Month: May 2024

In this week’s reading, I learned that although assessment strategies and evaluation strategies are similar, their emphasis is different. This is presented in an interesting way in the course EDCI335, where the assessment strategies we learned in the course outline are mainly assessment strategies, but the final scoring method has the characteristics of evaluation strategies.

The difference between assessment strategies and evaluation strategies

The difference between assessment strategies and evaluation strategies is mainly manifested in three different dimensions: primary purpose, measurement focus, and ultimate use. In the book “Assessment Strategies for Online Learning”, the differences between the two are clearly displayed in the form of charts.  “1 | The Big Picture” in “Assessment Strategies for Online Learning: Engagement and Authenticity” | AU Press—Digital Publications

In this table, it is evident that the most obvious distinction between the two lies in their ultimate use. For assessment, the ultimate direction should be to identify areas for improvement, while evaluation focuses more on achieving the final result.

Due to the similarity in meaning between assessment and evaluation, which can easily lead to ambiguity, formative and summative assessments are also used to represent two different strategies.

Assessment strategies in the curriculum outline

In the article “Assessment Strategies for Online Learning”, many different teaching philosophies are mentioned, such as liberalism, progressivism, and behaviorism, all of which have different directions and goals. In the outline of the course EDCI335, behaviorism and constructivism are mainly mentioned.

Behaviorism more supports behavioral goals, believing that organized content is more conducive to learning. In behaviorist education, learning can be measured and observed, so it is often used in vocational and technical training. This is similar to the evaluation based on final grades in summative assessments.

Constructivism, on the other hand, believes that knowledge is created through the work of learners, who learn through personal perspectives and past experiences. This makes constructivism more advocate for collaboration between groups. The group exercises we need to do also conform to the constructivist perspective.

Assessment strategies in the course of EDCI335

In this course, I observed several different assessment strategies appearing in the course. For example, the evaluation and grading of final assignments are more inclined towards summative assessments, as they align with the evaluation of learning outcomes based on grades. However, at the same time, our course content and group work are further away from teacher centeredness, exhibiting a constructivist style.

Assessment strategies in other courses

In most courses at UVIC, I think behavior is the most widely used. Most courses are learned through systematic planning, for example, in economics courses, some courses require completion of prerequisite courses before proceeding with further learning. In terms of measuring learning, summative assessments are used. Because most courses measure the final learning progress based on the accuracy of assignments and exams.