Globalization and Its Impact on Assessment: Moving Toward a New Story

Globalization has resulted in large-scale international and local assessments closely tied to notions of accountability and competitiveness in a globalized economy. Although policy makers seek to ensure citizens meet the demands of a global knowledge-based economy, such assessments may also impede the development of requisite 21st century skills. While standardization currently is viewed as the most effective measurement of student achievement, several Canadian and international jurisdictions are moving toward assessment for learning (AfL). This conceptual study sought to identify whether AfL or standardized assessment most effectively meets 21st century learning goals in the wake of rapid global change. It applies a Story Model theoretical framework to understand the current, the new emerging, and the future ideal story of education from a personal, cultural, and global lens. The study examines the main critiques and/or challenges of standardized testing, the benefits of AfL for student learning, and new teaching and assessment approaches to the development of 21st century learning goals. The study applies the Story Model’s inside-outside/past-future approach to determine the future direction of assessment. Results show that the new story of assessment will most likely entail a model that integrates both standardized testing and in-class assessments in the form of AfL and PBL.

Impact of a Youth Development Camp on Participants’ Skills, Attitudes, and Views Towards Science and Scientific Inquiry

This mixed-methods research study sought to determine the impact of an informal science camp—the Youth Science Inquiry Development Camp (YSIDC)—on participants’ science inquiry skills, through self-assessment, as well as their views and attitudes towards science and scientific inquiry. Pre and post data were collected using quantitative surveys (SPSI, CARS), a qualitative survey (VOSI-E), interviews, and researcher’s observations. Paired sample t-tests from the quantitative surveys revealed that the YSIDC positively impacted participants’ science inquiry skills and attitudes towards science. Interviews supported these findings and provided contextual reasons for these impacts. Implications from this research would suggest that informal and formal educational institutions can increase science inquiry skills and promote positive views and attitudes towards science and scientific inquiry by using non-competitive cooperative learning strategies with a mixture of guided and open inquiry. Suggested directions for further research include measuring science inquiry skills directly and conducting longitudinal studies to determine the lasting effects of informal and formal science programs.

Student self-assessment a feedback seeking strategy through competence evaluation

There is a body of literature that suggests that student self-assessment is a main goal in higher education (Boud et al., 1995; Tan, 2008); moreover new forms of work organization require a high level of skills and competences. The efforts to deal with competence gaps could be developed at many levels, such as employers, educational institutions, individuals and public agents. Employers could put into practice competence development programs to moderate these gaps. Educational institutions can restructure the curriculum to support students in attaining the competences that are essential in the labour market. Individuals themselves may deploy their resources (time and money) in general or specific competence training. Further, government agencies could fund competence promotion programs. Such challenges for education drive change in learning curricula and method, to properly include the competences required for developing global workers who can move beyond basic competence, to enhanced flexibility and adaptability. In performance assessment methods, there is a shift from the traditional exam-based assessments to more innovative task assessment, which considers performance in multiple different tasks carry out by students. ICTs make it technologically feasible to carry out a complete and complex selfassessment of competences, which provides immediate results to students or other recipients. In the case of students, the evaluation of competences is relevant as developing competences is part - if not all - of the objectives of education. Therefore, it is an important element of the quality of educational organizations (e.g., universities), and of their organizational success. Further, educational organizations may put special emphasis on some differentiating competences, which can be a means of positioning and differentiation from competitors. Competence assessment is an instrument to make students conscious of their strengths and weaknesses, leading to higher motivation to develop their own learning career

Assessment and learning : is it time to rethink student activities and academic roles?

