Abstract:

Occasionally, lecturers incorporate evaluation activities into learning pathways in order to offer an educational process that is measurable, meaningful, and appealing (Bhat & Bhat, 2019; Levent & ERTOK, 2020). In this paper, we present our approach to design and conduct summative evaluations as part of comprehensive, seamless and experiential learning conducted in realistic settings. Accordingly, we conduct our design and investigation efforts as we address a course focused on Research Methods for Social Sciences offered in the Faculty of Instructional Technologies at an academic institution in the central district in Israel. As implied, the lecturer intended to introduce refinements in the final evaluation experience conducted in this course. These refinements aimed to offer students an optimized learning pathway and provide them with a seamless transition while shifting from the course lessons into the preparation phase towards the evaluation experience. Here we offer a unique approach for assessment in the mentioned course that consists of several phases. In the 1st phase, students are required to select three contributions that most interest them and they consider to be relevant to the terms and methods addressed during the course. Additionally in this phase, the lecturer requires students to formulate questions enabling them to learn about terms in research methods while addressing and demonstrating them in light of the selected contribution. In the next phase which happens about 2 weeks before the exam, each student is informed about a single paper that the lecturer chose from the contributions he previously selected. Lecturer’s selection is conducted while considering the contribution that is most relevant to the topics taught during the course. In the last phase, the lecturer collects her selected contributions into a common bank that includes the contributions and questions students proposed for them. The lecturer pre-announces to her students that he may use some of the questions students contributed and incorporate them into the exam. This evaluation approach was focused on the research we describe in this paper. The study was conducted with 80 students and was exercised while using quantitative and qualitative methods. Findings of this study indicate that students perceived a positive experience while seeking academic papers as well as while exploiting them for learning concepts and terms related to the course. Students mentioned that the affordances to select their papers and to formulate their questions resulted in a process providing them with an enhanced sense of ownership over a learning experience practised in realistic settings. Additionally, students mentioned that this activity felt seamless, experiential, engaging, meaningful, and appealing. In the coming research efforts, we would emphasize refining the described approach as well examine its applicability for additional domains and levels.

References:
[1] Bhat, B. A., & Bhat, G. J. (2019). Formative and summative evaluation techniques for improvement of learning process. European Journal of Business & Social Sciences, 7(5), 776-785.‏
[2] Levent, U. Z. U. N., & ERTOK, Ş. (2020). Student Opinions on task-based approach as formative evaluation versus exam-based approach as summative evaluation in education. Sakarya University Journal of Education, 10(2), 226-250.‏

Keywords:

Summative Evaluations, Higher Education, Mixed Method Approach.