ICT Integrated Assessment Practices
Assessment plays a major role in student learning. There are many new approaches to assessment with an emphasis on the process of learning along with the product of learning. Performance based authentic assessment is emphasized world over. In India also there is an emphasis on continuous and comprehensive evaluation of students’ learning. Development in information and communication technology has thrown open numerous possibilities for assessing student learning and providing feedback.
Assessment is the process of identifying, gathering and interpreting information about students' learning. Assessment involves using wide variety of methods and tools to evaluate, measure, and document the student learning. Assessment basically helps one to improve learning and also set direction for ongoing teaching and learning process.
Types of Assessment
Assessment can be classified in to various types or approaches based on the purpose for which it is designed. It can be classified as follows:
Formative Assessment: Formative assessment provides feedback and information during the instructional process, while learning is taking place, and while learning is occurring.
Summative Assessment: Summative assessment takes place after the learning has been completed and provides information and feedback that sums up the teaching and learning process.
Diagnostic Assessment: Diagnostic assessment can help you identify your students’ current knowledge of a subject, their skill sets and capabilities, and to clarify misconceptions before teaching takes place. Knowing students’ strengths and weaknesses can help you better plan what to teach and how to teach it.
Authentic Assessment: The term authentic assessment describes the multiple forms of assessment that reflect student learning, achievement, motivation, and attitudes on instructionally relevant classroom activities. It Emphasizes what students know, rather than what they do not know or requires students to develop responses instead of selecting them from predetermined options. An authentic assessment usually includes a task for students to perform and a rubric by which their performance on the task will be evaluated.
Performance Assessment: Performance assessment is one which requires students to demonstrate that they have mastered specific skills and competencies by performing or producing something.
ROLE OF ICT IN ASSESSMENT
Technology has a vital role to play in effective and efficient assessment of learning. Modern technology offers educators a variety of new tools that can be used in the classroom. Technology can help teachers assess their students' learning as well as their performance in the classroom. Use of ICT in assessment involves the use of digital devices to assist in the construction, delivery, storage or reporting of student assessment tasks, responses, grades or feedback.
Geoffrey Crisp (2011) in the Teacher's Handbook on e-Assessment stated that the ICT based assessment can be undertaken with many devices, such as traditional desktop computers or laptops, with portable communication devices such as smart mobile phones, with digital devices such as iPads or through the use of electronic gaming devices. ICT based assessment can use a multitude of formats, including text documents or portable document formats, multimedia formats such as sound, video or images; it can involve complex simulations or games; it can also be undertaken by students in groups or individually and it can occur with large numbers of students in a synchronous or asynchronous manner.
Teachers can use computers to construct their assessment tasks, to deliver these tasks to relevant students and to record and provide feedback and grades to these students. Computers can also be used to analyse students' responses, both to provide feedback to the student on the quality and relevance of their response, as well as to provide feedback to the teacher on whether the task can differentiate between students with different abilities. ICT based assessment can be used to test many different capabilities and skills that are developed by students. There are only a few tasks that might not be suitable for completing and recording electronically, but the number of such tasks is rapidly diminishing as technology becomes more sophisticated and widespread. In many disciplines laboratory equipment can be manipulated remotely and students can undertake real time physical performances that are able to be recorded and used for assessment purposes. We are quickly approaching the stage where our imaginations will be the limiting factor in designing e-assessment tasks.
Christine, R. (2013) identified two conceptually different approaches to assessing Key Competencies using ICT. On the one hand, Computer-Based Assessment (CBA) approaches have been employed for more than two decades and now go beyond simple multiple choice test formats. With this new "Generation Re-Invention" or "transformative" testing, questions are increasingly integrated into more complex and authentic problem contexts, so that the full range of Key Competencies can be assessed. Additionally, due to technological advances, a wider range of answer formats, including free text and speech, can be automatically scored.
On the other hand, technology-enhanced learning environments offer a promising avenue for embedded assessment of the more complex and behavioral dimensions of Key Competencies, based on Learning Analytics. Many of the currently available technology-enhanced learning environments, tools and systems recreate learning situations which require complex thinking, problem-solving and collaboration strategies and thus allow for the development of generic skills. Some of these environments allow learners and teachers to assess performance, understand mistakes and learn from them.
