University teachers’ perceptions regarding the quality of tasks assessing learning outcomes

Authors

  • María Soledad Ibarra-Sáiz Cátedra UNESCO en Evaluación, Innovación y Excelencia en Educación. Grupo de investigación EVALfor. Universidad de Cádiz. España https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4513-702X
  • José-Francisco Lukas-Mujika Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9440-035X
  • Nicolás Ponce-González Cátedra UNESCO en Evaluación, Innovación y Excelencia en Educación. Grupo de investigación EVALfor. Universidad de Cádiz. España https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1336-6303
  • Gregorio Rodríguez-Gómez Cátedra UNESCO en Evaluación, Innovación y Excelencia en Educación. Grupo de investigación EVALfor. Universidad de Cádiz. España https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9337-1270

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30827/relieve.v29i1.27404

Keywords:

Assessment, Learning, Higher Education
Agencies: Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities , State Research Agency, European Regional Development Fund , UNESCO Chair in Assessment & Evaluation, Innovation and Excellence in Education

Abstract

Assessment of whether learning outcomes have been achieved requires teaching, assessment and learning to be constructively aligned, highlighting the importance of designing assessment tasks that meet the necessary quality conditions to strengthen student learning. This study was carried out to analyse university lecturers’ perception of their design characteristics in the assessment tasks as part of their evaluative practice. The study followed a mixed methodology (exploratory sequential design) using the RAPEVA questionnaire -Self-report from teaching staff on their practice in learning outcome assessment. This questionnaire collected opinions from 416 teachers working at six public universities in various Spanish autonomous regions. The transparency, through information provided to the students, and the depth of the tasks are two aspects often mentioned by the teachers. On the other hand, feedback or participation from students in assessment processes are aspects which teachers consider less important. This detects differences in perception depending on the university, the field of knowledge and how secure and satisfied the teachers feel regarding the assessment system. In accordance with the results, future lines of research are suggested that favour greater understanding of evaluative practices in higher education.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

María Soledad Ibarra-Sáiz, Cátedra UNESCO en Evaluación, Innovación y Excelencia en Educación. Grupo de investigación EVALfor. Universidad de Cádiz. España

Senior Lecturer in the Area of Research, Evaluation and Assessment Methods in Education at University of Cadiz. Director of UNESCO Chair on Evaluation and Assessment, Innovation and Excellence in Education. Director of EVALfor Research Group-SEJ509 “Assessment & Evaluation in Training Contexts”. She develops her research  mainly in the field of assessment and evaluation in higher education. She has been principal researcher of more than ten international and national projects, whose results have been published in various articles, book chapters and contributions to international conferences. She is currently the main co-researcher of the ValeFLOASS Project -Valorisation of the e-FLOASS environment for the monitoring and assessment of learning outcomes in the educational system (PDC2022—133050-I00) in which nine Spanish universities participate.

José-Francisco Lukas-Mujika, Universidad del País Vasco/Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea

Senior Lecturer in Educational Assessment and Evaluation at University of the Basque Country.  Faculty of Education, Philosophy and Anthropology. Department of Educational Sciences. Expert in educational measurement and evaluation with a special focus on issues related to the evaluation of educational programs and institutions and the construction of measurement instruments. Deputy Director of the Institute of Educational Sciences of the University of the Basque Country (1997-2000). Director of the Department of Research and Diagnostic Methods in Education of the University of the Basque Country (2003-2009). Member of the Scientific Committee of the Basque Institute for Non-University Educational Evaluation and Research (ISEI-IVEI) (2002-2014). Evaluator in different evaluation and accreditation agencies (ANECA, DEVA, ACSUCYL). Author of articles, books, book chapters and contributions to international conferences.

Nicolás Ponce-González, Cátedra UNESCO en Evaluación, Innovación y Excelencia en Educación. Grupo de investigación EVALfor. Universidad de Cádiz. España

PhD in Education Sciences from the University of Granada. Interim Professor in the Area of Research, Evaluation and Assessment Methods in Education at the University of Cadiz. He is part of the team of the UNESCO Chair on Evaluation and Assessment, Innovation and Excellence in Education. He has participated in research projects at the regional, national, and international levels. He is currently a member of the research team of the ValeFLOASS Project - Valorisation of the e-FLOASS environment for monitoring and assessment of learning outcomes in the educational system (PDC2022-133050-I00093630-B-I00). He is also a member of EVALfor Research Group-SEJ509 “Assessment & Evaluation in Training Contexts”. His main research lines are training for the development of competencies, evaluation of intervention programs in Emotional Intelligence, and evaluation in Higher Education. He is a co-author of several publications of articles, book chapters, and communications to national and international congresses.

