EDM101-Assessment and Measurement

Module Provider: Institute of Education
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:7
Terms in which taught: Spring term module
Pre-requisites:
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2023/4

Module Convenor: Dr Kari Sahan
Email: k.e.sahan@reading.ac.uk

Type of module:

Summary module description:

This module focuses on the development of knowledge and skills in assessment across the different fields in Education. Students will become familiar with a range of assessment practices and techniques, and ways to evaluate their validity and reliability using SPSS or a similar statistical package. They will also be expected to develop an understanding of the different purposes of assessment (e.g., formative and summative assessment), and become aware of the impact of assessment on learning.

Aims:

This module aims to provide an understanding of:

• The essential knowledge classroom teachers need to develop assessments in a professional way.


• The differences between standardised tests and classroom tests; formative and summative assessments; criterion-referenced versus norm-referenced tests.


• A range of assessment practices and techniques and how to evaluate their appropriateness for different subjects and settings.


• How research underpins assessment practice and how research can be critically evaluated.


• Validity and reliability and how these can be measured.


• The ways in which assessment impacts learning and teaching.


• Issues of value-added versus absolute standards, test bias, fairness and ethics in assessment.


• The basic mathematics that underpin assessment (e.g. levels of measurement; descriptive and inferential statistics as needed for testing; variability, percentiles, standard scores).


• How to compute descriptive and inferential statistics (e.g. correlations, t-tests, chi-square etc.) using SPSS or a comparable statistics package.


• The ways to interpret and systematically analyse evidence, and how to make appropriate use of data.


• How to carry out their own research into assessment.

Assessable learning outcomes:

On successful completion of this module students will:

• Understand the functions and purposes of assessment and how these are related to different types of assessment


• Critically evaluate the ways in which assessment impacts learning and teaching


• Understand essential concepts in assessing the quality of assessments (validity, reliability)


• Understand and apply a range of assessment practices and techniques, including examinations, portfolios, peer reviews, poster presentations, oral presentations


• Read, understand and evaluate research on assessment and publications that report the use of assessment as a research tool


• Organise, manipulate and analyse assessment data using SPSS or a similar statistics package

Additional outcomes:

For students to become more reflective and self-critical about assessment practices in education in different contexts.

Outline content:

• The functions and purposes of assessment and their relationship with the users of assessment


• Issues involved in the design/construction, administration and scoring of tests


• Types of tests (standardised tests and classroom tests; formative and summative assessments; criterion-referenced versus norm-referenced tests)


• Assessment for learning


• Types of questions (open/closed; e.g., essays, multiple choice, true/false andmodifications thereof)


• Computer-based assessment techniques


• Standards and adaptations for different groups, including bilingual students or students with special educational needs


• The organisation, manipulation and analysis of assessment data


• Basic mathematics as needed for assessment in education (e.g., levels of measurement; descriptive and inferential statistics as needed for testing; variability, percentiles, standard scores)


• How to compute descriptive and inferential statistics (e.g., correlations, t-tests, chi-square etc.) using SPSS or a comparable statistics package


• Reporting the results of assessments in tables and graphs, and following good practice in educational research

Brief description of teaching and learning methods:

• Interactive seminars, based on reading which is provided in advance


• Group discussions, partly through the medium of discussion boards on Blackboard.


• Practical tasks in pairs and groups


• Online practice tests on Blackboard


• Presentations of research projects in class

Contact hours:

	Autumn	Spring	Summer
Lectures		15
Seminars		15
Practicals classes and workshops		4
Guided independent study:		166
Total hours by term	0	200	0
Total hours for module	200

Summative Assessment Methods:

Method	Percentage
Project output other than dissertation	80
Class test administered by School	20

Summative assessment- Examinations:

Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:

Coursework: Students must produce an essay of approximately 2,500 words.

Class Test: A short-answer test, covering key concepts in assessment and measurement.

Formative assessment methods:
Students will be set regular tasks on which they receive feedback from the tutor.

Penalties for late submission:

The below information applies to students on taught programmes except those on Postgraduate Flexible programmes. Penalties for late submission, and the associated procedures, which apply to Postgraduate Flexible programmes are specified in the policy 'Penalties for late submission for Postgraduate Flexible programmes', which can be found here: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmissionpgflexible.pdf
The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/cqsd-old-site-documents/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Assessment requirements for a pass:
Students must achieve a 50% overall aggregate mark

Reassessment arrangements:
Resubmission within one calendar month of the notification of failure

Additional Costs (specified where applicable):

1) Required text books: There are no required text books for this module. However, two useful books listed are Bell, J. (2010). Doing your research project (5th ed.). Maidenhead: Open University Press ISBN: 978-0335215041 and Cohen, L., Manion, L., &Morrison, K. (2011). Research methods in Education (7th ed.). Abingdon: Routledge ISBN: 978-0415583367. These texts are freely available via Ebook Central with your UoR username and password.  Many items on the reading list are journal articles or e-books that are freely available via the University Library databases.

2) Specialist equipment or materials: 

3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear: 

4) Printing and binding: 

5) Computers and devices with a particular specification: 

6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence: 

Last updated: 30 March 2023