Overcoming inconsistencies in placement assessment : the case for developmental assessment centers

Placements are integral to many university courses and to increasing student employability skills. Nevertheless, several complications, such as the assessment of placement experiences which often go against the principles of procedural justice, may limit placement effectiveness. For example, procedures are not applied uniformly across students; and evaluations of intangible qualities are susceptible to biases. As a result, effort and learning can be compromised. This paper advocates the use of developmental assessment centers to help solve these shortcomings. Developmental assessment centers are often used in organizations to evaluate capabilities of individuals and to facilitate development. Participants complete a series of work related and standardized tasks. Multiple raters then utilize a systematic approach to evaluate participants on a range of competencies, and consequently present constructive feedback to facilitate learning. Therefore, developmental assessment center principles match the key determinants of procedural justice and thus overcome many problems with traditional placement assessments.

Developing and assessing work readiness using reflective practice

One of the most significant assessment challenges in higher education is how to authentically assess the acquisition of graduate attributes. When the assessment of attributes is developed to prepare students for the real world context or work place, it becomes even more challenging and complex. This paper presents a study of assessing work-integrated learning: a curriculum intervention within the discipline of the Built Environment, which sought to actively foster the development of graduate attributes to prepare students for the workforce. The research explores how the assessment of graduate attributes can be validated, and ultimately enhanced, by understanding the learning journey from the student perspective. The research focuses on the distinctive issues associated with Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) using an industry-mentored project, on a construction related issue. The students were asked to capture their reflections in the form of reflective diaries, which were prepared weekly throughout the subject. The research showed that many students expressed very positive views about their learning experiences. This occurred in spite of the challenges caused by the formal assessment process that were undertaken as part of the subject. The implications of the study are examined in relation to both the construction management discipline and wider context of assessing graduate attributes in higher education The paper suggest that giving voice to the student-learning journey offers a powerful lens through which the assessment of attributes can be validated.

Assessing for work integrated learning experiences : a pre-service teacher perspective

A critical aspect of the debate about work integrated learning in the university context is the blurring of boundaries and responsibilities in terms of student learning. In an Australian pre-service teacher education program this blurring of boundaries is apparent in stakeholder tensions about the nature and role of assessment during the practicum. In the study reported in this paper students responded positively to the content of assessment tasks but maintained that their efforts to implement the associated planning in the workplace were stymied because of disparate understandings between university and school staff about the purpose of the task.

Developing a collaborative model of industry feedback for work placement of business students

Work-integrated learning (WIL) is a signature feature of study in many higher education institutions. In business degrees, industry feedback is recognized as an integral part of the assessment of WIL, yet the role played by industry in appraising student performance in the workplace has not been clearly defined. Based on interviews with industry supervisors and academic mentors, this paper addresses the integration of academic and industry supervisor assessment practices designed to maximize student learning outcomes and capture the depth of the learning experiences during a work placement. A model of industry feedback was developed to incorporate planned assessment practices that achieve the learning outcomes agreed to at the start of the placement by all stakeholders: the student, the academic mentor and the industry supervisor.

Exploration of a reflective practice rubric

Work integrated learning (WIL) educators using reflective practice to facilitate student learning require a set ofstandards that works within the traditional assessment frame of Higher Education, to ascertain the level at which reflective practice has been demonstrated. However, there is a paucity of tested assessment instruments that provide guidance for measuring student demonstrations of reflective learning in WIL. This paper provides a preliminary exploration (pilot) of the reliability and validity of a WIL placement rubric for grading reflective practice across an alternate WIL placement-like context, for the purpose of testing the potential transferability of the rubric. The study supports earlier research that suggests that inter-assessor shared understanding of standards are crucial for achieving reliable and valid results. The rubric’s value is in providing a foundation set of standards that can support WIL educators to expedite discussions for developing and using assessment tools grounded in reflective practice theory for grading student achievement across a range of WIL placement-like learning contexts.

