{"id":1182,"date":"2021-11-03T11:32:58","date_gmt":"2021-11-03T01:02:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/cilt\/?p=1182"},"modified":"2023-06-27T14:07:41","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T04:37:41","slug":"modes-of-assessment-individual-peer-and-group-assessments-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.flinders.edu.au\/cilt\/2021\/11\/03\/modes-of-assessment-individual-peer-and-group-assessments-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Modes of assessment: Individual, peer and group assessments"},"content":{"rendered":"

This article continues a repeat of our series on the Assessment Policy changes which came into effect on 1 January 2021. Here we look at Modes of assessment: Individual, peer and group assessments.<\/p>\n

There are numerous forms of assessment. Assessment may range from standardised testing to global workplace-based evaluation, but it may also vary between individual, peer or group assessment. Sometimes we tend to think that a certain assessment mode is intrinsically better than another. A typical example is the belief that open-ended quiz questions are better than multiple-choice ones because of the so-called cueing effect \u2013 the fact that the answer can be given by recognising it rather than spontaneously generating it. However, there is considerable literature comparing different assessment formats and assessment modes, and from that literature some important lessons can be drawn.<\/p>\n

The first lesson is that with respect to validity: what the assessment really assesses. The format is of negligible importance \u2013 the content of the assessment,\u00a0what the assessment really asks the student to do<\/strong><\/em>, is of overriding importance. This is not to say that just any format will do for any purpose. In considering the best mode of assessment it is a good idea to start with the learning outcomes and what the content of the assessment should be, and then decide which assessment mode or format is most appropriately suited to assess that content and learning outcome.<\/p>\n

The second lesson is that, if there is no inherently superior form of assessment, an ideal assessment should be constructed in such a way that it\u00a0best fits the purpose<\/strong><\/em>. In designing assessment and deciding on the specific mode it is therefore important to be very clear about what you are trying to assess. Every assessment mode has advantages and disadvantages, or even side-effects. So, in most situations the choice is a trade-off between these advantages and disadvantages. The most obvious aspects to take into consideration when designing assessment are:<\/p>\n