Where are we with assessment and where are we going? Cees van der Vleuten University of Maastricht This presentation can be found at: www.fdg.unimaas.nl/educ/cees/amee
Where are wewith assessmentand where are we going?
Cees van der VleutenUniversity of Maastricht
This presentation can be found at:www.fdg.unimaas.nl/educ/cees/amee
Overview of presentation
Where is education going? Where are we with assessment? Where are we going with
assessment? Conclusions
Where is education going?
School-based learning Discipline-based curricula (Systems) integrated curricula Problem-based curricula Outcome/competency-based curricula
Where is education going?
Underlying educational principles: Continuous learning of, or practicing with,
authentic tasks (in steps of complexity; with constant attention to transfer)
Integration of cognitive, behavioural and affective skills
Active, self-directed learning & in collaboration with others
Fostering domain-independent skills, competencies (e.g. team work, communication, presentation, science orientation, leadership professional behaviour….).
Where is education going?
Underlying educational principles: Continuous learning of, or practicing with,
authentic tasks (in steps of complexity; with constant attention to transfer)
Integration of cognitive, behavioural and affective skills
Active, self-directed learning & in collaboration with others
Fostering domain-independent skills, competencies (e.g. team work, communication, presentation, science orientation, leadership professional behaviour….).
Cognitivepsycholog
y
Cognitivepsycholog
y
Constructivism
Constructivism
Cognitiveload
theory
Cognitiveload
theory
Collaborativelearningtheory
Collaborativelearningtheory
EmpiricalevidenceEmpiricalevidence
Where is education going?
Work-based learning Practice, practice, practice…. Optimising learning by:
More reflective practice More structure in the haphazard learning
process More feedback, monitoring, guiding,
reflection, role modelling Fostering of learning culture or climate Fostering of domain-independent skills
(professional behaviour, team skills, etc).
Where is education going?
Work-based learning Practice, practice, practice…. Optimising learning by:
More reflective practice More structure in the haphazard learning
process More feedback, monitoring, guiding,
reflection, role modelling Fostering of learning culture or climate Fostering of domain-independent skills
(professional behaviour, team skills, etc).
Deliberatepractice
Deliberatepractice Emerging
work-based learning theories
Emergingwork-based
learning theories
EmpiricalevidenceEmpiricalevidence
Where is education going?
Educational reform is on the agenda everywhere
Education is professionalizing rapidly
A lot of ‘educational technology’ is available
How about assessment?
Overview of presentation
Where is education going? Where are we with assessment? Where are we going with
assessment? Conclusions
Expanding our toolbox…..
Knows
Shows how
Knows how
Does
Knows
Knows how
Established technology of efficient written or computer-based high fidelity simulations (MCQ, Key Feature, Script Concordance Test, MEQs….)
Expanding our toolbox…..
Knows
Shows how
Knows how
Does
Knows how
Shows how
Established technology of structured high fidelity in vitro simulations requiring behavioural performance (OSCE, SP-based testing, OSPE….)
Expanding our toolbox…..
Knows
Shows how
Knows how
Does
Shows how
Does
Emerging technology of appraising in vivo performance (Work-based assessment: Clinical work-sampling, Mini-CEX, Portfolio, practice visits, case orals….)
Expanding our toolbox…..
Knows
Shows how
Knows how
Does
“Domain independent” skills
“Domain specific” skills
Emerging technology of appraising in vivo performance (self-, peer, co-assessment, portfolio, multisource feedback, learning process evaluations……)
What have we learned?
Competence is specific, not generic
Reliability as a function of testing time
TestingTime inHours
1
2
4
8
MCQ1
0.62
0.76
0.93
0.93
Case-BasedShortEssay2
0.68
0.73
0.84
0.82
PMP1
0.36
0.53
0.69
0.82
OralExam3
0.50
0.69
0.82
0.90
LongCase4
0.60
0.75
0.86
0.90
OSCE5
0.47
0.64
0.78
0.88
PracticeVideo
Assess-ment7
0.62
0.76
0.93
0.931Norcini et al., 19852Stalenhoef-Halling et al., 19903Swanson, 1987
4Wass et al., 20015Petrusa, 20026Norcini et al., 1999
In-cognito
SPs8
0.61
0.76
0.92
0.93
MiniCEX6
0.73
0.84
0.92
0.967Ram et al., 19998Gorter, 2002
What have we learned?
Competence is specific, not generic Any single point measure is flawed One measure is no measure No method is inherently superior Subjectivity/unstandardised
conditions is not something to be afraid of.
What have we learned?
Competence is specific, not generic
One method can’t do it all
Magic expectations…….
Knows
Shows how
Knows how
Does
Knows
Knows how
Shows how
Does
Knows
Shows how
Does
Knows how
Shows how
Key features(short cases)
OSCEs
Direct observation methods, Portfolio
What have we learned?
Competence is specific, not generic
One method can’t do it all One measure is no measure We need a mixture of methods
to cover the entire pyramid We can choose from a rich toolbox!
What have we learned?
