Assessment of learning based on the principles of discovery and metacognition

Abstract

Leading educators and scholars in the area of cognitive science agree that a new paradigm for assessment called a learning paradigm must be generated to observe, measure, and document the success of creative, new educational methods and practices. Educators have understood the implications and importance of Bloom's Taxonomy and have tried to change their teaching styles to create a learning environment. Teachers have recognized that the students must be provided with an opportunity to develop their problem-solving skills in addition to mastering a particular body of information. Furthermore, many of our educational institutions have tried to move away from emphasizing the establishment of strong knowledge-base. The modern trend is to develop an interactive problem-solving pedagogy that encourages the development of learners' creativity, understanding, and written and oral communication skills. In a learning paradigm, it is observed that evaluation is holistic, and student success outcomes are what is measured. Many scholars have recommended and supported a value-Added concept of education by doing assessments before, during, and after a course. In his book "Learning Paradigm College" John Tagg identifies six essential features for generating such a paradigm and provides a flexible guide and a blueprint for implementing specific changes. Other scholars have argued that achievement of educational objectives is becoming less and less measurable, whereas the need for accountability is rising to the surface more frequently. The literature supports our intuitive belief that education in a new learning paradigm will prepare students for the work ahead of them. Almost all scholars believe that in order to lead in a postmodern world, students need flexibility and problem-solving skills more than they need to master any particular body of information. In this presentation, the author attempts to provide guidelines for articulating learning objectives using a discovery approach and promotes the use of certain set of assessment methods in conjunction with appropriate rubrics that could benefit the learner as well as the instructor. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2013.