Education Commons^™

Students’ And Faculty Members’ Perceptions And Experiences Of Classroom Assessment: A Case Study Of A Public University In Afghanistan, Sayed Ahmad Javid Mussawy, Gretchen Rossman, Sayed Abdul Qahar Haqiqat

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objective: The primary goal of the study was to examine students’ perceptions of classroom assessment at a public university in Afghanistan. Exploring current assessment practices focused on student and faculty members lived experiences was a secondary goal. The study also sought to collect evidence on whether or not the new assessment policy was effective in student achievement.

Method: Authors used an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design to conduct the study. Initially, we applied the Students Perceptions of Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ), translated into Dari/Farsi and validated, to collect data from a random sample of 400 students from three colleges: Agriculture, Education, and …

Indirect Feedback: A Dialoguing Approach To Assessment, Dimitrios Vlachopoulos, Ricardo Tejeiro, Anthony Edwards, Estefania Campos

Higher Learning Research Communications

Whilst there is consensus in the current literature that feedback plays a fundamental role to student performance and learning, there is also debate about what makes it effective. Particularly, some assessment instruments, like the National Student Survey in the United Kingdom, reveal that evaluation and feedback are systematically amongst the areas that students are less satisfied with. This paper aims to describe the ‘indirect feedback’ (IF) technique, which was utilised by the principle author in his previous tenure as a Professor at the University of Cadiz (Spain) and to reflect on how it can be applied to overcome some of …

Evaluation Of Academic Competencies Through Standardized Instruments, Oscar Garcia López, Gema Santiago Gómez, Sara Redondo Duarte

Higher Learning Research Communications

The aim of this investigation is to assess the correlation among different competencies-assessment systems available on the market to measure social skills in the university environment. In order to carry out the research, three self-perception competency tests were used, and 30 competencies were evaluated in a Likert scale with several response levels: the LPA-Q, the ESCI-U, and the CompeUEM. The three questionnaires were completed by 57 university students. The results show a low degree of agreement among the different questionnaires in relation to measuring the same competencies, as well as an unclear factor structure.

Faculty Perspective On Competency Development In Higher Education: An International Study, Paloma Julia Velasco, Begoña Learreta, Claudia Kober, Irene Tan

Higher Learning Research Communications

The purpose of this research is to establish common ground on how faculty development should be instituted and the needs it should address on an international level, with its major focus being the development of competencies. A survey was developed and distributed to a sample of 764 university teaching professionals. Results show that 90% find that it is either important or very important to develop competencies in higher education, and that 73% find they are well or very well trained in developing and assessing competencies, particularly with regard to applying theoretical knowledge in practice, teamwork, and oral and written communication …

General Education: Learning From The Past, Preparing For The Future, Karen Gersten

Higher Learning Research Communications

This article explores the widening gap between business and societal needs and current general education curricula. Research is presented that documents gaps between projected needs of industry and current practices in postsecondary education especially in the general education areas. Positive efforts to close the gap are highlighted. Also highlighted are changing regulatory environments, some that support forward-thinking approaches to liberal education and others that revert to traditional educational practices. With a focus on adaptability and intentional teaching and learning, recommendations are presented for flexible curriculum, intentional pedagogy, and a backwards approach to the teaching-learning enterprise that begins with authentic assessment …

Development And Assessment Of Key Skills In Undergraduate Students: An Action-Research Experience, Ana Fernández-Santander, María José García-García, Beatriz Sáez-Pizarro, María José Terrón-López

Higher Learning Research Communications

Employers look for professionals able to work in a team, able to approach problems, with the capacity to analyze and resolve problems, under the constant renewal of knowledge and competencies. In this paper, a group of University teachers from different areas of knowledge presents an experience to introduce key employability skills in the higher education students’ curricula. This work has been developed under the action research scope. The first goal was to make an analysis of terms referred to key skills, generating an integrated denomination for each competency. The elaboration of general templates for key skills is proposed here as …