Screen-based assessment

Inexorably and across several fronts, screen-based assessment is becoming a major part of the experience of university students, particularly but not exclusively in the sciences. This movement reflects the emphasis the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) is giving to the development of screen-based assessment at secondary level, where the universal availability of an -assessment option in high stakes exams is an adopted goal.The drivers for this change are economic, pedagogic and opportunistic. Rapid technological progress is facilitating the wider availability of computer based tasks that reflect authentically the learning outcomes of science courses. There is growing experience in the design of such tasks, with increasing commercial involvement, particularly in the USA. An examination of theories of assessment demonstrates that there are sound pedagogic reasons to pursue these developments.The main focus of this review will be assessment for which a computer acts as a means of delivery, grading and feedback. I will outline the capabilities of contemporary systems, illustrate some good practice, and identify areas where the use of the technology is moving forward rapidly. There are exciting developments in the grading of free format responses, in diagram or text form, which are now emerging on a pilot basis. Of particular interest is the assessment of higher order cognitive and subject skills. Alsoimportant is the potential for item banks that can allow the sharing of the costs of authorship. Several of these issues are reviewed more fully in Conole and Warbuton.Finally, I will comment briefly on assessment that is facilitated by computers without the computer acting as a grading tool. At a mundane level, this might involve the electronic submission of traditional assignments. Of more interest are electronically mediated peer assessment, the generation of e-portfolios, the grading of screen based experimentation and the evaluation of the student’s performance in contributing to computer based group activities, e.g. Wikis, electronic conferences, etc

Formative assessment in science teaching

The Formative Assessment in Science project was funded by HEFCE as part of the Fund for the Development of Teaching and Learning Programme. Its work was completed in March 2006. The project was centred on a strong collaboration between the Open University and Sheffield Hallam University, but also involved ~20 other universities in action learning activities aimed at improving formative assessment. The project partners used a conceptually and empirically based framework of conditions which, if met, lead to assessment that drives learning. The projects were diverse and the many positive assessment changes achieved demonstrate that the approach of a framework based analysis and careful evaluation can be successful in improving the student experience. I will summarise some of the main conclusions of the project. One concerns the creation of written feedback that promotes learning rather than merely justifying marks. A second covers the effective use of peer assessment. Finally, I will outline the tools that the project has generated. These will remain available for others to undertake similar reform activities

The Real Aims that Shape the Teaching of Practical Physics in Sub-Saharan Africa

Practical work is widely seen as an important element of the science curriculum. However, there is a long-standing debate about the educational aims of practical work and about why it is important. Aims suggested include the contributions that practical work can make to understanding, to the acquisition of professional and personal skills, and to motivation. However, several authors have argued that the actual contributions made are minimal and there is ongoing pressure to justify the continuing inclusion of practical work in a period when greater cost efficiency is required from all those involved in education. Such pressures are extreme in countries that face resource challenges. This study examines current views on the aims of practical physics teaching in sub-Saharan Africa. Data were gathered from staff and students in four countries across the region through surveys and interviews. A context was provided by observation of practice and inspection of background documents. The overt educational aims of the staff are consistent with previous analyses though there is a heightened priority given to the improvement of content knowledge and understanding. However, there are additional drivers of behaviour that, to a large extent, define the observed practice. These ‘pragmatic aims’ concern mainly the practicalities of running schools with limited material and staff resources but also arise from cultural expectations and societal needs. Although the formal data is derived from the secondary sector, it is of relevance to all educational levels

Design of higher education teaching models and carbon impacts

Purpose This research examines the main findings of the SusTEACH study of the carbon-based environmental impacts of 30 higher education (HE) courses in 15 UK institutions, based on an analysis of the likely energy consumption and carbon emissions of a range of Face-to-face, Distance, Online and ICT-enhanced blended teaching models. Design/methodology/approach An environmental assessment of 19 campus-based and 11 distance-based HE courses was conducted using questionnaire surveys to gather data from students and lecturers on course-related travel; the purchase and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and paper materials; residential energy consumption, and campus site operations. Results were converted into average energy and CO2 emissions, normalised per student per 100 study hours, and then classified by the primary teaching model used by lecturers. Findings The main sources of HE course carbon emissions were travel; residential energy consumption; and campus site operations. Distance-based HE models (Distance, Online and ICT-enhanced teaching models) reduced energy consumption by 88% and achieved significant carbon reductions of 83% when compared with campus-based HE models (Face-to-face and ICT-enhanced teaching models). The Online teaching model achieved the lowest energy consumption and carbon emissions, although there were potential rebound effects associated with increased ICT-related energy consumption and paper used for printing. Practical implications New pedagogical designs using online and distance-based teaching methods can achieve carbon reductions by reducing student travel, residential and campus accommodation. Originality/value Few studies have examined the environmental performance of HE teaching models. A new classification of HE traditional, online and blended teaching models is used to examine the role of ICTs and the likely carbon impacts

