EDM101: Assessment and Measurement

Module code: EDM101

Module provider: Institute of Education

Credits: 20

Level: Postgraduate Masters

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Kari Sahan, email: k.e.sahan@reading.ac.uk

Module co-convenor: Dr Zirong Li, email: z.li3@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module focuses on the development of knowledge and skills in assessment across the different fields in Education. Students will become familiar with a range of assessment practices and techniques, and ways to evaluate their validity and reliability using SPSS or a similar statistical package. They will also be expected to develop an understanding of the different purposes of assessment (e.g., formative and summative assessment), and become aware of the impact of assessment on learning.

Aims

This module aims to provide an understanding of:

• The essential knowledge classroom teachers need to develop assessments in a professional way.
• The differences between standardised tests and classroom tests; formative and summative assessments; criterion-referenced versus norm-referenced tests.
• A range of assessment practices and techniques and how to evaluate their appropriateness for different subjects and settings.
• How research underpins assessment practice and how research can be critically evaluated.
• Validity and reliability and how these can be measured.
• The ways in which assessment impacts learning and teaching.
• Issues of value-added versus absolute standards, test bias, fairness and ethics in assessment.
• The basic mathematics that underpin assessment (e.g. levels of measurement; descriptive and inferential statistics as needed for testing; variability, percentiles, standard scores).
• How to compute descriptive and inferential statistics (e.g. correlations, t-tests, chi-square etc.) using SPSS or a comparable statistics package.
• The ways to interpret and systematically analyse evidence, and how to make appropriate use of data.
• How to carry out their own research into assessment.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Describe the functions and purposes of assessment and how these are related to different types of assessment
2. Critically evaluate the ways in which assessment impacts learning and teaching
3. Discuss essential concepts in assessing the quality of assessments (validity, reliability)
4. Apply a range of assessment practices and techniques, including examinations, portfolios, peer reviews, poster presentations, oral presentations
5. Evaluate research on assessment and publications that report the use of assessment as a research tool
6. Organise, manipulate and analyse assessment data using SPSS or a similar statistics package

Module content

• The functions and purposes of assessment and their relationship with the users of assessment
• Issues involved in the design/construction, administration and scoring of tests
• Types of tests (standardised tests and classroom tests; formative and summative assessments; criterion-referenced versus norm-referenced tests)
• Assessment for learning
• Types of questions (open/closed; e.g., essays, multiple choice, true/false and modifications thereof)
• Computer-based assessment techniques
• Standards and adaptations for different groups, including bilingual students or students with special educational needs
• The organisation, manipulation and analysis of assessment data
• Basic mathematics as needed for assessment in education (e.g., levels of measurement; descriptive and inferential statistics as needed for testing; variability, percentiles, standard scores)
• How to compute descriptive and inferential statistics (e.g., correlations, t-tests, chi-square etc.) using SPSS or a comparable statistics package
• Reporting the results of assessments in tables and graphs, and following good practice in educational research

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

• Interactive seminars, based on reading which is provided in advance
• Group discussions, partly through the medium of discussion boards on Blackboard
• Practical tasks in pairs and groups
• Online practice tests on Blackboard
• Presentations of research projects in class

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 50% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Students will be set regular tasks on which they receive feedback from the tutor. Student will also have the opportunity to submit a short, written plan (approximately 500 words) to briefly outline the empirical study they wish to carry out for their summative assessment, and they will receive written feedback from tutors on this plan, which can then be fed forward to contribute to the development of the summative assignment. Students will also have the opportunity for in-class feedback during lectures and seminars.

Reassessment

Additional costs