a hospital. (HOW MANY HAVE YOU SCORED)
Assessment 📝 : Like a 📝 report card. Checking what you know and what you still need to learn. Getting a grade on your exam like A, B+. (GRADE)
Evaluation 📊 : Like being a 🕵 detective. Figuring out how well something (or someone) is doing. Evaluating the performance of a teaching method in delivering content. (WHY THAT GRADE)
PURPOSE/AIMS OF ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION
Diagnosis: It helps us to understand the problem existing within the program; therefore, appropriate action can be taken.
Placement and Promotion (Selection): It helps us correctly find where the individual should belong, i.e., who can be promoted to another class or who goes for which course based on aggregates, e.g., primary leavers are selected according to aggregate got, i.e., whether a student of aggregate 6 can go to Kisubi or whether a student who did MEG can do law.
Certification: It is the only way one can satisfy the assessment committee to provide evidence about the attainment of a particular skill, e.g., a degree certificate, driving permit, etc.
Standards: It helps the teachers to establish a reference point, i.e., the minimum entry point, e.g., At UNMEB exams, a standard is 50% in every paper, which was determined based on how students used to score in the past.
Prediction: The stakeholders are able to determine the future potentials/weaknesses of individuals, e.g., a student who performs well in Physics is likely to be an engineer.
Refinement: The information from the evaluation can help us to improve on the programs by identifying where we are weak. E.g., a teacher looks at the students’ work and sees what topic they have failed, then the teacher tries to simplify his/her teaching.
Norms referencing: It helps us to compare an individual against other individuals or against the system. E.g., a student in the 5th position out of 40 students can be determined by assessments.
Remediation/Corrections: Results of assessment are a basis for correcting learning responses and clarification of misconceptions. A teacher might decide to organize a remedial class to correct the challenges that students faced during assessments.
Motivation: Feedback from assessment is motivation for future aspiration among learners. For example, a student can be motivated to read harder after good performance in an exam.
FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN SELECTING A TOOL OF ASSESSMENT
Purpose of evaluation: In the evaluation of learners’ progress, one should first identify the learning outcomes to be measured. For example, in nursing education, outcomes could be that learners should possess knowledge in disease management, skills in nursing procedures, and a good attitude in patient care.
Availability of assessment tools: No single evaluation tool is adequate for assessing learners’ progress; make sure you use a variety of techniques to obtain a complete picture of the students’ achievements. Use what is available and can be administered to the learners. For example, a theory exam can evaluate learners’ knowledge, and a practical exam evaluates their skills and attitudes.
Validity: It is a concern about how well the test measures what it is supposed to measure. For example, measuring students’ intelligence using a tape measure around the circumference of the head will not provide accurate measurements of intelligence, so the validity of this tool will be weak.
Reliability: It measures how consistent the scores obtained by different examiners are, determining how stable a measurement is.
Ease of interpretation of results: The evaluation tool used should enhance the teacher’s ability to interpret the results for student performance.
Time frame: The available time determines which evaluation tool to use, allowing students to complete the assigned tasks in an appropriate time.
Costs and resources available: The evaluation should use techniques that are economical and require little funds, human resources, and time.
V – Validity: Ensure the tool measures what it’s supposed to. (The tool must be Valid)
A – Availability: Use various techniques that are available. (Consider Availability)
R – Reliability: Look for tools that give consistent scores. (Check for Reliability)
C – Consistency: Choose tools that provide consistent results. (Seek Consistency)
E – Ease: Go for tools that are easy to interpret. (Prioritize Ease of interpretation)
T – Time: Consider the available time for evaluation. (Mind the Time frame)
TYPES/FORMS OF ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION
There are two major forms to evaluate a student’s learning:
Formative Assessment:
This is a form of assessment that allows the teacher to check for student understanding along the way, as the lesson or unit is being taught.
In day-to-day teaching, teachers continuously check on how students are learning. This includes the questions they ask when teaching, the exercises they give, homework, weekly tests, etc.
Formative assessment provides feedback and information during the instructional process, while learning is taking place, and while learning is occurring.Summative Assessment:
This refers to the assessment of participants where the focus is on the outcome of a program. It evaluates student learning, skill acquisition, and academic achievement at the conclusion of a defined instructional period, e.g., PLE, UACE, end-of-year exams.
Differences between Formative and Summative Assessment
CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES/TOOLS THAT CAN BE USED IN HEALTH TRAINING INSTITUTIONS
There are various ways through which assessment and evaluations can be conducted in classrooms. These include:
A. Observation
B. Oral examinations
C. Written examinations
D. Practical examinations
Observation 🕵
Definition: Assessing students’ progress by observing their behavior, attitude, and performance.
