Course Outline
EDU766 Assessing Learning
Course Coordinator:Renee Morrison (rmorrison@usc.edu.au) School:School of Education and Tertiary Access
2023Session 5
UniSC Sunshine Coast |
Blended learning | Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online. |
Please go to usc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.
What is this course about?
Description
This course focuses on the dynamic nature of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment for learning principles in the context of secondary schooling. The theory and practice of assessment is interrogated through research projects, including how to design intellectually challenging, authentic, credible, safe and engaging processes of assessment of, for and as learning for students. You will then apply specialised knowledge and skills to design, create and justify assessment artefacts, teaching and learning activities, formative and summative assessment and assessment criteria.
How will this course be delivered?
| Activity | Hours | Beginning Week | Frequency |
| Blended learning | |||
| Learning materials – Asynchronous online learning materials | 4hrs | Week 1 | 5 times |
| Tutorial/Workshop 1 – A blended learning approach is used to deliver the workshop component of the course. The tutorial/workshop 1 component is synchronous using technology-enabled learning and teaching experience that involves compulsory on-campus engagement and application of learning materials for a period of 5 days in early July. This component is the morning component. | 20hrs | Week 1 | Once Only |
| Seminar – online | 1hr | Week 1 | 6 times |
Course Topics
- The nature of assessment, moderation and feedback in the 7-10 secondary years -assessment for learning, assessment of learning, assessment as learning
- The changing nature of secondary schooling and the various contexts for assessing student learning from national and state contexts
- Designing assessment in secondary contexts: criteria and, standards, grading tools, backward mapping; aligning curriculum, pedagogy and assessment
- Assessing ‘big ideas’ in the Learning Areas
- Criteria sheets, rubrics, Guides to Making Judgments
- Standardised testing
- Modifying assessment to cater for diversity, inclusion and student safety
- Deslgning Learning sequences to support assessment
- Strategies to assess student learning including informal, formal, diagnostic, formative and summative
What level is this course?
700 Level (Specialised)
What is the unit value of this course?
12 units
How does this course contribute to my learning?
| Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... | Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... | Professional Standard Mapping * Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership | |
| 1 | Research, evaluate and critically reflect on assessment principles and concepts related to Assessment for Learning, Assessment of Learning, Assessment as Learning. |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker Ethical |
2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.5 |
| 2 | Research and evaluate past and present assessment policy and practices in relevant secondary learning contexts and demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of providing timely and appropriate feedback to students about their learning and keeping accurate and reliable records of student achievement. |
Creative and critical thinker Ethical |
2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.5 |
| 3 | Apply deep knowledge and understanding of assessment processes and principles to design rigorous and authentic assessment products and associated teaching and learning sequences that promote learning, engage learners and provide credible assessment of standards. |
Knowledgeable Creative and critical thinker Ethical |
2.2, 2.3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.5 |
| 4 | Demonstrate broad knowledge of strategies that can be used to evaluate teaching programs to improve student learning, and involve parents/carers in the educative process |
Knowledgeable Ethical |
2.2, 2.3, 3, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 5, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3, 5.4, 5.5 |
* Competencies by Professional Body
| CODE | COMPETENCY |
| Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership | |
| 2.2 | Content selection and organisation: Organise content into an effective learning and teaching sequence. |
| 2.3 | Curriculum, assessment and reporting: Use curriculum, assessment and reporting knowledge to design learning sequences and lesson plans. |
| 3 | PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Plan for and implement effective teaching and learning |
| 3.1 | Establish challenging learning goals: Set learning goals that provide achievable challenges for students of varying abilities and characteristics. |
| 3.2 | Plan, structure and sequence learning programs: Plan lesson sequences using knowledge of student learning, content and effective teaching strategies. |
| 3.3 | Use teaching strategies: Include a range of teaching strategies. |
| 3.4 | Select and use resources: Demonstrate knowledge of a range of resources, including ICT, that engage students in their learning. |
| 5 | PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE: Assess, provide feedback and report on student learning |
| 5.1 | Assess student learning: Demonstrate understanding of assessment strategies, including informal and formal, diagnostic, formative and summative approaches to assess student learning. |
| 5.2 | Provide feedback to students on their learning: Demonstrate an understanding of the purpose of providing timely and appropriate feedback to students about their learning |
| 5.3 | Make consistent and comparable judgements: Demonstrate understanding of assessment moderation and its application to support consistent and comparable judgements of student learning. |
| 5.4 | Interpret student data: Demonstrate the capacity to interpret student assessment data to evaluate student learning and modify teaching practice. |
| 5.5 | Report on student achievement: Demonstrate understanding of a range of strategies for reporting to students and parents/ carers and the purpose of keeping accurate and reliable records of student achievement |
Am I eligible to enrol in this course?
Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.
Pre-requisites
Enrolled in Program ED706
Co-requisites
Not applicable
Anti-requisites
Not applicable
Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)
Not applicable
How am I going to be assessed?
Grading Scale
Standard Grading (GRD)
| High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL). |
Details of early feedback on progress
Task 1 online quiz added prior to census to provide early feedback to students
Assessment tasks
| Delivery mode | Task No. | Assessment Product | Individual or Group | Weighting % | What is the duration / length? | When should I submit? | Where should I submit it? |
| All | 1 | Quiz/zes | Individual | 10% | 20 mins duration |
Week 1 | Online Test (Quiz) |
| All | 2a | Artefact - Creative | Individual | 20% | 500 words |
Week 4 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 2b | Artefact - Professional | Individual | 30% | 500 words |
Week 4 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All | 3 | Essay | Individual | 40% | 2000 words |
Week 7 | Online Assignment Submission with plagiarism check |
| All - Assessment Task 1:Online quiz | |
| Goal: | The goal of this task is to evidence your understanding of the key components of the task sheet artefact. |
| Product: | Quiz/zes |
| Format: | You will answer a series of online questions about the Key Components of the Task Sheet Artefact to prepare you for that submission of Task 2a. |
| Criteria: |
|
| All - Assessment Task 2a:Assessment Artefact: Task and Task Sheet | |
| Goal: | The goal of this task is for you to research and apply knowledge of assessment principles and practices in order to conceptualise an authentic assessment task and to develop an accompanying task sheet for students. The task sheet will include Key Components: including a series of sequenced learning sequences to support assessment, and learning experiences reflecting formative assessment strategies linked to the concept of assessment for learning. |
| Product: | Artefact - Creative |
| Format: | You are required to conceptualise an authentic assessment task from a Learning Area of your choice and year level of your choice (Australian curriculum: 7-10). A template will be provided for you to use. Further details will be made available in Week 1 and in seminars. Please note this task is to be submitted at the same time as Task 2b |
| Criteria: |
|
| All - Assessment Task 2b:Assessment artefact: Guide to Making Judgments (GTMJ) | |
| Goal: | The goal of this task is to demonstrate understanding of assessment literacy in relation to task design; design of grading tools and alignment of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. |
| Product: | Artefact - Professional |
| Format: | In task 1 you created a task sheet for students. in this task you will create an accompanying GTMJ artefact that aligns with this artefact. More information will be provided in Week 1 and in seminars. Please note this task is to be submitted at the same time as Task 2a |
| Criteria: |
|
| All - Assessment Task 3:Justification of assessment artefacts | |
| Goal: | The goal of this task is for you to research and apply knowledge of assessment principles (including internal and external alignment, feedback, moderation,cognitive verbs, authenticity) and assessment practices in secondary schooling to justify the assessment artefacts created in Task 1 and Task 2. |
| Product: | Essay |
| Format: | Using the assessment artefacts you created for Task 1 and 2, you will respond to a series of Key Questions, justifying your artefacts in terms of task authenticity, assessment principles in relation to designing criteria sheets and alignment of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. You will need to demonstrate understanding of the significance of feedback and moderation practices when responding to the questions. You must support this with assessment related literature from the readings provided. |
| Criteria: |
|
Directed study hours
A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.
