Forms of Assessment

These pages introduce various different forms of assessment currently available. They do not purport to offer comprehensive accounts of any of them, but try to offer some guidance for the teacher who needs to select appropriate instruments.

All of them are discussed under the same headings, borrowed from those used in the notes you get with medicines nowadays—for some odd reason, they seemed appropriate:

Description: a brief description of the method
Indications: when to use it
Contra-indications: when not to use it
Special precautions: things to be aware of
Notes: anything else which has not been mentioned under another heading.

The methods:

Case-studies	Collaborative/group projects
Direct observation	Essays
Examinations (unseen)	Examinations (seen/open book)
Multiple-choice tests	Oral questioning after observation
Performance projects	Portfolios
Practical projects	Presentations
Problem sheets	Projects
Self-assessment	Short-answer questions
Simulations	Viva voce examinations

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ATHERTON J S (2005) Teaching and Learning: [On-line] UK: Available: Accessed:

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