Assessing student learning: Daily self-assessment at republic polytechnic

Abstract

In an approach that emphasizes the student's own responsibility, assessment is a problem. If students are, to some extent, free to choose their own learning resources, how can one then assess learning gains in a fair and relevant fashion? This chapter discusses the solutions that Republic Polytechnic had proposed using a continuous self-assessment approach where students engage in daily self- and peer evaluations and reflection journal writing. Some key findings reported included: 1. Students being generally positive about the use of the various daily assessment tools; students reportedly use their self-evaluations and reflection journals as tools for impression management. 2. Students have capability for making accurate self-assessments as compared to how they were judged by their facilitators and peers, but only to a limited extent. 3. A link between intellectual capability and self-assessment accuracy was reported: students judged to be more academically competent can self-assess with greater accuracy. 4. Students generally reflected on critical review of past learning experiences, learning strategies and summaries of what was learnt. Furthermore, the findings also indicate that students show improvements in their reflective skills as they progressed through the academic year.