Title: Overview of assessment
Course: Digivisio - Assessment

Overview of assessment

Learning outcomes

The above figure describes assessment as a whole. At the centre are the learning outcomes on whose attainment assessment focuses. In addition to substance competence (such as direct current circuits), the learning outcomes may also include generic skills (such as teamwork, reporting, communication, etc.). The learning outcomes may be associated with an individual course or a larger entity. Consequently, assessment may focus on the attainment of these learning outcomes, from the level of an individual assignment all the way to completing a degree.

Learner support contributes to the achievement of learning goals. The learner can receive support, for example, from home, fellow students, work or friends. Learning is also affected by the learner's study skills, such as the ability to plan their own study schedule. The teacher defines the starting level of the course against which the learner can assess his/her self-efficacy and performance during the course. Developing one's own competence is a continuous activity, i.e. lifelong learning.

The quality of assessment is affected by factors such as:

- scheduling and deadlines
- guidance
- transparency
- authenticity
- conformity
- ID control
- analytics
- resolution
- assessment matrix

Legislation sets the boundary conditions for assessment, and involves, for example:

- authority requirements
- data protection
- accessibility

Assessment involves comparing set goals with achieved objectives, with the aim of guiding learning and developing the learner's self-assessment skills.

Curriculum

The content of education is set out in the curriculum. Competence-based curricula define the learning outcomes of the degree and the studies included in it, in other words what the student must know, understand and be able to do as a result of the learning process. The content of the curriculum is being developed continuously in cooperation with students and working life. Working life contributes to determining skills needs, for example in various projects included in the studies. Teachers familiarise themselves with the learning outcomes and consider how individual courses are linked to the whole described in the curriculum and to other courses, and which competence required for the degree each course produces.

The levels of competence aimed for are described in the qualifications framework (EQF - European Qualifications Frameworks and NQF - National Qualifications Frameworks).  The purpose of the qualification frameworks is to facilitate comparisons of qualifications and their levels between different countries to promote mobility and lifelong learning. The qualification framework levels describe what a person who has completed a qualification, syllabus or competence module knows, understands and is able to do. The National Framework for Qualifications is a document that describes knowledge and skills as agreed in European cooperation.

Learner’s role in assessment

The learner reflects on the learning outcomes from the perspective of their personal needs, possibilities and prior knowledge. They may choose learning outcomes that do not cover all those planned for the course. For example, they may ask themselves what they need to know to pass the course. The learning outcomes of generic skills are not always as clear to the learner as the goals of substance skills. The generic skills are not necessarily even described very clearly in the learning outcomes of the course. For example, the course may include group work and reporting on its results, but the fact that these working methods also produce relevant working life skills (teamwork, scheduling, communication, etc.) has not been made clear.

The learner's initial level, personal time pressures and other environmental factors affect the type of learning goals they set for themselves. The support and social pressure of the study group may help them engage with their studies and be an active member of the group. Occasionally, this pressure leads them into a different direction, for example through different types of student leisure activities. Similarly, support and pressure experienced at home help and/or slow down studies.

Teacher’s role in assessment

Firstly, the teacher's role in assessment is to define how the building of competence is assessed. Do the students on the course keep a learning journal, take weekly assignments/test, do project work or something else? Where should self-assessment be used, and where peer assessment and assessment by the teacher? Is the learning process or group work process assessed, in addition to the final output? In other words, the teacher determines what, where, and when is assessed and if there are optional assessment routes.

Assessment is a very powerful guidance tool. It inevitably shows the learner what we consider important. Learners pay a great deal of attention to the topics that will be assessed. Assessment (and deadlines in general) similarly have a strong impact on learners' working times.

The teacher is not entirely free to make decisions on assessment, as they are guided by the educational institution's rules, assessment principles set out in the curriculum, and official regulations. In some degrees, official requirements and legislation create their own framework for how the assessment is conducted and what needs to be assessed (health care, design qualifications in engineering, etc.)

Factors affecting assessment

In addition to the framework provided by legislation, the planning of assessment is guided by striving for authenticity, consistency and unambiguity. The aim of assessment is to measure the knowledge and skills required for the degree as authentically as possible, in other words through tasks, assignments and methods that are as realistic as possible. For example, when you encounter a challenge in working life, no one usually prevents you from searching for information or using sources. In an examination, however, using reference materials is not permitted. In this context, consistency means that the assessment, course materials and learning outcomes must add up to a mutually supportive and meaningful whole for the learner.