Combining temporal and spectral information with spatial mapping to identify differences between phonological and semantic networks: a Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) approach

Early, lesion-based models of language processing suggested that semantic and phonological processes are associated with distinct temporal and parietal regions respectively, with frontal areas more indirectly involved. Contemporary spatial brain mapping techniques have not supported such clear-cut segregation, with strong evidence of activation in left temporal areas by both processes and disputed evidence of involvement of frontal areas in both processes. We suggest that combining spatial information with temporal and spectral data may allow a closer scrutiny of the differential involvement of closely overlapping cortical areas in language processing. Using beamforming techniques to analyze magnetoencephalography data, we localized the neuronal substrates underlying primed responses to nouns requiring either phonological or semantic processing, and examined the associated measures of time and frequency in those areas where activation was common to both tasks. Power changes in the beta (14–30 Hz) and gamma (30–50 Hz) frequency bands were analyzed in pre-selected time windows of 350–550 and 500–700 ms In left temporal regions, both tasks elicited power changes in the same time window (350–550 ms), but with different spectral characteristics, low beta (14–20 Hz) for the phonological task and high beta (20–30 Hz) for the semantic task. In frontal areas (BA10), both tasks elicited power changes in the gamma band (30–50 Hz), but in different time windows, 500–700 ms for the phonological task and 350–550 ms for the semantic task. In the left inferior parietal area (BA40), both tasks elicited changes in the 20–30 Hz beta frequency band but in different time windows, 350–550 ms for the phonological task and 500–700 ms for the semantic task. Our findings suggest that, where spatial measures may indicate overlapping areas of involvement, additional beamforming techniques can demonstrate differential activation in time and frequency domains

Magnetoencephalographic Signals Identify Stages in Real-Life Decision Processes

We used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to study the dynamics of neural responses in eight subjects engaged in shopping for day-to-day items from supermarket shelves. This behavior not only has personal and economic importance but also provides an example of an experience that is both personal and shared between individuals. The shopping experience enables the exploration of neural mechanisms underlying choice based on complex memories. Choosing among different brands of closely related products activated a robust sequence of signals within the first second after the presentation of the choice images. This sequence engaged first the visual cortex (80-100 ms), then as the images were analyzed, predominantly the left temporal regions (310-340 ms). At longer latency, characteristic neural activetion was found in motor speech areas (500-520 ms) for images requiring low salience choices with respect to previous (brand) memory, and in right parietal cortex for high salience choices (850-920 ms). We argue that the neural processes associated with the particular brand-choice stimulus can be separated into identifiable stages through observation of MEG responses and knowledge of functional anatomy

Engaging Opportunities: Connecting young people with contemporary research and researchers

This is the final report for ‘Engaging Opportunities’, an RCUK-funded School-University Partnership between the Open University and the Denbigh Teaching School Alliance. Informed by action research, this four-year project was designed to create structured, strategic, sustainable and equitable mechanisms for effective school-university engagement with research. The report describes an evidence-based strategy designed to embed school-university engagement with research within the University’s strategic planning for research and the operational practices of researchers. Through the early stages of our partnership we noted a lack of suitable planning tools that work for researchers, teachers and students. We therefore introduced a flexible and adaptable framework of four types of activity—open lectures, open dialogues, open inquiry and open creativity—combined with an upstream approach to planning based on a set of six principles. A sub-set of these activities were evaluated through a combination of surveys, interviews and interventions. In conclusion, we argue that institutional and professional cultures can be resistant to the prospect of fully embedding school-university engagement with research in a structured, strategic and sustainable manner, and offer suggestions for how this context could and should be changed

Assessment interoperability

Assessment is a term covering a range of educational activities. The broadest interpretation includes the processes of testing and any consequent judgements and decisions. In ths chapter, the focus is on the processes of computer based testing for summative and formative purposes

E-assessment for open learning

Computer based assessment is becoming a major part of the experience of university students. This development involves both high-stakes summative assessment and formative assessment embedded within blended learning processes. Present use of computer based assessment in universities can be characterised as follows. 1 Uptake that is focused in the sciences. 2 Assessment tasks that involve recall rather than cognition. 3 A growing use of commercial and central providers. 4 The growth of Web Services that include assessment and transcend 5 Limited use for summative purposes. The summative role of computer based assessment has been limited by many factors, particularly the perception that it is not sufficiently valid or authentic, and that it is vulnerable to collusion and plagiarism. There have been a number of analyses of the adoption of e-assessment. For example, Whitelock and Brasher have set out a roadmap and vision for e-assessment and have identified the drivers for adoption as; the prospect of increases in student retention, enhanced feedback, flexibility for distance learning, scaleability, and objectivity in marking. They assert that the principal barriers to uptake are the need for academic staff development, high entry cost, and social and regulatory conservatism. Many of these factors are relevant to both residential and distance teaching universities. However, there are a number of factors that should promote enhanced interest from those involved in open and distance learning