Gregorio Rodríguez-Gómez, Cátedra UNESCO en Evaluación, Innovación y Excelencia en Educación. Grupo de investigación EVALfor. Universidad de Cádiz. España

Professor of Educational Research Methods at the University of Cadiz. He is the coordinator of the strategic area "Studies and research in assessment and evaluation" of the UNESCO Chair on Evaluation and Assessment, Innovation and Excellence in Education. Founding member of the EVALfor Research Group “SEJ509” Assessment and evaluation in training contexts. His research interest is focused on research methods and assessment and evaluation in higher education. He is currently the main co-researcher of the ValeFLOASS Project - Valorisation of the e-FLOASS environment for the monitoring and assessment of learning outcomes in the educational system (PDC2022-133050-I00) in which nine Spanish universities participate. Author of articles, book chapters and contributions to international conferences. He has been President of the Interuniversity Association for Pedagogical Research (AIDIPE) and the Spanish University Teaching Network (RED-U.)

References

Anderson, M. J. (2017). Permutational Multivariate Analysis of Variance (PERMANOVA). Wiley StatsRef: Statistics Reference Online, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118445112.stat07841

Bearman, M., Dawson, P., Boud, D., Bennett, S., Hall, M., & Molloy, E. (2016). Support for assessment practice: developing the Assessment Design Decisions Framework. Teaching in Higher Education, 21(5), 545–556. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2016.1160217

Bearman, M., Dawson, P., Boud, D., Hall, M., Bennett, S., Molloy, E., & Joughin, G. (2014). Guide to the assessment design decisions framework. http://www.assessmentdecisions.org/guide/

Biggs, J., & Tang, C. (2011). Teaching for quality learning at university. What the students does (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill-SRHE & Open University Press.

Boud, D. (2020). Challenges in reforming higher education assessment: a perspective from afar. RELIEVE, 26(1), art. M3. https://doi.org/10.7203/relieve.26.1.17088

Boud, D. (2022). Assessment-as-learning for the development of students’ evaluative judgement. In Z. Yan & L. Yang (Eds.), Assessment as Learning. Maximising Opportunities for Student Learning and Achievement (pp. 25–37). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003052081-3

Boud, D., & Dawson, P. (2021). What feedback literate teachers do: an empirically-derived competency framework. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, April, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2021.1910928

Carless, D. (2015). Exploring learning-oriented assessment processes. Higher Education, 69(6), 963–976. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-014-9816-z

Carless, D. (2022). From teacher transmission of information to student feedback literacy: Activating the learner role in feedback processes. Active Learning in Higher Education, 23(2), 143–153. https://doi.org/10.1177/1469787420945845

Carless, D., & Boud, D. (2018). The development of student feedback literacy: enabling uptake of feedback. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 43(8), 1315–1325. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1463354

Carless, D., & Winstone, N. (2020). Teacher feedback literacy and its interplay with student feedback literacy. Teaching in Higher Education, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2020.1782372

DeLuca, C., & Johnson, S. (2017). Developing assessment capable teachers in this age of accountability. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice, 24(2), 121–126. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594X.2017.1297010

Falchikov, N. (2005). Improving assessment through student involvement. Practical solutions for aiding learning in higher education and further education. RoutledgeFalmer.

Falchikov, N., & Goldfinch, J. (2000). Student peer assessment in higher education: A Meta-analysis comparing peer and teacher marks. Review of Educational Research, 70(3), 287-322. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543070003287

Gómez-Ruiz, M. Á., Ibarra-Sáiz, M. S., & Rodríguez-Gómez, G. (2020). Aprender a evaluar mediante juegos de simulación en educación superior: percepciones y posibilidades de transferencia para los estudiantes. Revista Iberoamericana de Evaluación Educativa, 13(1), 157–181. https://doi.org/10.15366/riee2020.13.1.007

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial Least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). Sage. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80519-7

Henderson, M., Boud, D., Molloy, E., Dawson, P., Phillips, M., Ryan, T., & Mahoney, P. (2018). Feedback for learning: Closing the assessment loop. Department of Education and Training. https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-719788718/view

Henseler, J. (2021). Composite-based structural equation modeling. Analyzing latent and emergent variables. Guilford Press.

