A Generic Framework for Criterion-Referenced Assessment of Undergraduate Essays

This paper presents a brief review of the relative merits of norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessment of undergraduate students' written work. Acknowledging that there are both positive and negative aspects of criterion referencing, a generic framework for such assessment of undergraduate essays is presented. It comprises criteria and standards (organised by `dimensions of achievement', i.e. content, process, affect and skills), proficiency standards for English language and communication competence, and cartographic and graphic skills. Problems of implementation include the size and complexity of the framework and the need to interpret and clarify the criteria and standards for students

Learning difficulties : a portuguese perspective of a universal issue

In this article we present findings of a study that was conducted with the purpose of deepening the knowledge about the field of learning difficulties in Portugal. Therefore, within these findings we will discuss across several cultural boundaries, themes related with the existence of learning difficulties as a construct, the terminology, the political, social and scientific influences on the field, and the models of identification and of ongoing school support for students. While addressing the above-mentioned themes we will draw attention to the different, yet converging, international understandings of learning difficulties

Transforming a competency model to parameterised questions in assessment

The problem of comparing and matching different learners’ knowledge arises when assessment systems use a one-dimensional numerical value to represent “knowledge level”. Such assessment systems may measure inconsistently because they estimate this level differently and inadequately. The multidimensional competency model called COMpetence-Based learner knowledge for personalized Assessment (COMBA) is being developed to represent a learner’s knowledge in a multi-dimensional vector space. The heart of this model is to treat knowledge, not as possession, but as a contextualized space of capability either actual or potential. The paper discusses a system for automatically generating questions from the COMBA competency model as a “guide-on-the-side”. The system’s novel design and implementation involves an ontological database that represents the intended learning outcome to be assessed across a number of dimensions, including level of cognitive ability and subject matter. The system generates all the questions that are possible from a given learning outcome, which may then be used to test for understanding, and so could determine the degree to which learners actually acquire the desired knowledge