I often use self-assessments with my students when covering long chapters. This allows the students to keep track of their learning progress. They are able to identify their weak areas, work with peers, and ask questions before the final assessment.
My experience using self-assessments with my college students have been positive; most have been honest about the results, after I explain the purpose of this learning experience.
Hi Rosa - Thanks for your post to the forum. I too have found that self assessments can be very useful. Students often underestimate how much they know, but it can also be an alert to what they have not understood. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I teach online. I think this is a hard thing to implement -- however, having read a few of the other comments, particularly by David, I have a different perspective, a new way to speak/write to the students. I will try this Winter quarter -- I think both in projects as well as in discussion boards. Thanks!
Hi Janet - I also teach primarily online and have also gotten some good ideas from David and some of the other faculty enrolled in my class. We must never stop learning ourselves! Susan
It can help a student identify a weekness and possibly improve upon it.
Self-assessments can be used effectively in career college settings because it allows the student to evaulate him/herself on what they have learned.
The self assessments assist the student in finding areas that they may need further assistance. The instructor can then review the material with the student for better understanding. This technique also allows the instructor to guage the delivery techniques used, by looking at the overall class assesment.
Career colleges deal with adult learners who are more self-motivated and likely to be honest in their self-assessment. It's possible that they will actually be more critical of their standing. By comparing learners self-assessments to instructor measures, we can determine who has a realistic idea of their results, which students are under-estimating their success, and which ones are fairly "clueless" about their learning status. My guess is that most adults will be much harder on themselves than any instructor.
Hi William- Thanks for your post to the forum. I also teach primarily adult learners and agree with your observations. Adults are generally very motivated learners who are also very critical of their own performance. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
It can help them pinpoint the areas they need to focus on as well as encourage them in the areas where they are doing well.
Students have the opportunity to self assess to help identify just what learning objectives they may want to target based on their knowledge and past experiences
When the students participate in self-assessments they will be aware of their strengths and where they may be somewhat weaker. This will give them a directional focus to sharpen their skills and know where they must concentrate to improve prior to college and college enterance exams. It can be a great learning tool to promote increase in their academic achievements.
I agree. Self assassments are the key to honest learning and teaching. If the student exagerates their grasp of the information taught, the instructor learns very little about how instuction should continue.
As with some of the other posts, I believe student self assessments can be used effectively if there are a series of questions from the instructor to guide them through the self assessment. The reason for this is that I have noticed that the over achievers are hyper critical of of their daily work, and conversely the under achievers just want to complete a "task" and do not see the bigger picture of learning and mastering a learning objective. Asking questions that promote their self esteem and get them to think critically in objectively evaluating their work essential.
Hi Niel - Thanks for your post to the forum. I agree that it is important to help students understand the significance of their self assessment in terms of the "big picture". Sometimes, as you point out, they just want to finish the assignment at hand and then put it out of their minds which of course does not contribute to their ultimate success.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
If the student is being honest, the assessment will help the student take an honest look at themselves and where they are lacking and help the instructor fine tune what they are teaching to better help the student.
This tool helps students evaluate their own skill level and recognize their growth. You can use them in skills based classes or externships so the student has more ownership of their educational experience.
I think most of all, it will help them to realize just how much they have taken away from the course.
Hi Brian - Thanks for your post to the forum. Student self assessments are especially effective when they assess themselves at the beginning and then at the end of the class. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
I also find that the student self-assessment reveals differences between where I think the student is compared to where the studet sees himself. If I notice that a few students are hazy on a certain concept, it also lets me know that I need to revise my method of teaching that material.
