Paul,
Thank you for your post! This is great information. Accreditation of programs and colleges can through a wrench in definitions also.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Francis ,
Yes, you are right. We may use the same data but look at it in the context of instruction or the context of course improvement.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Sandra,
Yes, I understand the challenge. It is hard to provide formative feedback particularly if you have different starting points in your course as so many online courses do.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Trude,
So, how do you identify the terms used in higher ed and with HLC that use the term little "a" and big "a". We do use the terms interchangeably.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jack,
That is create and that it is reliable; that is measures the same EVERY time for every student.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jack,
Again, I don't separate the two learning/instruction as they cannot be separated. Why must we use separate processes to measures complementary things? formative assessment gives me gaps in learning and gaps in instruction that can be adjusted through the learning process. Summative assessment is more formal measure but again can provide data that will help both learning and instruction.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jolly,
I disagree with you. There is not that big of difference between evaluation and assessment. Instruction and learning are linked together.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jolly,
I would agree with part of that. . . I use assessment to do both; improve instruction and to measure learning. Why do they have to separated? I don't have the time or the resources to review them exclusively and I don't think they should be. I have noted that sometimes when students are learning it is my fault. By review assessment holistically, I will find gaps in instruction and fix that. That is closing the assessment loop.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Just when I had thought I had it figured out! Now I am more confused than before! I think I am facing a blue pill red pill moment. :)
I like your easy-to-remember definition of assessment as formative and therefore ongoing and evaluation as final. From now on, I am going to remember it by thinking of "assessment tools" as the things I create for students during the class and the "final evaluation" as the summative capstone.
I would absolutely agree! I would guess that 99.9% of professors do not know the difference. But maybe that is only because I did not know the difference prior to this class. The difficulty is that these are specialized terms in the field of education and their specialized meanings, I predict (but don't know), are relatively recently acquired. Also, I googled the terms and there is considerable inconsistency about how these terms are defined. In one place, "assessment" is characterized as "student to instructor" feedback and "evaluation" is characterized as "instructor to student feedback." (http://www.icc.edu/innovation/PDFS/assessmentEvaluation/ASSESSMENTandEVALUATION2007.pdf) Even on this forum there are different accounts of the terms. For example, evaluation in one place is characterized as belonging to a domain outside the course. I don't have a horse in the race per se, but I did find a PDF online that helped me separate the terms in my mind (http://web.duke.edu/arc/documents/The%20difference%20between%20assessment%20and%20evaluation.pdf). The PDF qualifies assessment as formative, process-oriented, and diagnostic while evaluation is summative, product-oriented, and judgmental. So the way I'm going to remember the difference moving forward is that "assessment" is what happens during throughout the course that students and faculty use to gauge progress and understanding while "evaluation" is the capstone, final judgment of the student's success.
I would agree with you. I think that we use them interchangeably. I know I have never really thought much about the difference, but there really is an important distinction. I'm not sure that it is the actual words that matter as much, but the process is vital. I don't know that many instructors struggle with the evaluation piece. After all, grading is viewed as an essential part of what we do. However, we need to remember to asses our students regularly. That is the best way to gauge whether or not our students are getting what we are teaching.
Though used interchangeably, the reading material states that assessment is formative (on-going) and evaluation is summative (have course objectives been met?). I personally feel challenged to provide formative feedback for Environmental Science, which is the course that I instruct.
The formative or assessment portion of what I do is more writing related as opposed to a conceptual building tool. The course has connectedness, however, in that what is discussed in Week 1 is a thread throughout the class.
I see Math and Language Arts as courses that assessment is a clearer tool than the Gen Ed course that I facilitate.
Jolly,
Obviously, you and I are on the same page. Evaluation focuses on the program and whether or not the program is contributing to achievement of organizational goals/results.
As a card carrying member of the AEA (American Evaluation Association) I beg to differ with the definitions that are provided in this course.
Assessment and Evaluation are different. It is not appropriate to define Evaluation as summative assessment. By doing so, you are saying that they are the same thing.
Assessment is individual. We assess individual learners to determine whether or not they have mastered the learning objectives that have been established. It should always be diagnostic and focused on strengths and areas for improvement. We use formative and summative assessments. They help us to facilitate the learning and development of individual learners.
The American Evaluation Association focuses on Program Evaluation. We evaluate programs for merit and worth. Program Evaluation does not address individual learners. We use formative and summative evaluation in order to facilitate continuous improvement of our programs.
The instructor's accountability resides primarily in the fact that she/he must ascertain that the assignment/test/quiz submitted to the student is a valid instrument, which means that it assesses the knowledge it is supposed to assess.
All,
The truth is I used to make the same mistake until I took that course.
A formative assessment is an ongoing process oriented activitiy that is intended to improve the quality of teaching and the quality of learning.
An Evaluation is a summation assessment that is completed by a student at the end of a course and whihch is designed to measure the quality of work.
FYI...in the "education" world, evaluation is the process to improve instruction, while assessment is the process to measure learning. That said and generally speaking, faculty normally do not get involved in the evaluation process, which is generally a function of course/curriculum development. However, faculty are directly involved in the assessment process.
Esther, your "assessment" is right on...there is a big difference between evaluation and assessment. That said, it appears in this module they use the terms interchangeably, and while their processes are different, the outcome remains the same: improving human performance.
Tina,
Wow, I don't know where to start! Assessment is SOOOO IMPORTANT! This should be a cyclical process that allows you to adjust your online course and to improve student learning. How do you know you are achieving your objectives?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
