The Student Experience of Criterion-Referenced Assessment (Through the Introduction of a Common Criteria Assessment Grid)

By Berry M. O’Donovan, M. Price, C. Rust. 2001

119 citations recorded by the source corpus.

Growing concern over marking reliability and standards within UK higher education has led in recent years to increasing interest in criterion-referenced assessment. As part of an ongoing research project this paper examines student experience of criterion-referenced assessment and, in particular, a criteria assessment grid developed for the Business School at Oxford Brookes University. The main findings of this paper report the evident thirst students voiced for more reliable marking processes and clearer guidelines on assessment requirements and criteria. However, whilst students applauded the criterionreference grid as a 'good idea' and one that did help clarify assessment requirements they also highlighted several shortcomings. Such shortcomings included issues of subjectivity and multiple interpretations of criteria and standards. The paper concludes that the criterion-reference grid, from the student perspective, appeared to be of limited practical benefit unless presented as part of multifaceted approach including explanation, exemplars and opportunities for discussion.

Subfields: Education, Media Technology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/5059cf6b4b9bd5b7c13f6556b405e6e31ef42a3a

How researchers see this paper

The researchers whose trusted networks rank it highest, strongest advocate first. Every researcher gets a different order.

In Education

1. M. Price
2. D. Carless
3. Berry M. O’Donovan
4. Karen Handley
5. C. Rust
6. Jill Millar
7. R. Mladenovic
8. Amani Bell

In Media Technology

1. M. Price
2. R. Mladenovic
3. Amani Bell
4. C. Rust
5. Berry M. O’Donovan

Citations in the corpus

• Students’ perceptions of the usefulness of marking guides, grade descriptors and annotated exemplars (2013, methodology): “O’Donovan et al. (2001) reporting on student experience of using the criteria and descriptor grid found that students used the grid in three different ways: as a base and structure for their work; as a check when the work was almost complete and both after planning (but before writing) and upon…”
• A social constructivist assessment process model: how the research literature shows us this could be best practice (2005, background): “Email: crust@brookes.ac.uk what is expected of them (O’Donovan et al., 2001), one of the key issues underlying problems with assessment practice is that to truly understand the requirements of the assessment process—and the criteria and standards being applied—requires tacit as well as explicit…”
• A scholarly approach to solving the feedback dilemma in practice (2016, background): “Whilst there is evidence that students both appreciate and want good feedback (Higgins, Hartley, and Skelton 2002; O’Donovan, Price, and Rust 2001), many report that they don’t find the feedback helpful (MacLellan 2001).”
• Feedback : all that effort, but what is the effect? (2010, background): “However, the feedback process is considered limited in its effectiveness because, despite evidence of students’ thirst for feedback (Hyland 2000; O’Donovan, Price, and Rust 2001), students do not necessarily read their feedback (Hounsell 1987) or, if they do, they may not understand or use it…”
• Improving Students' Learning by Developing their Understanding of Assessment Criteria and Processes (2003, result): “The earlier findings from this larger project have informed the development of this research and have already been reported elsewhere (Price & Rust, 1999; O’Donovan et al., 2001), and are summarised below.”
• Effectiveness of feedback: the students’ perspective (2008, background): “( 2001 ) investigated students’ views of criterion‐referenced assessment, finding that in a context of a course‐level set of criteria their students desired more reliable marking processes and clearer guidelines on assessment requirements and criteria.”
• Feedback: focusing attention on engagement (2011, background): “…although we know from the literature that students want feedback and appreciate good feedback (Higgins, Hartley, and Skelton 2002; Hyland 2000; O’Donovan, Price, and Rust 2001), there is also evidence that student experiences of external feedback are varied and all too often rather negative.”