Design and implementation choices > Lecturer guidance
Question 33
What might a “hierarchy of needs” look like for lecturers who are transitioning to increased use of e-assessments?
Thomas Wong
Peter RowlettWhat motivates this question?
The expansion of e-assessment in mathematics will require the input of an increased number of teaching staff. It is important to understand the needs of individuals who are new to e-assessment to provide the necessary support and training to enable them to succeed in adopting e-assessment. For example, mastery of the hardware/input interface might be required before an individual considers the pedagogical cost/benefit of mode of student entry
This question may contribute to moving e-assessment beyond innovator-enthusiasts to more mainstream practice. Barton, Foster, Levesley and McCabe (2012) visited seven universities in the north-east of England and found use of e-assessment in mathematics there “largely dependent upon local enthusiasts” and “generally declining” over ten years to 2011. However, Broughton, Robinson and Hernandez-Martinez (2013) report “continuing established practice” and “department influence” to be reasons to use e-assessment for lecturers who take over teaching a module where e-assessment is used.
What might an answer look like?
There may exist in the literature analagous hierarcies of needs for professionals upskilling or updating their practice.
We could start by breaking down the steps/skills/equipment/expertise required construct a good e-assessment item. These items could than be pooled and a subset be selected to form a survey where we ask educators with varying expertise in e-assessment to rank the order which mastery is required in order to develop mastery with e-assessment. The notion of “mastery” could be further if we wanted. For example to: “those who have to administer e-assessment” or “those who have to create/design e-assessment”.
It may be worth investigating the practice of some groups in running workshops for new staff on e-assessment (e.g. Lawson-Perfect, 2021; STACK Project, 2021), perhaps by interviews or a survey of the people running these. What do the people running these workshops typically include in them? Are these workshops successful in training new e-assessment users who continue to use e-assessment long-term?
Related questions
- The issue of student input of mathematics is related to Q39: What methods are available for student input of mathematics?.
- The issue of lecturers and designers understanding student interactions is related to Q34: How can lecturers be informed about how students interact with e-assessment tasks, and so help lecturers act upon these findings in an effective way?.
References
Barton, S., Foster, B., Levesley, J. & McCabe, M. (2012). Barriers in integrating e-assessment into mathematics teaching and learning for first and second year students. In: D. Waller (Ed.), Proceedings of the CETL-MSOR Conference, Coventry University, 5th-6th September 2011 (pp. 14-20). Birmingham: Maths, Stats and OR Network.
Broughton, S.J., Hernandez-Martinez, P. & Robinson, C.L. (2013). A definition for effective assessment and implications on computer-aided assessment practice. In A.M. Lindmeier & A. Heinze (Eds.), 37th Conference of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education, Kiel, Germany, vol. 2 (pp. 113-120). Berlin: The International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education.
Lawson-Perfect, C. (2021). Numbas training sessions – February 2021. Retrieved from https://www.numbas.org.uk/blog/2021/01/numbas-training-sessions-february-2021/
STACK Project (2021). Training and Events. Retrieved from https://stack-assessment.org/Training_and_events/