Student Assessment Review

As part of my Certificate in Teaching and Learning, we reviewed a video which was a series of interviews of students on their thoughts and feelings towards assessment.

Students in the video tend to prefer Continuous Assessment over Exams. Although those interviewed have different feelings towards the word “assessment”, many feel like they have more control over a continuous assessment assignment. It is up to them to put in the work, make sure it is of acceptable quality and is something they can make sure they are happy to put their name to before handing in. This is in contrast to an exam which is more like a memory test where the outcome might be varied depending on the mental state of the student on the day of the exam (are they stressed, nervous, confident, tired). It is possible to prepare for an exam by “cramming” rather than gathering a deep understanding of the subject (which is more necessary in C.A.)  which can be done more so at the student’s leisure within a fixed time frame of days or weeks rather than hours.

There is a general consensus (although none of the interviewees has done so) that co-designing an assignment with their teacher would be hugely beneficial and help get them more involved and motivated for that assignment.