Self-assessment in the Academy

1. Self-assessment in the Academy Carl Anderson 6/21/07 HIED 546

2. What is Self-assessment? • Metacognition • Reflectivity • Formative vs. Summative

3. Some Theory • 2 aspects of self-assessment (Boud, 1995) • Identification of standards and criteria for judging one’s work • Judgment on whether standards and criteria have been reached • Self-assessment is the learner’s evaluation and appraisal of their own competence and performance in the learning process (Paris & Paris, 2001)

4. Self-assessment in Higher Education • “The focus on self-assessment by students is not common practice, even amongst those teachers who take assessment seriously.” (Black & Wiliam, 1998, p. 25) • However, self-assessment is an educative activity, allowing students to reflect and take responsibility for their own learning (Klenowski, 1995)

5. Higher Education cont. • Self-assessment is an intuitive process that cannot be subject to a checklist of criteria (Claxton, 1995) • Periodic self-assessment complements learning goals and helps students maintain self-efficacy (Schunk & Ertmer, 2000)

6. Teacher education and Self-assessment • 4 findings (Mok et. al., 2006) • All teachers can be developed into reflective practitioners • Self-assessment is an important component in teachers’ reflective practices • Self-assessment is learning oriented • Teacher support facilitates self-assessment capabilities

7. Research Questions • What are the purposes of self-assessment in a university setting? • How do Penn State graduate students define self-assessment?

8. I-Search Methods • 3-item open-ended questionnaire sent to PSU graduate students • What does self-assessment mean to you as a graduate student? • What, if any, is the value of student self-assessment in a university setting? • Have you used self-assessment in any of your teaching, and if so, how was the experience?

9. Results • 8 respondents • 3 definitional categories for self-assessment: • Progress/Growth • Diagnostic • Evaluative

10. Progress/Growth • “The term “self-assessment” means evaluating ones’ progress in a specific activity and projects. Self assessment provides me with the opportunity to determine the good, the bad, and what I need to fix to improve my progress.” • “The activity in which students in a class consider the progress of their own learning, rather than finding out after the fact through passing or failing a test.”

11. Diagnostic • “Overall, am I meeting the objectives of the course, my program plan, and most importantly the time frame in which I want to graduate.?” • “I think the process of assessment helps to identify strengths and weaknesses (i.e. developmental areas).”

12. Evaluative • “Self-assessment is to evaluate your work by your self. It could be your project, course work, presentation, etc.” • “Self-assessment is my own evaluation in whatever I am doing. It does not have official standards to measure against. It is the feeling of satisfaction we have as a result of our performance.”

13. Conclusions • Self-assessment has varied meanings and purposes in the academy • Self-assessment can be both formative and summative • Self-assessment is an increasingly popular educational tool

14. References • Black, P., & Wiliam, D. (1998). Assessment and classroom learning. Assessment in Education, 5 (1), 7-74. • Boud, D. (Ed.). (1995). Enhancing learning through self-assessment. (London, Kogan Page Limited). • Claxton, G. (1995). What kind of learning does self-assessment drive? Developing a ‘nose’ for quality: Comments on Klenowski (1995). Assessment in Education, 2 (3), 339-343. • Klenowski, V. (1995). Student self-evaluation processes in student-centred teaching and learning contexts of Australia and England. Assessment in Education, 2 (2), 145-163. • Mok, M.M. et al. (2006). Self-assessment in higher education: Experience in using a metacognitive approach in five case studies. Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 31 (4), 415-433. • Paris, S.G., & Paris, A.H. (2001). Classroom applications of research on self-regulated learning. Educational Psychologist, 36 (2), 89-101. • Schunk, D. H., & Ertmer, P.A. (2000). Self-regulation and academic learning: Self-efficacy enhancing interventions. In M. Boekaerts, P. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 631-649). New York: Academic.