Degree Level Assessment | Degree Level Teaching | Seneca Polytechnic

  Overview and Outcomes

Assessment and evaluation of student work provides students with ongoing and meaningful feedback about their progress in meeting Course Learning Outcomes. This feedback is a critical component of the learning process.

The third module focuses on designing and evaluating degree level assessments. It is recommended that participants complete the Exploring the Degree Level Standard and Degree Level Learning Outcomes modules prior to beginning this unit.

By the end of this module participants will be able to:

• Select an appropriate assessment for a learning outcome at the degree level
• Create a rubric for the assessment to measure learning at the degree level
• Justify the criteria for designating student work as minimally acceptable, average and exemplary with respect to the assessment

  Designing Degree Level Assessments

Creating assessments at the degree level follows the same guidelines as for diplomas and other credential levels, as outlined in Seneca’s Student Assessment Policy. Assessments must align with and measure achievement of the Course Learning Outcomes. Each outcome must be evaluated by at least one assessment and students should have multiple opportunities to demonstrate achievement of an outcome. Effective assessment incorporates a variety of authentic tasks and assignments and involves assessment of, for and as learning.

Therefore the difference between degree and diploma level assessments originates with the Course Learning Outcomes.

As degree level Course Learning Outcomes generally employ higher levels within Bloom’s taxonomy, the types of questions asked and the tasks students are required to demonstrate must reflect the complexity level of the Course Learning Outcome being assessed. Degree level assessments will measure a greater depth of knowledge and may require learning to be applied to different contexts. The Teaching & Learning Centre's guide for aligning assessments, learning outcomes and teaching activities provides helpful question stems for each of Bloom’s six cognitive domain levels. Assessments should also align with the Degree Level Standard elements that have been mapped to the relevant Course Learning Outcome. In practice, higher level assessments not only evaluate mastery of content at the appropriate breadth, depth and complexity, but also carry expectations with respect to how that content is synthesized and presented. This might be reflected in higher standards for written and oral communication skills, referencing of sources, and the design of reports.

  Authentic Assessment

Authentic assessments “involve students in the actual challenges, standards, and habits needed for success in the academic disciplines or in the workplace” (Wiggins, 1989, p. 706). By requiring students to carry out tasks in situations as similar as possible to real-world contexts, authentic assessments reflect the practical knowledge and skills required of graduates in a field. They are particularly effective at the degree level as they promote critical thinking and inquiry, assess deep learning and require judgement and innovation in order to solve complex contextual problems. Authentic assessments allow students to play a direct role in structuring their learning by applying a variety of skills towards accomplishing a relevant, real-world task.

The following table lists examples of various types of authentic assessments appropriate for degree level learning.

Examples of Authentic Assessments

_{Adapted from: (Walvoord & Anderson, 1998)}

  Rubrics

Evaluation of student progress involves a determination of the quality of work based upon defined criteria as set out in a rubric or a grading scheme. Rubrics are helpful tools to communicate performance expectations and assessment criteria. While rubric design will be similar between degree and diploma level assessments, the degree level rubric will have stricter criteria and more refined categories. Keep in mind appropriate levels of depth, breadth and complexity of knowledge, along with expectations surrounding academic scholarship when creating rubrics for degree level assignments. Links to   and   are available on the Teaching and Learning website.

Example of a degree-level assessment rubric

Assessment:
An in-depth research project, under the supervision of a faculty member, on a subject-related topic, culminating in a written project summary.

Rubric:

_{Adapted from: (Haggerty et al., 2011)}

As can be seen in this example, the degree level rubric evaluates performance at a high level of cognitive complexity. Assessment criteria align not only with the Course Learning Outcomes, but also with relevant Degree Level Standard elements such as Communication and Methodological Awareness.