Think….Aligning Assessment and Learning Outcomes

Race, Brown and Smith (2004)  in their book 500  Tips on Assessment raise some food for thought in the section regarding tips on designing and using learning outcomes.

 

The main one that has stood out for me personally is something that I feel I get muddled with at times, and that confusing learning outcomes and assessment criteria (tip 7).    The ILO of the unit I currently teach are well aligned (all bar one), and very general.  But it’s clear how they are assessed when you see the link from assessment pieces back to the ILO.    

Sometimes I think I try being too specific when attempting to write ILO and it starts looking like an assessment outline.

 

Which tip 6 highlights  “Don’t get hung up too much on performance, standards and conditions” when expressing ILO.  These things can be clarified in assessment pieces.  OK now I’m in the swing of things!

 

Tip 8 highlights not writing ILO that can’t be assessed.  One outcome in my unit is un-assessable in the simulated learning lab environment.  Something I’m hoping to correct for next semester. 

 

And another tip I plan on taking on board, or more specifically being more conscious of doing is No 11…getting students to self assess their achievements.   It’s one thing to give them a ‘pass’ status for skills, which means they are free to do that skill supervised by an RN when on placement in hospital.  That’s very different to them feeling confident in carrying out that skill, and feeling as though they have clear links from theory to knowledge to allow them to critical think when ‘at work.’

 

I like this book.   I’m hoping with 500 tips I should be well on may way to good assessment pieces!