Anytime students can get invloved, the better their grades!
This can be useful when students are reminded of the course goals and the skills they are to be acquiring and refining. If they keep all of this in mind, they are more likely to honestly reflect on their progress--or lack thereof.
I use self assessments to give the students a chance to say I've gotten everything up to here and here is where I got confused. You may also find that you confused everyone at that point, or confused enough students to stop and catch everyone up.
Hi Patrick - Thanks for your post to the forum. You have summarized the benefits of self assessment beautifully - Thanks for sharing! Susan
It is good for students and instructors to self evaluate. To take a look at our tendencies, our strategies when teaching or learning and evaluate what is working and how effective are those practices. With that info. and info gather from other types of assessments / evaluations we can better ourselves as instructors and the content and techniques in the instruction of our topics.
I teach required courses that some students look at as a waste of their time and money. For that reason, they resist engaging with the material and are "closed" to the value that the course could have for them (I'm thinking of Interpersonal Relations, in particular.) This discussion gave me the idea of using a self-assessment right off the bat to demonstrate areas of growth potential for the students. (Identifying misconceptions and gaps in knowledge.)
I currently use a self assessment to give me an idea of their communication strengths and areas in which they would like to grow. Many times they haven't actually thought about it and learn something about themselves in the process. I use that information to design class activities and assignments to support their growth.
Using the self-assessments throughout the term gives them a sense of accomplishment and an idea of what's working for them and what's not. It also gives me a snapshot of their perception of their progress as a guide for content focus and instructional effectiveness.
Hi Margie- Thanks for your post to the forum. You are very effectively using your students self-assessments to not only give them information about themselves but also to allow you to tailor your instruction. Susan
When students self assess they have the ability to evaluate their educational goals and review their goasl as well as develop new ones. Another gret benefit of student self assessment is that it encourages students to be more involved in their educational outcomes.
HI Eva- I agree with your post. Often students find it difficult to look at themselves critically and this can lead to a lot of problems. Having them really assess themselves is very important. Susan
I believe that student self assessments do two things for you as an instructor. If the student is being honest with you and mostly theirselves, then you have an evaluation of where the student is at in their learning. If the student is not being honest with themselves about their level of understanding, you are now aware of the problem. In this case, it is time for both parties to lay the honesty cards on the table so any issues can be addressed. This can go both ways, some students overestimate and some underestimate their understanding of a subject.
Self assessement can be effect to a student because they would be the best judge as to how much knowledge they are retaining and what they are getting out of college. It can evaluate where the student may need to adjust focus in a certain area.
They should be implemented regularly- with the results followed up by the instructor.
HI Amanda- Yes, if the students are honest with themselves they will get real information about what they are doing right and what is lacking. Of course if they are not honestly assessing themselves it is up to us to step in. Best wishes-Susan
I would say that self-assessment testing could be used by the students as a gauge of whether or not they are progressing in their knowledge of the subject being taught. But in order to be effective it should be done frequently and at least 3 times, if not more, before the final assessment. This would provide more frequent and immediate feedback for the student so that they might assess both their strengths and weakness.
It lets the student know what they need to focus on
This subject is quite useful when assessing the students working as a "Group". While in most cases it seems the students generally provide "good" feedback. I am finding that informing the students that their 'group peer feedback' can actually alter a students course grade by one whole grade if they are poor... I think this is critical in order to get the most accuracy from the students evaluating one another. Seems to work, and those team players that are not participating do feel it.
Hi Courtney- I agree that when using group projects, students must know that they will be assessed by their team members and the impact of that assessment. This is where grading rubrics that are included in the syllabus from the first day of class. Best wishes for continued success in your teaching career. Susan
David,
This is important. I would hope the students would be feel comfortable and be able to talk to the instructor if they need assistance in a certain area.
Shelly Baker
I think self-assessments are beneficial to students because it really makes them think about what they've learned over a period of time and what they may need to work on. As a teacher I am usually surprised by the level of insight students tend to have toward their achievements.
I find students usually self critique more harshly than I evaluate them. And, on some occasions I find students divulge inaccuracy or mistakes in technique I may not notice immediately.