Resumen basado en el de la publicación

Estudo das competências pessoais e interpessoais de acordo com as soft skills e hard skills nos empresários das PMEs

Neste percurso sinuoso de longas privações e acontecimentos, esta investigação só foi possível graças à colaboração franca e estreita de várias pessoas, algumas delas ausentes, mas que em muito contribuíram para o sucesso deste estudo, o nosso profundo reconhecimento e sincero agradecimento. Ao Professor Doutor Manuel Jacinto de Ascensão Jardim, que foi uma pessoa sempre disponível e cuja orientação suprema de conhecimento neste estudo, que por vezes se tornou penoso, mas que através da sua sabedoria e experiência, levou-nos a bom porto, por mares claros, lúcidos e objectivos, o nosso muito obrigado. Aos empresários, gestores e aos docentes convidados, que contribuíram decisivamente para a investigação, colaborando na entrevista do estudo, que foram pessoas que pelas suas vivências deram o carácter construtivo e enriquecedor, sem eles, isto não seria o mesmo, a todos eles, o nosso agradecimento muito profundo. Ao ISLA.GAIA e a todos os Docentes que de uma forma directa ou indirecta foram incansáveis na procura de opiniões, sugestões e soluções, que pudessem de alguma forma contribuir para o bom encaminhamento do nosso propósito de estudo, não esquecendo os colaboradores não docentes desta instituição que sempre tiveram uma palavra de encorajamento, o nosso muito obrigado a todos. A Todos os colegas e aos colegas que se tornaram amigos, pela empatia, comunhão, temperança se tornaram pessoas importantes, não só este ano, neste caminho solitário, mas incluindo todos aqueles que pela perseverança e sem dúvida, muita partilha, fazem parte desta meta alcançada, o nosso sincero e sentido obrigado. Aos nossos amigos que nos deram o alento e a força para que nunca perdêssemos o norte, estando sempre atentos aos nossos passos, o nosso muito obrigado a todos. Aos nossos familiares um agradecimento muito especial pelo incansável apoio, disponibilidade e compreensão quando privados da nossa presença, muito particularmente à nossa família nuclear, que sempre nos incentivou e viveu mais de perto todas as nossas dúvidas e angustias estando sempre do nosso lado, o nosso muito particular obrigado.

A tool for mapping research skills in undergraduate curricula

There has been considerable interest recently in the teaching of skills to undergraduate students. However, existing methods for collating data on how much, where and when students are taught and assessed skills have often been shown to be time-consuming and ineffective. Here, we outline an electronic research skills audit tool that has been developed to map both transferable and discipline-specific skills teaching and assessment within individual modules, the results of which can be collated and analysed across entire degree programmes. The design and use of the audit tool is described in detail and a bioscience case study is presented to illustrate the types of data that can be collected. The audit tool has been designed as a time-effective way of collecting information on skills teaching and assessment, but also actively encourages staff to reflect on their teaching and learning practices. Conclusions are drawn about the practicalities of using the audit tool and its importance in both curriculum design and as a resource to encourage dialogue with graduate employers.

Impairment in movement skills of children with autistic spectrum disorders

We undertook this study to explore the degree of impairment in movement skills in children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) and a wide IQ range. Movement skills were measured using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC) in a large, well defined, population-derived group of children (n=101: 89 males,12 females; mean age 11y 4mo, SD 10mo; range 10y-14y 3mo) with childhood autism and broader ASD and a wide range of IQ scores. Additionally, we tested whether a parent-completed questionnaire, the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ), was useful in identifying children who met criteria for movement impairments after assessment (n=97 with complete M-ABCs and DCDQs). Of the children with ASD, 79% had definite movement impairments on the M-ABC; a further 10% had borderline problems. Children with childhood autism were more impaired than children with broader ASD, and children with an IQ less than 70 were more impaired than those with IQ more than 70. This is consistent with the view that movement impairments may arise from a more severe neurological impairment that also contributes to intellectual disability and more severe autism. Movement impairment was not associated with everyday adaptive behaviour once the effect of IQ was controlled for. The DCDQ performed moderately well as a screen for possible motor difficulties. Movement impairments are common in children with ASD. Systematic assessment of movement abilities should be considered a routine investigation.

