VOC1 Evaluation of the third virtual learning session 16.10.2013

Evaluation of the third virtual learning session on the 16th of October 2013.

E-portfolios or digital portfolos are used for individual lifelong learning and for academic assessment. They can be also evaluated in other contexts such as workplace. It is important in E-portfolios to simultaneously serve individual self-actualization and institutional transformation. (Darren, R.  E-Portfolios for Lifelong Learning and Assessment, 2010, p.11)

Also another important aspect of an E-portfolio is authenticity and this can be developed through self – understanding and self – articulation. Expressing once unique nature as a human being is important and it reflects once creativity as well. This can also include ethical and philosophical reflection.

In the past portfolios were in a paper form but nowadays they are more digital and this has many advantages. For example, they can gather very diverse resources of knowledge through multimedia links, hypertextual organisation, videos and demonstrations. So essentially portfolios can be showcase for personal skills, knowledge, reflection and competences.  

For the purpose of academic assessment, portfolio can be a way to demonstrate the ability to apply academic concepts, how the emergent theories are linked to the life experiences. The choice of colours, multimedia elements and photographs also demonstrates how one learns best and interprets the world around them.

After some time of writing and reflection, one can also see the patterns emerging and perhaps starts seeing new theories. Essentially, it is an ‘ongoing process of writing an identity into being’. (Darren, R., E-Portfolios for Lifelong Learning and Assessment, 2010, p.16).

Some define personal portfolio as a ‘story’ and standardised portfolio as a ‘test’. In a way our iVet course portfolio is a combination of both although it is essentially provides data about the achieved learning outcomes and measures the effectiveness of experience of the course. It assesses our competences to enter the profession of teaching. One of the important competences of being a teacher is to ‘accurately analyse and assess students learning’.

The teaching practice part of the portfolio will show examples of lessons plans and they will be evaluated against the criteria set. The students will demonstrate competence by showing how their work evidence is appropriate for the defined rubrics used to evaluate it. This portfolio can be also used as evidence for potential employers in the future. Although if the portfolios are standardised it may not encourage students to keep them as a lifelong learning tool. That is why it is possible with the iVet course, portfolio for students, to perhaps continue the building of the portfolio even after the course is completed as it allows for some of the ‘personal story’ content as well.

Essentially students are encouraged to become self – directed learners and develop self – efficacy in relation to tasks.

We could also say that portfolios allow students to express their multiple intelligences as well as the multicultural aspects of learning and experiential learning too.

Assessment 

John Biggs - Setting up criterion referenced objectives.

The presentation on assessment by Dewey group was very clear and we were also engaged in some thinking and reflection on what are the challenges in assessing learners and if we have used collaborative and peer assessment in our teaching.

In addition, the important question was if assessment is subjective or objective process. Does teacher assess the learner´s work or the learner as a person?

Peter Jarvis in his book “Adult Education & Lifelong Learning” says that: “assessment is natural and many, but not all forms, contain an element of subjectivity about them”.

He also mentions that in this sense assessment means placing a value on the phenomenon and it has the same meaning as evaluation. Although there is a convention in education that assessment is “restricted to the process of placing a value (grade ) on learners’ performances,  whereas evaluation is used more commonly about either the teaching and learning process, e.g. curriculum evaluation.”(Jarvis, P., Adult Education & Lifelong Learning, 2004, p.232).

The nature of assessment is subjective to a degree since the assessors are placing their own value on the piece of writing, If it is an essay for example. The assessors are not only assessing the content but the structure and the level of analysis. Therefore, in this way we must see that the assessment is not only measurement. The whole concept of measurement comes from the prevalence of the scientific measurement of inanimate and empirical data and this creates difficulties for educators to be truly objective in assessing other areas. One could also see assessment as a form of guide rather than an exact scientific measurement.

There are many different forms of assessment and the once we have discussed are : formative, summative, continuous, analytical, global, self- assessment, peer and collaborative assessment.

Formative evaluations are made any time during the teaching and learning, so they are essentially a diagnostic form of assessment.

Summative assessment occurs at the end of the process, so it is usually given as a final mark.

Ideally, there should be many forms of assessment used so that student’s work can be evaluated or measured objectively.

Also there is a notion that academic standards are being undervalued nowadays as the students or clients are primarily interested in the qualification itself. “Considerable emphasis is now being placed on the competences that are gained as a result of learning’.

In vocational terms, a competency may be defined as a ‘performance capability needed by workers in a specified occupational area’. (.”(Jarvis, P., Adult Education & Lifelong Learning, 2004, p.237). In addition, there is a difference between quality and efficiency and the latter is perhaps emphasised in relation to work expectations. So Jarvis emphasises that the teaching and learning have become a marketable commodity in the global market.

Self - evaluation  
Our topic for this session was: ‘What is the role of the student's self -evaluation in vocational education’?

It was important for us to clarify the difference between self-assessment and self- evaluation. ‘Assessment provides feedback on knowledge, skills, attitudes and work products for the purpose of elevating future performances and learning outcomes. Evaluation determines the level of quality of a performance or outcome and enables decision making based on the level of quality demonstrated.’ (1) Both processes can be used as formative or summative. 

At the beginning we thought to use Survey Monkey in order to create a questionnaire for the iVet group on their experience of group study. The results of the survey can be found here:


 

Self evaluation form by iVet group Vygotsky 2013 from Aleksandra Sasha Paravina

Overall my experience of teaching was good, I felt that I had enough time for the tasks and the slides. We had four questions that we asked via the Padlet.


1. Do students who are taught how to evaluate their work learn better or more poorly than other students?

We did conclude that through self –evaluation students develop sense of cognitive achievement and narrative writing skills. Also they benefit in the area of motivation and are more confident about their ability. Students need to be taught how to evaluate their work accurately and need time to develop the appropriate skills. 

Teachers who participate in how to teach self- evaluation grow more confident in their skills as teachers and use greater variety of assessment techniques. Also it enhances their professional growth and their self- efficacy is enhanced too. The discussion at the end was motivating and I have started to work on the blog more to catch up with the topics. 

1.  Do students self-evaluate fairly?
2.  Is simply requiring self-evaluation enough, or do students have to be taught how to  evaluate their work accurately?
3.  Are there any benefits for teachers by training students in self-evaluation?

References:

Darren R.,(2010),  E-Portfolios for Lifelong Learning and Assessment (3rd Edition),

Jossey-Bass, Hoboken, NJ, USA 

http://www.oamk.fi/amok/ammatillinen_opettajankoulutus/opiskelijalle/ammattipedagogiset_opinnot/e-ape/apet2013_i.php?sivu=ape_9

Jarvis P., ( 2004)  Adult Education & Lifelong Learning, Routledge Falmer

Biggs, J., Teaching for Quality Learning at University, Retrieved from:
https://optima.oamk.fi/learning/id7/bin/doc_show?id=68484

(1) Baehr, M., Distinctions Between Assessment and Evaluation. Retrieved from: http://www.pcrest2.com/institute_resources/PAI/4_1_2.pdf