Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

How Technology Shapes Assessment Design: Findings From A Study Of University Teachers, Sue Bennett, Phillip Dawson, Margaret Bearman, Elizabeth K. Molloy, David J. Boud

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

A wide range of technologies has been developed to enhance assessment, but adoption has been inconsistent. This is despite assessment being critical to student learning and certification. To understand why this is the case and how it can be addressed, we need to explore the perspectives of academics responsible for designing and implementing technology-supported assessment strategies. This paper reports on the experience of designing technology-supported assessment based on interviews with 33 Australian university teachers. The findings reveal the desire to achieve greater efficiencies and to be contemporary and innovative as key drivers of technology adoption for assessment. Participants sought to …

The Method Of Educational Assessment Affects Children's Neural Processing And Performance: Behavioural And Fmri Evidence, Steven J. Howard, H Burianova, Alysha Calleia, Samuel Fynes-Clinton, Lisa K. Kervin, Sahar Bokosmaty

Faculty of Social Sciences - Papers (Archive)

Standardised educational assessments are now widespread, yet their development has given comparatively more consideration to what to assess than how to optimally assess students' competencies. Existing evidence from behavioural studies with children and neuroscience studies with adults suggest that the method of assessment may affect neural processing and performance, but current evidence remains limited. To investigate the impact of assessment methods on neural processing and performance in young children, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to identify and quantify the neural correlates during performance across a range of current approaches to standardised spelling assessment. Results indicated that children's test performance …

Is It My Job? The Role Of Rns In The Assessment And Identification Of Delirium In Hospitalized Older Adults: An Exploratory Qualitative Study, Miriam Coyle, Pippa Burns, Victoria Traynor

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Delirium is characterized by acute and fluctuating cognitive decline, which is often missed in older adults who are assumed to be experiencing age-related changes or dementia. Delirium affects up to 50% of hospitalized older adults. The aim of the current study was to (a) explore current practices of RNs in assessing and identifying delirium in hospitalized older adults and (b) inform new educational initiatives. Qualitative methods were adopted using eight semi-structured group interviews with 24 RNs. Thematic analysis revealed a dichotomy in practice where RNs described delirium assessment and identification as (a) It's Not My Job, (b) It is …

The Development And Testing Of The Dementia Friendly Communities Environment Assessment Tool (Dfc Eat), Richard Fleming, Kirsty A. Bennett, Terri Preece, Lyn Phillipson

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Background: There is a growing recognition of the need to make the built environment in towns and cities more enabling for people with dementia. This study reports the development of a reliable tool to assess the support provided to people with dementia by public and commercial buildings such as council offices, supermarkets, banks, and medical centers as they approach, use, and leave them.

Methods: A three-step process was carried out to develop and establish the reliability of the tool: (1) a review of principles and available tools informed the development and modification of an environmental audit tool of …

'Involve Me And I Learn': Development Of An Assessment Program For Research And Critical Analysis, Judy Mullan, Kylie J. Mansfield, Kathryn M. Weston, Warren C. Rich, Pippa Burns, Christine A. Brown, Peter L. Mclennan

Faculty of Science, Medicine and Health - Papers: part A

Evidence-based medical practice is best achieved by developing research understanding in medical practitioners. To this end, medical councils worldwide increasingly recognise the importance of medical schools graduating students with well-developed research skills and research capacity. To meet this need, the principles of programmatic assessment were implemented in designing a research and critical analysis curriculum and assessment program that aimed to enhance the research and critical analysis skills of medical students. The program was developed by mapping assessment tasks to a research capabilities framework that was in turn scaffolded to different levels of Miler's pyramid. The curriculum and assessments were integrated …

Formative Assessment To Develop Oral Communication Competency Using Youtube: Self- And Peer Assessment In Engineering, Sasha Nikolic, David Stirling, Montserrat Ros

Faculty of Engineering and Information Sciences - Papers: Part A

Obtaining oral communication competency is an important skill for engineering students to prepare them for interacting and working in any professional setting. For engineers, it is also important to be able to present technical information to non-technical audiences. To ensure oral competency, a non-graded formative assessment approach using video with self- and peer assessment was introduced into a final-year engineering thesis course. A low workload approach was used due to growing student numbers and higher pressures on academic staff. A quasi-experimental design was used to investigate the differences between traditional delivery, self-assessment and combined self-assessment with peer feedback. The study …