Competence is specific, not generic
One method can’t do it all Assessment drives learning
Assessment and learning
“The in-training assessment programme was perceived to be of benefit in making goals and objectives clear and in structuring training and learning. In addition, and not surprisingly, this study demonstrated that assessment fosters teaching and learning.….”(Govaerts et al, 2004, p. 774)
Assessment and learning
“Feedback generally inconsistent with and lower than self-perceptions elicited negative emotions. They were often strong, pervasive and long-lasting….”(Sargeant et al., under editorial review)
Assessment and learning
“You just try and cram - try and get as many of those facts into your head just that you can pass the exam and it involves… sadly it involves very little understanding because when they come to the test, when they come to the exam, they’re not testing your understanding of the concept. They test whether you can recall ten facts in this way? ” (Student quote from Cilliers et al., in preparation)
The continuous struggle
Curriculum Assessment
Content Format Programming/
scheduling Regulations Standards Examiners…Learner
What do we know?
Competence is specific, not generic
One method can’t do it all Assessment drives learning
Verify the consequences Use the effect strategically Educational reforms are as good as
the assessment allows it to be.
What do we know?
Competence is specific, not generic
One method can’t do it all Assessment drives learning
Verify the consequences Use the effect strategically Educational reforms are as good as
the assessment allows it to be.
Overview of presentation
Where is education going? Where are we with assessment? Where are we going with
assessment? Conclusions
My assumptions
Innovation in education programmes can only be as successful as the assessment programme is
Assessment should reinforce the direction of education that we are going
Future directions should use our existing evidence on what matters in assessment.
The Big Challenge Established assessment technologies
have been developed in the conventional psychometric tradition of standardisation, objectification & structuring
Emerging technologies are in vivo and by nature less standardized, unstructured, noisy, heterogeneous, subjective
Finding an assessment answer beyond the classic psychometric solutions is The Big Challenge for the future.
Design requirements future assessment
Dealing with real-life: In vivo assessment cannot and should
not be (fully) standardized, structured and objectified
Includes quantitative AND qualitative information
Professional and expert judgement play a central role.
Design requirements future assessment
Dealing with learning: All assessment should be meaningful
to learning, thus information rich Assessment should be connected to
learning (framework of the curriculum and the assessment are identical)
Assessment is ‘embedded’ in learning (equals the ‘in vivo of educational practice’ and adds significantly to the complexity).
Design requirements future assessment
Dealing with sampling: Assessment is programmatic
Comprehensive, includes domain-specific and domain independent skills
Combines sampling across many information sources, methods, examiners/judges/ occasions…..
Is planned, coordinated, implemented, evaluated, revised (just like a curriculum design).
Challenges we face
Dealing with real life: How to use professional judgement?
Do we understand judgment? How to elicit, structure and record
qualitative information? How to use (flexible) standards? What strategies for sampling should
we use? When is enough enough? How to demonstrate rigour? What
(psychometric, statistical, qualitative) models are appropriate?
Challenges we face
Dealing with learning: What are methodologies for embedding
assessment (e.g. Wilson & Sloane, 2000)? How to deal with the confounding of the
teaching and assessor role? How to combine formative and
summative assessment? How to involve stakeholders? How to educate stakeholders?
Challenges we face Dealing with sampling at the
programme level: What strategies are useful in designing a
sampling plan or structure of an assessment programme?
How to combine qualitative and quantitative information?
How to use professional judgement in decision making on aggregated information?
How to longitudinally monitor competence development?
What are (new) strategies for demonstrating rigour in decision making? What formal models are helpful?
Contrasting views in approach
Conventional assessment
Assessment separate from learning
Assessment as part of learning
Context free Context matters (dynamic relation between an ability, a task and a context in which the task occurs - Epstein & Hundert, 2002)
Programmatic embedded
assessment
Method-centred Programme-centred (based on overarching cohesive structure)
Contrasting approaches in research
Conventional assessment
Rigour defined in direct (statistical) outcome measures
Rigour defined by evidence on thrustworthiness or credibility on the assessment process Reliability/validity Saturation of information, triangulation
Programmatic embedded
assessment
Benchmarking Accounting
Contrasting views in approach
Conventional assessment
Confused
Programmatic embedded
assessment
Overview of presentation
Where is education going? Where are we with assessment? Where are we going with
assessment? Conclusions
Conclusions
Assessment has made tremendous progress Good assessment practices based on
established technology are implemented widely
Sharing of high quality assessment material has begun (IDEAL, UMAP, Dutch consortium)
Conclusions
We are facing a major next step in assessment We have to deal with the real world The real world is not only the work-
based setting but also the educational training setting
Conclusions
To make that step: We need to think out of the
box New methodologies to
support assessment strategies
New methodologies to validate the assessment
Conclusions
There is a lot at stake: Educational reform depends on it
I’m here because I couldn’t changethe assessment
Conclusions
Let’s join forces to make that next step!
This presentation can be found on:This presentation can be found on:
www.fdg.unimaas.nl/educ/ceeswww.fdg.unimaas.nl/educ/cees//ameeamee