The impact of teaching models, group structures and assessment modes on cooperative learning in the student design studio

As a result of ever diminishing teaching resources, an increasing number of architectural educators are setting group design projects, rather then spreading their time thinly over a large number of individual projects. This allows them to co-ordinate longer and more in-depth review sessions on a smaller number of assignment submissions. However, while the group
model may offer an authentic learning model by reflecting design in practice, the approach is not without its obvious shortcomings as a teaching archetype for the assessment of the knowledge and skill competencies of individual students. Hence, what is clear is the need for a readily adoptable andragogy for the teaching and assessment of group design projects.
The following paper describes the background, methodology and findings of a Strategic Teaching and Learning Grant funded research project carried out in the year 2005 at the School of Architecture and Building at Deakin University. The project aimed to inform a change of classroom/studio practice governing the assemblage, teaching and assessment of student design teams. The development through these changes of cooperative and student centred learning principles focused on effective design collaboration and fair assessment should, it will be argued, lead to an enhanced group-learning experience in studio, which will subsequently and ultimately enhance professional practice.

Teaching practices for effective cooperative learning in an online learning environment (OLE)

As a teaching practice the application of cooperative learning in tertiary education can present unique challenges for both the practitioner and her students. Mastering this teaching approach requires careful planning, design and implementation for effective deployment in a face-to-face setting. In this setting the success of the cooperative learning approach has been demonstrated. The complexity is significantly increased by additional variables such as the selection and application of technological teaching tools and the change in nature of existing variables including awareness of students' social and communication skills when applying this practice in an Online Learning Environment (OLE). In addition student acceptance of this e-learning approach to learning also needs to be carefully considered. The practitioner must be aware of these factors and have suitable methods in place to support collaboration and interaction between student groups to ensure the ultimate goal with regard to students' learning is achieved. This paper considers how cooperative learning can be combined effectively with these variables and factors of an OLE, and begins with the presentation of a conceptual framework to represent this relationship as a constructive teaching practice. It is anticipated that the conceptual framework would be applied by other practitioners to facilitate cooperative teaching within their OLE. To demonstrate the validity of the framework a case scenario is provided using an Information Technology (IT) undergraduate unit named 'IT Practice'. This is a wholly online unit where extensive participation by the students within small groups is a core requirement. The paper demonstrates the themes of designing curriculum and assessment, as well as flexible teaching strategies for learner diversity but primarily concentrates on managing an effective OLE; that is managing small groups in an online teaching environment.

Gifted education, professional development and the contemporary landscape of teachers' work : challenges and choices

This paper examines the perspectives of primary school teachers, administrators and personnel working in eastern suburban Melbourne as they consider the rationale for, and the purposes of, gifted education within the broader landscape of teachers' work. The data for this presentation are drawn from a single case qualitative case study where semi-structured interviews were held four years after the school participated in the Bright Futures gifted professional development. The school proudly proclaims a tradition of scholarship and excellence within a friendly, caring, cooperative and democratic ethos. Teachers welcomed the opportunity to express their thoughts, sentiments and opinions on curriculum, assessment and reporting practices, their attitudes to the aims of gifted education, the selection of children for pull-out programs, and their views to school management and to parents in relation tho these matters. Using a Foucoultian framework, I analyse how teachers juggle many goals within the complex reality of daily classroom teaching, and how they are wedged between the power of formal school rhetoric and educational policy working to improve learning outcomes for all students. This, in turn, has significant repercussions for addressing the needs of gifted students and generates considerable ambivalence about the implementation of gifted programs. I propose that such responses are important elements in the contemporary landscape of teacher's work

Collaboration : integrating education and clinical practice : The Case of La Trobe University/The Alfred Clinical School of Nursing

A Clinical School of Nursing combines resources, opportunities and benefits for hospital and university staff as well as students. Collaboration is essential in the partnership between the two institutions and aspects will be explored in this paper, including antecedent conditions of organisational commitment, cooperation and trust, identification of costs, and a formal agreement. Collaboration itself is built on cooperative endeavour, willing participation, shared planning and decision making, a team approach, and shared responsibility and power. These attributes are readily identifiable in this exciting initiative.

Implementing cooperative learning in grade four mathematics classes in Thailand

This study showed that successful implementation of cooperative learning in Thai primary mathematics classrooms requires three components: preparation of teachers, preparation of instructional materials and the preparation of pupils. In addition, cooperative learning was found to have a positive effect on pupils' mathematics achievement and their attitude towards mathematics.