Adaptive assessment in higher education: a response to student diversity?

1. BIO 116 Adaptive assessment in higher education: a response to student diversity? Martin Barker + Sara PrestonUniversity of Aberdeen an awkward and exciting thought: all students are different! Photo: smokedsalmon

2. Adaptive assessment: diversity What are the implications of knowing that students are different?

3. Adaptive assessment: equity number of students “aim for the middle” range of student performance in a particular assessment It’s too difficult It’s too easy

4. Adaptive assessment: differentiation but more probably difficult in assessment… It is possible to differentiate in teaching… teaching assessment

5. Adaptive assessment: example Q1.1 2 marks A water lily plant is growing in the middle of a pond on Day 1. The plant doubles in area every day. The pond is completely covered on Day 20. On which day is the pond is half-covered?

6. Adaptive assessment: example Q1.1 2 marks Q1.2 2 marks A water lily plant is growing in the middle of a pond on Day 1. The plant doubles in area every day. The pond is completely covered on Day 20. On which day is the pond is half-covered? An adult mouse is four times as old as its offspring. In 20 weeks, it will be twice as old. How old will adult and offspring be then? +

7. Adaptive assessment: example Q1.3 2 marks The array shows plots within a field. Each letter represents a different treatment. What is the missing treatment, based on the existing pattern?

8. Adaptive assessment: example Q2.1 4 marks Five enzymes were part of a biochemical pathway. Enzyme K occurred before Enzyme Q but after H. Enzyme X occurred before Enzyme H but after Enzyme N. What is the order of enzymes in the pathway? Q1.3 2 marks The array shows plots within a field. Each letter represents a different treatment. What is the missing treatment, based on the existing pattern?

9. Project: responding to diversity Adaptive assessment: trial structure Q Jump block Difficulty level of questions depends on student performance Adaptive testing marks

10. Adaptive assessment: trial Question writing Planning Trials Focus on critical thinking =‘Graduate Attribute’

11. Adaptive assessment: QMP logic Development of rules

12. Adaptive assessment: trial conclusions Results Most (94%) students shifted to a different ‘difficulty level’ of Qs once (many) or twice (some)

13. Adaptive assessment: trial conclusions Results Most (94%) students shifted to a different ‘difficulty level’ of Qs once (many) or twice (some). Conclusions Adaptive testing can provide an appropriate challenge up to, not below or beyond, a student’s academic capacity.

14. Adaptive assessment: trial modifications 1. Extra jumps put in 2. Some questions re-classified

15. Adaptive assessment: implementation • Adaptive testing is currently running at Aberdeen • Part of innovative teaching

16. Adaptive assessment: implementation Watch this space!

17. Adaptive assessment: limitations 1. Time 2. Setting Q difficulty levels

18. Adaptive assessment: future Adaptive learning: described as higher education's best-kept secret (Education Growth Advisors, 2013). Student acceptance Staff acceptance Persistent errors? Minimum number of pathways? Best practise? Rules? Minimum number of Qs? Staff training • Student diversity exists (and it’s increasing) • (we should welcome it and work with it) • Adaptive assessment is one possible response to student diversity

19. Adaptive assessment: equity & diversity • Adaptive testing: • Probably fairer to students • More informative for teaching staff

20. Thank you!