Assessments vs evaluation
This was a very hard topic for me to wrap my head around as we use these terms interchangeably. On our online course you click on a link that is called tests. Once you get into this link its called assessments. But in our communications to our students we call them evaluations.
I'm wondering how important it is to distinguish this vocabulary first among the teaching staff and secondly the students.
Jenn
Jenn,
What a great point. I too fall in to the trap of using the terms interchangeably. If you are using both terms, define them based on your program or institution, or just use one term consistently. It should be decided on with among the staff then articulated to the students.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I agree. We have established the definitions for each term as an institution. This happened only because we are going through a build out of a new LMS and the terms in the meetings were being used interchangeably. Evaluations are now linked with actual grades while assessments are only there for information gathering, and do not show up in a gradebook as an actual grade.
Matthew,
That is an interesting way to define it. Thank you for sharing.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Actually in the field of instructional design, assessment both formative and summative, is different from evaluation. We teach that Assessment is always related to student learning with formative being ongoing and giving feedback to improve and summative being a final grade or measurement of successful completion of objectives. Evaluation is also both formative and summative but pertains to the course or class. Formative evaluation is the ongoing process of checking to see what is working in the class and what is not. Summative evaluation is the final rating of whether the class was effective or not in meeting its set goals. I find this division easier to understand than mixing assessment and evaluation as it does in this course.
Dr. Eileen ,
So evaluation applies more to the faculty or course effectiveness where assessment is tied to student performance?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Hi Jenn,
It is extremely important that the students understand the terminology. Fortunately, where I teach, the distinction is made between assessments and test. Students are informed and it is reiterated that the tests can be retaken up to 4times. These tests are multiple choice and automatically graded. The coding assessments can only be taken once and rationales are given with the answers.
There is a weekly reminder about tests and assessments posted in the announcements and sent to students in e-mail.
Thanks,
Letitia
Jenn:
I too have used the terms interchangeably. However, I have made a commitment to use them appropriately as of now! :) I will also help to educate others to the differences in the terms. I learned the differences of formative and summative and other differences in terms and usage through the training in previous courses here at CEE. Hooray!
Suzanne