Hortigüela Alcalá, D., Palacios Picos, D., & López Pastor, V. (2019). The impact of formative and shared or co-assessment on the adquisition of transversal competences in higher education. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44(6), 933–945. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.15 30341

Ibarra-Sáiz, M. S., & Rodríguez-Gómez, G. (2020). Evaluando la evaluación. Validación mediante PLS-SEM de la escala ATAE para el análisis de las tareas de evaluación. RELIEVE, 26(1), art. M4. https://doi.org/10.7203/relieve.26.1.17403

Ibarra-Sáiz, M.S., & Rodríguez-Gómez, G. (2017). EvalCOMIX®: A web-based programme to support collaboration in assessment. In T. Issa, P. Kommers, T. Issa, P. Isaías, & T. B. Issa (Eds.), Smart technology applications in business environments (pp. 249–275). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-2492-2.ch012

Ibarra-Sáiz, M.S., Rodríguez-Gómez, G., & Boud, D. (2021). The quality of assessment tasks as a determinant of learning. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 46(6), 943–955. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1828268

Ibarra-Sáiz, M.S., Rodríguez-Gómez, G., Lukas-Mujika, J.F., & Santos-Berrondo, A. (2023). Medios e instrumentos para evaluar los resultados de aprendizaje en másteres universitarios. Análisis de la percepción del profesorado sobre su práctica evaluativa. Educación XX1, 26(1), 21-45. https://doi.org/10.5944/educxx1.33443

JASP Team. (2022). JASP (Version 0.16.1). https://jasp-stats.org/

Johnson, R. L., & Morgan, G. B. (2016). Survey scales. A guide to development, analysis, and reporting. The Guilford Press.

Lipnevich, A. A., & Panadero, E. (2021). A Review of Feedback Models and Theories: Descriptions, Definitions, and Conclusions. Frontiers in Education, 6(December). https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.720195

Lo, Y. Y., & Leung, C. (2022). Conceptualising assessment literacy of teachers in content and language integrated learning programmes. International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/13670050.2022.2085028

López Gil, M., Gómez Ruiz, M. Á., Vázquez Recio, R., & Ruiz Romero, A. (2022). La pesadilla de la evaluación: Análisis de los sueños de estudiantes universitarios. Revista Iberoamericana de Evaluación Educativa, 15(1), 139–159. https://doi.org/10.15366/riee2022.15.1.008

Mehrabi Boshrabadi, A., & Hosseini, M. R. (2021). Designing collaborative problem solving assessment tasks in engineering: an evaluative judgement perspective. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 46(6), 913–927. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2020.1836122

Panadero, E., & Alqassab, M. (2019). An empirical review of anonymity effects in peer assessment, peer feedback, peer review, peer evaluation and peer grading. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44(8), 1253–1278. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2019.1600186

Panadero, E., Fraile, J., & García-Pérez, D. (2022). Transición a educación superior y evaluación: un estudio longitudinal anual. Educación XX1, 25(2), 15–37. https://revistas.uned.es/index.php/educacionXX1/article/view/29870

Panadero, E., Jonsson, A., & Botella, J. (2017). Effects of self-assessment on self-regulated learning and self- efficacy: Four meta-analyses. Educational Research Review, 22, 74–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2017.08.004

Quesada-Serra, V., Gómez Ruiz, M. A., Gallego Noche, M. B., & Cubero-Ibáñez, J. (2019). Should I use co-assessment in higher education? Pros and cons from teachers and students’ perspectives. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 44(7), 987-1002. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2018.1531970

R Core Team. (2021). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing. https://www.r-project.org/

Rodríguez-Gómez, G., & Ibarra-Sáiz, M. S. (2015). Assessment as learning and empowerment: Towards sustainable learning in higher education. In M. Peris-Ortiz & J. M. Merigó Lindahl (Eds.), Sustainable learning in higher education. Developing competencies for the global marketplace (pp. 1–20). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-10804-9_1

Rodríguez-Gómez, G., & Ibarra-Sáiz, M. S. (2016). Towards sustainable assessment: ICT as a facilitator of self- and peer assessment. In M. Peris-Ortiz, J. A. Gómez, F. Vélez-Torres, & C. Rueda-Armengot (Eds.), Education tools for entrepreneurship (pp. 55–71). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24657-4_5

Sambell, K., McDowell, L., & Montgomery, C. (2013). Assessment for Learning in Higher Education. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203818268

Tai, J., Ajjawi, R., Boud, D., Dawson, P., & Panadero, E. (2018). Developing evaluative judgement: enabling students to make decisions about the quality of work. Higher Education, 76(3), 467–481. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-017-0220-3

Yan, Z., & Boud, D. (2022). Conceptualising assessment-as-learning. In Z. Yan & L. Yang (Eds.), Assessment as learning. Maximising opportunities for student learning and achievement (pp. 11–24). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003052081-2

Published

2023-06-29

How to Cite

Ibarra-Sáiz, M. S., Lukas-Mujika, J.-F., Ponce-González, N., & Rodríguez-Gómez, G. (2023). University teachers’ perceptions regarding the quality of tasks assessing learning outcomes. RELIEVE – Electronic Journal of Educational Research and Evaluation, 29(1). https://doi.org/10.30827/relieve.v29i1.27404

Issue

Section

Research Articles