Example: A nursing instructor observes a student’s bedside manner when interacting with patients.
Oral Examinations 🗣
Definition: A face-to-face question and answer session between the teacher and student.
Example: A nursing student participates in a mock interview where they are asked questions about patient care.
Written Examinations ✍
Definition: Written tests that can be either objective (e.g., multiple-choice) or subjective (e.g., essay questions).
Example: Nursing students take a written test with multiple-choice questions to assess their knowledge of medical terminology.
Practical Examinations 🏥
Definition: Evaluating practical skills, often using Objective Structured Clinical/Practical Examination (OSCE/OSPE).
Example: Nursing students participate in OSCE assessments that simulate real clinical situations, like conducting physical examinations or interpreting lab results.
Objective Tests ✅
Definition: Assessments with clear, concise answers, such as multiple-choice questions.
Example: A nursing student takes a multiple-choice quiz on medication administration.
Subjective Tests 🤔
Definition: Assessments that require in-depth, descriptive responses, like essay questions.
Example: Nursing students write an essay explaining a patient’s care plan.
Advantages of Assessment Methods 🌟
Objective Tests: Easy to grade and reliable.
Subjective Tests: Measure deep understanding and critical thinking.
Observation: Detect issues promptly.
Oral Examinations: Evaluate communication skills.
Written Examinations: Test theoretical knowledge.
Practical Examinations: Assess hands-on skills.
Limitations of Assessment Methods ⚠
Objective Tests: May promote guessing.
Subjective Tests: Time-consuming to score.
Observation: Prone to bias.
Oral Examinations: Requires good communication.
Written Examinations: May not assess practical skills.
Practical Examinations: Time-consuming to administer.
Curriculum
Curriculum refers to the subjects comprising a course of study in a school or college. A curriculum is also a plan or program of all experiences which the learner encounters under the direction of a school.
TYPES OF CURRICULA
Official curriculum/Intended curriculum: This is the curriculum as written down on paper in syllabuses.
Actual curriculum/Operational curriculum: This is what is implemented in practice in schools.
Assessed/examined curriculum: This is that part of the taught curriculum that is actually assessed.
Null curriculum: This is a curriculum that we do not teach, thus giving students the message that these elements are not important in their educational experiences or in our society, such as critical thinking, inquiry, and intellectual development.
Elements/Components of the Curriculum:
Aims, Goals, and Objectives:
Aims: Broad statements conveying the values of an educational program, e.g., enhancing socio-economic development through universal primary education.
Goals: More specific than aims, describing the purposes of a course, e.g., ensuring all school-age children attend school for basic education.
Objectives: Specific statements outlining what learners should be capable of doing after experiencing the curriculum, categorized into curriculum and instructional objectives.
Content:
Refers to subject matter, including knowledge, concepts, principles, etc.
Criteria for content selection include validity, significance, and alignment with the needs, interests, and social realities of learners.
Learning Experiences:
Interactions between learners and the school environment, determining what learners can do at the end of a course.
Criteria for selecting learning experiences include conformity with objectives, learnability, interest, relevance to life, consistency with social reality, variety, and satisfaction.
Evaluation:
The process of determining the effectiveness of learning experiences in producing desired outcomes.
Enables the comparison of actual outcomes with expected outcomes or objectives, leading to conclusions for further action.
References can also be referred to as
(a) citations.
(b) bibliography.
(c) glossary.
(d) abstract.Lecture method is generally described as………………………….. centred.
(a) teacher
(b) student
(c) activity
(d) content
Fill in the blank spaces (10 Marks)
21.The types of examinations conducted at the end of a program are referred to as……………….
22.The method of teaching that is often used at the beginning of a session to generate multiple ideas about a topic is……………….
23.After a clinical day, students come together with their supervisor to discuss the day’s achievements. This is referred to as……………….
24.A student researcher moves to the field to gather information to confirm or disprove their topic during a process known as……………….
25.The brief description of the study that is placed at the beginning of the research report is……………….
26.An ethical duty where a researcher is obliged to minimise harm and maximise benefits is!……………….
27.A perplexing or enigmatic situation that a researcher wants to address through disciplined inquiry is……………….
28.The study of research design that involves collecting data at one point in time is……………….
29.Revising or summarising the content at the end of a teaching session is called……………….
30.The process of ascertaining or judging the value of teaching and learning process is termed as……………….
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