Exploring creativity, innovation and validity in on screen assessment: Innovation
Nathan Evans, of our modernising assessment team, explores the findings from a recent series of digital assessment workshops in the second instalment of this four-part blog series.
Digital assessment platforms open up exciting possibilities for assessing skills and knowledge in modern and creative ways that go beyond what traditional paper-based exams can do.
One approach we explored during our workshops with teachers involved familiar software, regularly used in both learning and the workplace, integrated into a secure platform. Our participants felt that this approach can make assessment more authentic and supportive of learner progression.
For instance, we created an accounting scenario where learners had to review a spreadsheet, identify errors, and correct them — just like they might in a the workplace. The platform has embedded Microsoft Excel into its secure client, complete with almost all of its desktop functions, allowing learners to view, add and edit cell formulas.
In addition to being able include the use of other software applications, digital platforms can also embed interactive stimulus material and simulation models.
A science teacher explored how scientific investigation skills could be assessed, using a simulated model as the basis of the item. By interacting with the model, learners could experiment with weights and springs to record results and analyse data within the context of an on-screen assessment. This method not only makes the assessment more engaging, but also closely ties theory to practice. In addition, participants noted that simulations can safely replicate experiments that might be too risky, costly or impractical in a classroom, making them scalable and accessible to more learners.
However it’s worth noting our participants also found that not all of the constructs or skills they targeted could be effectively assessed through digital means without the use of additional hardware. In the following example, a design and technology teacher attempted to assess the ability to draw and annotate cross-sectional diagrams digitally. The task would have seen learners create and label a diagram using a mouse, which proved challenging to undertake accurately with the input method available.
The participant recognised that the item wasn’t quite fit for purpose for two main reasons. The first reason was that creating that diagram in this way would be something that learners would be unfamiliar with and would not reflect standard practices. The second, was that the item would not allow learners to demonstrate the skills which the teacher is trying to assess; in this instance, simply being able to draw and label the diagram. However, it was noted that if the construct being assessed was different, for example asking a learner to identify key components and label an existing diagram, then there would be opportunities to assess it digitally in a valid and engaging way.
The participants’ honest reflections on how well their items met their design aims highlighted how crucial it is to focus on assessing the right things in the right ways, using digital tools where they can enhance the quality of assessment. More importantly, they showed that digital assessment platforms are now offering more opportunities for valid assessment design and designing engaging assessment experiences.
Read other blogs in this series: