22 Nov 3 Ways To Better Assess Learners’ Skills & Knowledge
The majority of educators agree that assessing what learners understand is a critical part of the learning process. Unfortunately, this is where the consensus on evaluation ends. Most institutions still rely on paper-and-pencil exercises to judge and rank individuals, but this isn’t the most effective form of assessment. Here are three ways to better assess learners’ skills and knowledge in both the classroom and the workforce.
Perform A Meaningful Task
A few educated guesses can help students pass a multiple choice test, but performing a meaningful task takes more than the process of elimination. These activities require learners to apply their knowledge in order to complete an exercise. During this process, instructors gain much more insight into an individual’s problem solving and critical thinking skills. Unlike essays, which only show the polished result of a student’s thought process, performing a task helps instructors understand how learners approach and work through specific scenarios.
Explain A Concept Through Video
To prepare for traditional assessments, many students cram information into their brain the night before and simply regurgitate it on the exam the following day. Recalling facts and figures when they appear in the same context demonstrates rote learning, but not necessarily comprehension. However, when students have to explain a concept through video in their own words, they have no recognizable context to fall back on. Instructors can find out quickly who understands a concept and who does not.
Demonstrate Competency In A Different Way
Standardized tests are meant to put everyone on a level playing field, but this assessment format can restrict how students demonstrate competency. Some learners know much more about a concept than what they can show on a test. By allowing them to demonstrate comprehension in their own way — such as an experiment, collage, or mock broadcast — instructors can remove these creative binds and really figure out who understands what.
YouSeeU helps instructors assess their learners more authentically by having them show what they know through video. To find out more about how our structured video workflows can impact learners, visit YouSeeU’s website.