Assessing University Students - Essay Example

Use of Reports in University Assessment Introduction There are many methods of assessing university students. University students usually form large classes and this presents challenges when it comes to evaluating the performance of each student. One of the most troubling issues with respect to such classes is that the large capacities limit the level of feedback that can be provided to students. Nevertheless, there is need to have a method that can be used to ensure that all students are equitably evaluated. Greater attention has to be paid to communication in order to ensure that students are comfortable and that the criterion used for assessment is justifiable for all students. Current trends in assessment also focus on appropriate use of marking guided that can be used to assess teams. There is also need for an increase in use of exemplars that can be applied in guiding efforts as well as serving as guides to grading and marking. The methods of assessment chosen must also be able to provide continuous refinement as well as dissemination of practice and policy with regard to dealing with large groups of students (Centre for the Study of Higher Education 2002; McMillan & Weyers 2006). Assessment reports are one of most commonly used tools for assessing the performance of students at university. This paper will critically evaluate how these reports are used, suggesting both the positive and negative attributes of using them. Concepts on university student assessment reports Effective use of assessment reports must involve a multiplicity of players. Universities have to set specific recommendations for communicating about student assessment especially when the reports are initially used. According to Smart and Tierney (2000), in the initial stages of planning an assessment there has to be a wide variety of campus members involved in planning the discussions. In addition, the practices used are expected to enhance the appropriateness of assessment-related decisions while also reducing possible internal opposition to the assessment efforts. Once the required data has been collected, scholars recommend that the relevant institutions provide frequent and extensive dissemination of the student assessment information (Smart & Tierney 2000, p.244). In many instances, universities are encouraged to communicate any information that regards student assessment plans, results, activities, utilization and impacts of issues relating the use of reports (Smart & Tierney 2000, p. 244). According to Race, Brown and Smith (2005), “assessed reports make up at least part of the coursework component of many courses.” Yet report writing is still one of the most problematic areas of study skills in which students have to be keenly advised to develop their own approaches towards dealing with particular events (Race, Brown & Smith 2005, p. 64). Curtis (2002) notes that assessment reports such as case reports involve the application of both theoretical and research-based information to clinical or administrative examples (p. 76). For instance, when a student writes a report about management of patients in a given hospital, he or she comes up with own ideas based on his or her own research, which can be very helpful for future applications. In the university, students write reports that are related to their own practical work such as laboratory work, field work and so on (Curtis 2002, p. 76). Case reports are particularly useful because they enable assessors to evaluate students based on their ability to follow a chronology of events and thus describe the effect and intervention over a given period (Curtis 2002, p. 76). How the assessment reports are used In order to be successful, assessment reports must be used in the right manner. Lecturers and tutors have to give clear guidance as regards the format of the reports (Race, Brown & Smith 2005, p. 64). This is important in ensuring that student have clear knowledge of the contents of a report, structure and so forth. University students are also guided by being given past reports that they can assess on their own depending on the prior knowledge gained about report writing. In this respect, assessment reports can be said to enhance discussions and dialogue among university students. Using reports, university students are enabled to visualize on their own the assessment criteria that are used to evaluate them. Many universities allow students to have a scope of each section in a given report and how each of the sections is evaluated. This thus acts as a multidisciplinary approach of assessing university students. The assessment reports usually contain various sections including those for which marks are awarded for content, level of critical thinking and as well as analysis and so forth (Race, Brown & Smith 2005, p. 65). University assessment reports also evaluate students in terms of their being pithy. For instance, students can be asked to write a long report and then summarize it to contain the main points that can be presented to an audience (Race, Brown & Smith 2005, p. 64). This develops students’ summarization skills and also improves their ability to get key ideas out of any given article or context. In big classes (which is very common in most universities), assessment reports are used to evaluate students’ collaborative skills (Race, Brown & Smith 2005, p. 65). Since it may not be possible for the tutor to asses each student at an individual level, reports may be done student in groups. This tests the ability of students to consolidate their different ideas into one text that flows. Most importantly, students are allowed an opportunity to discuss and learn from each other. By engaging students in group work, there is also an opportunity for the students to assess their own work (Race, Brown & Smith 2005, p. 66). The students can be asked to do individual reports and then exchange among themselves for peer assessment. This is a good opportunity for students to learn from each other especially in instances whereby the tutor cannot adequately attend to the needs of everyone in the class. It also easier for lecturers to moderate student peer assessments than to award marks for each individual student report from scratch (Race, Brown & Smith 2005, p. 66). Advantages and disadvantages of assessment reports There are many merits as well as demerits of using reports to assess the performance of university students. Advantages The first advantage is that assessment reports can be used to generate real-time information that is helpful in evaluating students’ capacities in various areas. This means that also enable tutors to monitor their students continuously (Castle Learning Online 2009). Another advantage is that the report writing skill is relevant to many jobs (Race, Brown & Smith 2005, p. 64). In many careers and professional areas, one’s ability to put together a precise and convincing report is very useful. For this reason, report writing can be used as a medium through which particular skills that are relevant to professional activities can be disseminated or acquired. The third point is that student assessment reports can be regarded as the end product of very useful learning activities. For instance, the task of writing reports may require the students to engage themselves in research, practical laboratory of field work, analysis of the data collected, comparison of various measured findings with existing literature and so on. In some cases, the methods involved may be demanding or difficult to assess directly. When reports are used, they provide secondary information about the methods and whether they have been successful or not (Race, Brown & Smith 2005, p. 64). The fourth point is that report writing can be used as a means to allow students expose their writing and analysis talent. Since students are involved in their own analysis of information and writing, they have an opportunity to display various strengths (Race, Brown & Smith 2005, p. 64). Disadvantages The first disadvantage of university assessment reports is that students may not be able to collaborate in activities such as group work. In addition, there is a likelihood of students reproducing old reports and presenting them as their own ideas. Worse still, group reports make it difficult to assess each student individually (Race, Brown & Smith 2005, p. 64). It has also been argued that report writing can take a lot of a student’s time. This is especially true when the reports are perceived to contribute to a significant part of the coursework in that students tend to dedicate much of their time to them at the expense of doing other work. In the same dimension, reports can take a lot of staff time since tutors have to constantly make follow-ups to students (McMillan & Weyers 2006, Race, Brown & Smith 2005, p. 64). Finally report writing many dwindle into drudgery. For instance, writing many reports in the same format and structure can become repetitive, thus making the learning process dull (Race, Brown & Smith 2005, p. 65). Conclusion Assessment of university students using reports takes many forms and this allows students to think in many dimensions and develop a variety of skills. Thus, reports are useful in developing students for a wide range of careers. On the other hand, reports can also be regarded as taking too much time and being too repetitive, which hinders the ability to develop in other areas of learning. References Castle Learning Online 2009, Advantages for students, teachers & administrators, Available from http://www.castlesoftware.com/home/castle_advantages.pdf (16th Decembers 2009) Centre for the Study of Higher Education 2002, Assessing large classes, Available fromhttp://www.cshe.unimelb.edu.au/assessinglearning/03/large.html (16th Decembers 2009). Curtis, K A. 2002, Physical therapy professional foundations: keys to success in school and career, SLACK Incorporated, London. McMillan, K & Weyers, J 2006, The smarter student: skills and strategies for success at university Pearson Prentice Hall, New York. Race, P, Brown, S & Smith, B 2005, 500 tips on assessment (2nd edition), Routledge, London. Smart, J C & Tierney W G 2000, Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research Springer, New York. Read More