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BOOK NAME
Topic 2
WHAT TO ASSESS
WHAT TO ASSESS
WHAT TO ASSESS
STRUCTURE
Introduction
2.1 Identifying behaviours to be assessed
2.1.1 The pathway to designing curriculum
2.1.2 Three types of learning
2.2 Assessing cognitive learning outcomes
2.3 Assessing affective learning outcomes
2.4Assessing the psychomotor learning outcomes
2.5 The ABCD of instructional objectives
2.5.1 The dos and the donts of Instructional Objectives
2.5.2 Steps for stating instructional objectives
2.6 Alignment between objectives, instructions and assessment
2.7 Important trends in what is to be assessed
2.8 Summary
WHAT TO ASSESS
What to Assess?
TOPIC
LEARNING OUTCOMES
INTRODUCTIO N
2.1
The right way of teaching brings out the desired outcome from the students.
Assessment is of the utmost importance in the process of learning. A sound assessment is the
one wherein the assessment methods are closely and directly related to the intended learning
objectives.
Instructional goals and objectives are instrumental for teaching process as well as assessment
process in education.
a) To communicate the intention of the instruction to the subject reading or studying it.
b) To aid the process of learning and teaching.
c) To outline the guideline for assessing the student learning.
Instructional objectives emphasise and lay an outline of the performance desired from the
students at the end of learning, either a chapter or a book or a passage.
A list of properly stated instructional goals and objectives definitely describes the intended
learning outcomes in terms of performance.
In a simple form, it is the description of what a particular student is expected to learn at the
end of teachers classes or his /her set of instructions.
In other words, it is concerned with the focus on learning objectives rather than the learning
experience and is concerned with the understanding of the student about a subject .
2.1.1
Behavioural Psychology has been the backbone of conceptualisation and designing of the tests
sine 1920s till recently.
psychology lays emphasis on development of lower level skills to acquire the higher-order
skills.
Hence, learning outcomes are often defined in small steps or decomposed form in order to get
the higher level of specification in learning outcomes.
the task to be done, teaching the students about the ways to do the task and finally assess the
student by subjecting them to the test on the task.
This is also an example of criterion reference mastery tests mentioned in the previous
chapter.
Behavioural psychologist approach gauges only the external observable behaviour rather than
the thinking power.
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The theory revolves around the basis that all behaviours are learned through associating the
events with consequences.
But the questions like What about the problem solving abilities one has? , which were not
answered by the behavioural psychological approach spearheaded the need to discover a more
comprehensive approach or cognitive approach towards learning and development.
Cognitive researchers are of the opinion that learning of the most basic skills also requires a
complete involvement of student in various ways of comprehension, analysis and application.
The cognitive perspective of learning has brought in a change in the assessment. It focuses on
learning outcomes which are more general in nature like comprehension, problem solving
skills, decision making etc.
So in a journey of designing a curriculum or finding ways to design the learning outcomes the
perspective has had a paradigm shift from very specific approach of applying behavioural
psychology to the more general approach called as cognitive approach.
Thus, behaviours to be assessed, during education, were not limited to the observable
behaviour but assessment of an overall mental capacity of a person.
2.1.2
2.2
Blooms
taxonomy is of
immense
importance
to
the
teachers
it
lets
as
the teacher ask herself what she/he is asking the students to do and for what
purpose.
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C o m p r e h n s io n :- T h e a b il t y t o g r a s p
E v a lu a t io n :- T h e a b il t y t o c h e c k o r ju d g e
K n o w le d g e :-K n o w in g a b o u t s u d y m a t e r ia l n d r e t r ie v in g t h e s a m e
A p lic a t io n :- T h e a b il t y t o a p ly t h e k n o w le d g e t o s o m e s it u a t io n
A n a ly s i :-T h e a b il t y t o c a t e g o r iz e a n d b r e a k d o w n t h e c o m p le x s t r u c t u r e
S y n t h e s i :- T h e a b il t y o p u t p a r t s in a w a y t o m a k e a n e w h o le
2.3
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PRA(
Ac
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n ,
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Figure 1.3 Verbs used in affective
learning outcomes
The
above
diagram
represents the sub
categories of how the verbs can be used for the affective learning outcomes.
Responding refers to how actively the learner is acknowledging the stimuli and
showing participation
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2.4
Psychomotor Learning outcome refers to the functions like reflex action, and
imperative movements. This also means natural responses.
These are the objectives concerned with the physical movements where there is a
coordination of the body and mind to encode information and used to express the
concepts.
Movements:
Objectives
here
refer
to
the
involuntary
and
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ACTIVITY
Recall some verbs from Blooms taxonomy and segregate them according to
knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation.
2.5
Let us take a quick look at the method of identifying the instructional objective
which can be the most effective for teaching and assessment.
Whenever listing the instructional objectives one must ask the following questions
which can serve as a criteria:
A) Whether all the outcomes of the subject are well covered in the objectives?
B) Whether the objectives are in coherence with the standards set by the
educational bodies for which the course or teaching program is conducted?
C) Whether the educational objectives suit the targeted audience of a particular age
group, whether it is in the interest of the students, whether those conform to the
principle of retention and principle of transfer?
D) Whether the objectives are realistic in terms of student capabilities?
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2.5.1
The Dos
The Donts
a) Whenever stating the learning
a) Whenever stating the learning
outcome state these in terms of how
outcome do not state using
the student is expected to perform
teachers performance
E.g. : The students would be able to E.g. : The teacher will teach the
define the concept
concept
Table 1.1: The dos and donts of instructional objectives
2.5.2
The Dos
It is a two step process:
a) Stating the General Instructional Objectives
b) Stating the Specific Instructional Objectives
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Figure 1.4 How to
state the learning
objectives and
outcomes
2.6
ALIGNMENT BETWEEN
The learning objectives are the foundational stones over which lays the framework
of instruction and assessment.
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Learning objectives aid the teacher to explain what the expected performance of a
student is, after the sequential instructions classes so as to further help
assessment. This defines the intent for what the teacher is teaching the student.
2.7
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These are the few new trends in what needs to be assessed.
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As seen in the figure above it started from more stress on the skills and abilities,
lots of project based activities and mostly group activities. The assessment
revolves around the overall personality development through various arts and
sports.
Courses and curriculum exclusively state what is expected from the student than
Instructional
goalsdecide
and learning
outcomes
areon
central
teaching, learning and
letting
the students
or derive
the output
their to
own.
assessment
of a student
performance.
We oriented
cannot generalise
or
The
shift of approach
is from
mere teacher
objectivesthe
to learning
student learning
simplify it by the two approaches viz. behavioural psychologist approach or
outcome.
cognitive approach respectively.
But finding a mid-way between the two approaches will definitely make sure
that the overall development or progress is being assessed.
SUMMARY
We also came to know
how to prepare the instructional objectives.
2.8
We also learnt about the various types of domains of learning and the
various verbs used while defining the objectives.
The thrust was also on the important points to be looked after when writing
learning objectives.
We now understand the various trends in the assessment and that precision in
writing educational objectives will always yield the intended outcome.
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KEY TERMS
Cognitive Assessment
Affective assessment
Psychomotor assessment
Learning Objectives and outcome
Behavioural Psychology
Blooms taxonomy
EXERCISES
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS
1. Summarise the meaning of learning outcome.
2. Explain Blooms taxonomy.
LONG ANSWER QUESTIONS
1. State how to write educational objective.
2 Describe cognitive, affective and psychomotor assessment.
3. Discuss the new trend in assessment.
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