Assessing the effectiveness of robot facilitated neurorehabilitation for relearning motor skills following a stroke

A growing awareness of the potential for machine-mediated neurorehabilitation has led to several novel concepts for delivering these therapies. To get from laboratory demonstrators and prototypes to the point where the concepts can be used by clinicians in practice still requires significant additional effort, not least in the requirement to assess and measure the impact of any proposed solution. To be widely accepted a study is required to use validated clinical measures but these tend to be subjective, costly to administer and may be insensitive to the effect of the treatment. Although this situation will not change, there is good reason to consider both clinical and mechanical assessments of recovery. This article outlines the problems in measuring the impact of an intervention and explores the concept of providing more mechanical assessment techniques and ultimately the possibility of combining the assessment process with aspects of the intervention.

Assessment of temperature, trace species, and ozone in chemistry-climate model simulations of the recent past

Simulations of the stratosphere from thirteen coupled chemistry-climate models (CCMs) are evaluated to provide guidance for the interpretation of ozone predictions made by the same CCMs. The focus of the evaluation is on how well the fields and processes that are important for determining the ozone distribution are represented in the simulations of the recent past. The core period of the evaluation is from 1980 to 1999 but long-term trends are compared for an extended period (1960–2004). Comparisons of polar high-latitude temperatures show that most CCMs have only small biases in the Northern Hemisphere in winter and spring, but still have cold biases in the Southern Hemisphere spring below 10 hPa. Most CCMs display the correct stratospheric response of polar temperatures to wave forcing in the Northern, but not in the Southern Hemisphere. Global long-term stratospheric temperature trends are in reasonable agreement with satellite and radiosonde observations. Comparisons of simulations of methane, mean age of air, and propagation of the annual cycle in water vapor show a wide spread in the results, indicating differences in transport. However, for around half the models there is reasonable agreement with observations. In these models the mean age of air and the water vapor tape recorder signal are generally better than reported in previous model intercomparisons. Comparisons of the water vapor and inorganic chlorine (Cly) fields also show a large intermodel spread. Differences in tropical water vapor mixing ratios in the lower stratosphere are primarily related to biases in the simulated tropical tropopause temperatures and not transport. The spread in Cly, which is largest in the polar lower stratosphere, appears to be primarily related to transport differences. In general the amplitude and phase of the annual cycle in total ozone is well simulated apart from the southern high latitudes. Most CCMs show reasonable agreement with observed total ozone trends and variability on a global scale, but a greater spread in the ozone trends in polar regions in spring, especially in the Arctic. In conclusion, despite the wide range of skills in representing different processes assessed here, there is sufficient agreement between the majority of the CCMs and the observations that some confidence can be placed in their predictions.

Measuring the value of “all play and no work”: can rigorous assessment of simulation games drive innovative teaching in construction?

The construction field is dynamic and dominated by complex, ill-defined problems for which myriad possible solutions exist. Teaching students to solve construction-related problems requires an understanding of the nature of these complex problems as well as the implementation of effective instructional strategies to address them. Traditional approaches to teaching construction planning and management have long been criticized for presenting students primarily with well-defined problems - an approach inconsistent with the challenges encountered in the industry. However, growing evidence suggests that employing innovative teaching approaches, such as interactive simulation games, offers more active, hands-on and problem-based learning opportunities for students to synthesize and test acquired knowledge more closely aligned with real-life construction scenarios. Simulation games have demonstrated educational value in increasing student problem solving skills and motivation through critical attributes such as interaction and feedback-supported active learning. Nevertheless, broad acceptance of simulation games in construction engineering education remains limited. While recognizing benefits, research focused on the role of simulation games in educational settings lacks a unified approach to developing, implementing and evaluating these games. To address this gap, this paper provides an overview of the challenges associated with evaluating the effectiveness of simulation games in construction education that still impede their wide adoption. An overview of the current status, as well as the results from recently implemented Virtual Construction Simulator (VCS) game at Penn State provide lessons learned, and are intended to guide future efforts in developing interactive simulation games to reach their full potential.

