Designing a self-assessment item repository: An authentic project in higher education

Abstract

One of the challenges facing contemporary higher education is the need to design and support authentic projects reflecting knowledge and skills relevant to the students both in the academic context and future employment field. This paper presents a project for 2nd year students preparing for careers in Instructional Technologies and Organizational Training. The project product was an interactive self-assessment item repository (SAIR) accessible via the department Learning Management System. The project involved a 3-stage instructional design, linking two courses. In the final stage student teams consulted with lecturers to ensure the quality and relevance of the product. The project design fulfils criteria for authenticity suggested by two different models. Our 3-year study showed that the SAIR gained quantity and quality along the instructional path. Lecturers' views indicated partial satisfaction with the SAIR and the interaction with student teams, along with an acknowledgment of the essential value of the process. Students' views on tests and test items were probed prior to and following instruction, and some significant changes were found regarding tests, the usefulness of choice response test items, and their own ability to identify and correct faulty item formulation. Interviews suggested that students felt empowered by the instructional and technical tools they had gained.