Our Projects/Collaborations
We have been working with academics on several projects related to peer learning. You can find out more about them below.
The assessment arms race and the evolution of a university’s assessment practices
Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and higher-order cognition
Assessment of complex knowledge
The assessment arms race and the evolution of a university’s assessment practices
Tony Harland, Nave Wald
In this paper we examine the history and development of internal assessment practices at a university in New Zealand. The work re-visits the ‘assessment arms race’ study and builds upon the key arguments presented so far. It was discovered that student demand in the early 1970s triggered the introduction of internal assessment and workloads quickly increased to problematic levels. When the institution moved from year-long courses to a semester and module structure in the 1990s, there was a further increase, and assessment levels have remained high and unchanging since. There were differences between sciences and arts-type subjects which suggest signature assessment practices. The results are explained through the arms race metaphor and some practical suggestions for alternative practices are given that should stimulate further debate on the potential for transforming assessment across higher education.
Multiple-choice questions (MCQs) and higher-order cognition
Qian Liu, Nave Wald, Chandima Daskon, Tony Harland
This qualitative study looks at multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in examinations and their effectiveness in testing higher-order cognition. While there are claims that MCQs can do this, we consider many assertions problematic because of the difficulty in interpreting what higher-order cognition consists of and whether or not assessment tasks genuinely lead to specific outcomes. We interviewed university teachers from different disciplines to explore the extent to which MCQs can assess higher-order cognition specified in Bloom’s taxonomy. The study showed that study participants believed MCQs can test higher-order cognition but most likely only at levels of ‘apply’ and ‘analyse’. Using MCQs was often driven by the practicality of assessing large classes and by a need for comparing students’ performances. MCQs also had a powerful effect on curriculum due to the careful alignment between teaching and assessment, which makes changes to teaching difficult. These findings have implications for both teaching and how higher education is managed.
Learn more about Qian Liu
Learn more about Nave Wald
Learn more about Chandima Daskon
Learn more about Tony Harland
Assessment of complex knowledge
Nave Wald, Tony Harland
This article examines how much ‘complex knowledge’ is assessed during a university degree and the extent to which a student has the opportunity to develop this. We conceptualise complex knowledge as any type of assessment that requires students to create and evaluate knowledge, and for which they may receive formative feedback. Such activities are associated with developing higher-order cognition, a set of skills that is poorly understood in the context of modular degree structures.
The study analysed the foundational documents of 1135 modules between 1999 and 2018, and looked for the proportion of complex knowledge being assessed, as well as the weight assigned to the final examination and the number of internal assessments per module. Findings show a clear increase in the frequency of assessments involving complex knowledge over time in both Science and HSSC (humanities, social sciences, commerce) subject groups.
Complex knowledge was also more prevalent in second- and third-year modules. We argue that more attention needs to be devoted to the quality of assessment in terms of its potential for enabling students to develop higher-order cognition. The study opens up important conversations about the appropriate amount of higher-order learning that a university graduate should experience.