I agree with your idea April. Also, the self-assessment will provide the student a picture of his/her baseline knowledge about that particular course as well as a picture of his/her weaknesses and strengths. Hopefully, if the student is motivated enough, he/she would be able to come up with a success plan based on the result of the self-assessment.
a self-assessment should have various components. they should have a way for the student to express themselves freely and a section where they can follow a standardize series of questions.
I agree that self evaluation is a good tool for students and instructors. It helps make the student aware of where they are and if they are on track as to where they want to be. It also helps to inform the instructor if they are evaluating their students correctly.
Hi Rolando, Thanks for your post to the forum. Self assessment also puts students into a more active role in their learning.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Student self-assessment is easy in keyboarding class with KeyPro timed writing software. However it only show the student has usually not progressed from the last time. I tell the students that they have to change their technique in order to advance or they may be moving their hands too much and not really typing letters--wasted motion. I remind them that Einstein said "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result".
Students today don't want to do the same type of project multiple times for reinforcement, so the self-assessment quizzes prove they need to do the same assignment several times to know the skill.
I find that adult leaarners aare critical of themselves and if they feel like they have done poorly they try harder. So using the self assessments shows them where they stand and then I know where they need to focus more attention
I prefer the student self assessment...it allows me as an instructor to interact with the student and have conversation with them. If their assessment is not in line with mine I can then discuss the assessment and help them gain a better understanding of where they need to be or where they are.
Hi Daniel, That is the ideal way to utilize student self assessments! Susan
Susan Polick
It helps the students obtain their goals, since they are usually goal orientated, motivated.
Students at the trade school that I have, not only have lecture but most of the course centers around hands-on projects. The students learn the theory behind an upcoming project, then they go into a lab environment to put the theory to use. The student build on their project weekly until completed. If the student struggles in the lab on their project, it tells me that either I did not get the point across or they may be struggling with the concept. I will then sit down with students that are struggling to get to what is lacking with the concept that they are having a hard time completing. The student need to tell me what the problem is so we can get them back on track in order to finish their project. The student needs to be able to communicate to me as to what they think the problem is so we can work on getting to their final result. Then we can solve the problem together to complete their project.
Hi Raymond, Thanks for your post to the forum. Your students are certainly get a lot of "hands-on" experience! The One-on-One time that you give them is also excellent.
Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
When a student enters my class I have them write out three reasons why they want to become a medical assistant or medical secretary. I file it away and six months later I ask the same question and we compare the two answers. I've come to realize that after some of them have had hands on practice and actual patient care some of the reasons change. The self-assessments that they do in regards to what they have learned so far, and practice to that point becomes a realization that it is REAL. They actually study more, and practice more because its what they need to know in an actual life experience, and that may be the difference between life and death. I have had students tell me that now they know why something needs to work in that order, or why its so important to repeat questions using easier terms to some patients because they lack the understanding of larger medical terms.Actually doing it and being part of it, is so different from just reading it from a book.
Hi Maryellen, Thanks for an excellent post to the forum! Your idea of getting before and after feedback from your students is very good. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Self-assessments let the student and instructor know what level of knowledge the students have and allows the instructor to better taylor the course and improve the learning process.
Hi Roxsie, The other advantage to self assessment is that it much less threatening than a quix or exam. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
Susan Polick
Utilizing student self-assessments is beneficial for both the instructors and students. It allows students to reflect on their own performance,ultimately providing the students with valuable information that will help them improve on their weaknesses and also to see what they are strong at. Instructors can use these results to improve lesson plans or what to increase their overall focus on.
Hi William, That is indeed why student self assessments are so valuable. Thanks for your post! Susan
Susan Polick
By having the students perform self assessments of their activities (internship, classroom, etc), they can note their perceived strengths and weaknesses. In of itself, this is good. However, when this approach is used along with the assessments made by their supervisors and instructors, a better picture of the student's performance can be attained. In some cases, this will help the student become more critical of their own performance.
By letting a student take a self assessment, it gives the instructor an insight to the student's perception as to how much of the information he or she is effectively processing. It also shows the student where they are in meeting their own personal goals for that class or setting.
The student has a better idea of how they learn. which is more vital then my deciphering of their learning style, there instructor is only around for a brief duration so for the student to identify there own learning styles makes it easier for the student to process information and retain it knowing how they learn best.