What resources do I need to undertake this course?
Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.
Prescribed text(s) or course reader
Please note that you need to have regular access to the resource(s) listed below. Resources may be required or recommended.
| Required? | Author | Year | Title | Edition | Publisher |
| Required | Peter Grainger,Katie Weir | 2020 | Facilitating Student Learning and Engagement in Higher Education Through Assessment Rubrics | n/a | Cambridge Scholars Publishing |
Specific requirements
Not applicable
How are risks managed in this course?
What administrative information is relevant to this course?
Assessment: Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.
Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.
In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.
Assessment: Additional Requirements
Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying: The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4% The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale You have not failed an assessment task in the course due to academic misconduct
Assessment: Submission penalties
Late submission of assessment tasks may be penalised at the following maximum rate: - 5% (of the assessment task's identified value) per day for the first two days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - 10% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the third day - 20% (of the assessment task's identified value) for the fourth day and subsequent days up to and including seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. - A result of zero is awarded for an assessment task submitted after seven days from the date identified as the due date for the assessment task. Weekdays and weekends are included in the calculation of days late. To request an extension you must contact your course coordinator to negotiate an outcome.
SafeUSC
UniSC is committed to a culture of respect and providing a safe and supportive environment for all members of our community. For immediate assistance on campus contact SafeUSC by phone: 07 5430 1168 or using the SafeZone app. For general enquires contact the SafeUSC team by phone 07 5456 3864 or email safe@usc.edu.au.
The SafeUSC Specialist Service is a Student Wellbeing service that provides free and confidential support to students who may have experienced or observed behaviour that could cause fear, offence or trauma. To contact the service call 07 5430 1226 or email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au.
Study help
For help with course-specific advice, for example what information to include in your assessment, you should first contact your tutor, then your course coordinator, if needed.
If you require additional assistance, the Learning Advisers are trained professionals who are ready to help you develop a wide range of academic skills. Visit the Learning Advisers web page for more information, or contact Student Central for further assistance: +61 7 5430 2890 or studentcentral@usc.edu.au.
Wellbeing Services
Student Wellbeing provide free and confidential counselling on a wide range of personal, academic, social and psychological matters, to foster positive mental health and wellbeing for your academic success.
To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email studentwellbeing@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 1226.
AccessAbility Services
Ability Advisers ensure equal access to all aspects of university life. If your studies are affected by a disability, learning disorder mental health issue, injury or illness, or you are a primary carer for someone with a disability or who is considered frail and aged, AccessAbility Services can provide access to appropriate reasonable adjustments and practical advice about the support and facilities available to you throughout the University.
To book a confidential appointment go to Student Hub, email AccessAbility@usc.edu.au or call 07 5430 2890.
Links to relevant University policy and procedures
For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:
- Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
- Review of Assessment and Final Grades
- Supplementary Assessment
- Administration of Central Examinations
- Deferred Examinations
- Student Academic Misconduct
- Students with a Disability
For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching
Student Charter
UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.
General Enquiries
-
In person:
- UniSC Sunshine Coast - Student Central, Ground Floor, Building C, 90 Sippy Downs Drive, Sippy Downs
- UniSC Moreton Bay - Service Centre, Ground Floor, Foundation Building, Gympie Road, Petrie
- UniSC SouthBank - Student Central, Building A4 (SW1), 52 Merivale Street, South Brisbane
- UniSC Gympie - Student Central, 71 Cartwright Road, Gympie
- UniSC Fraser Coast - Student Central, Student Central, Building A, 161 Old Maryborough Rd, Hervey Bay
- UniSC Caboolture - Student Central, Level 1 Building J, Cnr Manley and Tallon Street, Caboolture
- Tel:+61 7 5430 2890
- Email:studentcentral@usc.edu.au