Reading comprehension in primary school: textbooks, curriculum and assessment

This study describes the reading comprehension processes present in the most widely sold textbooks at the fourth grade level in Portugal and discusses how they compare to international assessments of reading literacy. We adopted the Progress of International Reading Literacy Study framework to categorize the questions in the textbooks. Our analyses revealed that they focus heavily on the retrieval of explicitly stated information to the detriment of higher level comprehension skills. Portuguese fourth grade textbooks rarely challenge students to make connections between their knowledge and the ideas in the texts and to adopt a critical and evaluative reading stance. This is in sharp contrast to what students are asked to do in the Progress of International Reading Literacy Study, conducted every five years since 2001, and it may help explain the poor results Portuguese students have in national assessment and in PISA. The findings are discussed in light of the curriculum frameworks currently adopted in Portugal and suggestions are made as to how we can improve reading literacy achievement.

Does bench model fidelity interfere in the acquisition of suture skills by novice medical students?

OBJETIVO: Embora vários modelos de bancada inanimados tenham sido descritos para o treinamento de habilidades de sutura, até o momento, não existe um método ideal para esse ensino e aprendizagem durante a formação médica. O objetivo foi avaliar se a fidelidade dos modelos de bancada interfere na aquisição de habilidades de sutura em estudantes de medicina iniciantes na prática cirúrgica. MÉTODOS: 36 estudantes de medicina sem exposição prévia a habilidades cirúrgicas foram randomizados em três grupos (n = 12): treinamento de suturas baseado em materiais didáticos (controle); treinamento de suturas em modelo de baixa-fidelidade (modelo de bancada de etileno vinil acetato); ou treinamento de suturas em modelo de alta-fidelidade (modelo de bancada de pele de pata de porco). Foram aplicados pré e pós-testes (realização de pontos simples e pontos subdérmicos invertidos em língua de boi). Três ferramentas (Global Rating Scale com avaliação cega, tamanho do efeito e autopercepção da confiança baseada em uma escala de Likert) foram utilizadas para mensurar todas as performances de sutura. RESULTADOS: A análise após o treinamento demonstrou que os estudantes que treinaram nos modelos tiveram um melhor (p < 0.0000) desempenho na avaliação pela Global Rating Scale, quando comparados com o controle, independente da fidelidade do modelo. A magnitude do efeito (treinamento) foi considerada grande (> 0.80) em todas as mensurações. Após o treinamento os alunos sentiram-se mais confiantes (p < 0.0000) para executarem os dois tipos de suturas. CONCLUSÃO: A aquisição de habilidades de suturas no modelo de baixa fidelidade foi semelhante à prática no modelo de alta fidelidade, sendo que a melhora no desempenho dos participantes que treinaram nesses dois modelos foi superior à aprendizagem baseada em materiais didáticos.

The technical skills of information technology workers in Argentina

Includes bibliography

Jamaica: Macro-socio-economic assessment of the damage done by flood rains and landslides May 2002

This assessment was prepared for the Government of Jamaica following the significant damages to social and economic infrastructure and productive sectors as a result of a period of sustained and unusual rainfall associated with the convergence of a tropical wave over Jamaica and an area of high pressure to the north of the island resulting in periods of heavy and sustained rainfall over the period May 22 – June 2, 2002. A request for technical assistance was directed to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean, on May 31, by the Planning Institute of Jamaica. In view of the recent training provided by the ECLAC Caribbean team in the use of the ECLAC methodology to a multi-disciplinary group of 58 persons spanning several sectors, it was felt that this event, while most unfortunate, nonetheless provided an opportune moment for the Jamaican “trainees” to utilize the skills transferred and to apply the methodology which had been taught. Consequently, ECLAC fielded a team of five persons a few days after the request had been made , to give the Jamaican counterpart team the opportunity to collect data of the type and using an approach well suited to the preparation of assessments such as this.

Preschool Language Assessment Instrument, second edition, in Brazilian Portuguese-speaking children

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)