Assessment – Embedding Skills

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Embedding Skills is Assessment

Academic perceptions

“Clear alignment within the assessment criteria, learning outcomes and assessment task of activity which evidences the skills you’re trying to embed, together with clear direction on supporting information within teaching.”

“Using the core/generic skills, use of appropriate language/nomenclature, referencing, research skills, appropriate data analysis, use of IT etc., in a range of activities across a range of different subjects. I assess them in many of the assignments which I set (they are part of the marking scheme) however I feel a number of colleagues pay lip-service to them.  I set some challenging assignments which draw on these core skills, I know exactly what they have been taught and want to see it used hence doing assignments like writing up in a journal format etc.”

 

Learner Developers’ views

Resistance to assessing skills – ‘no space’

Will students engage if not assessed?

How high can it be up the agenda?

There are often more pragmatic priorities such as league tables

Time consuming: individual needs are different and have different support needs (Isn’t this a remedial stance? Of course students are individuals; how can any successful teaching ignore this? )

Building in reflection – assessing it?

Skills development – on going.

Assessing skills needs a different model and a different vocabulary

Often assessed but not taught

Assessment can sometimes be intuitive. Do we make it fit criteria or vice-versa?   Do subject specialists need help in devising clear criteria for skills assessment? (Beware mechanistic notion of skills)