ASSESSMENT SANS EXAMS
Mangaluru: The education sector and the examination system are the worst affected on account of the pandemic and the ensuing lockdowns. As continuous evaluation systems are not incorporated in most of our curricula, a major casualty is the term-end examination. The necessity of alternative assessment methods is, therefore, crucial at this juncture.
I am not referring to online examinations nor I am advocating a complete doing away of traditional pen and paper examinations. Innovative assignments, projects and other assessment methods, which may be administered and evaluated both in classrooms and in the comfort of one’s home, need to be explored. Here is a list of alternative assessment techniques feasible for both school and college level.
Paper instead of Test
Here, students are encouraged to write a paper on a topic. It is important that students are given a choice to select from a list of themes or come up with their own topic. While writing, students learn to paraphrase material from various sources and list them in a bibliographic format. The paper may then be presented in the classroom if need be.
Interview Method
The interview technique can be adapted to any subject. Students prepare a simple questionnaire and interview relevant persons in the neighbourhood. In an assignment on culture and marriage, where the main criteria was to study the culture of different communities other than the one the student belonged to, a student of mine interviewed the family of her apartment’s security. The family, hailing from North India, happily narrated the intricacies of their marriage celebrations.
Newspaper and Magazine Analysis
Newspapers and news magazines contain news, features and articles on a broad spectrum of issues and can be used for any discipline. Students can analyze a week’s newspaper or a weekly news magazine on a chosen subject. For instance, students of economics may analyze single or multiple articles on the economy. Similarly, for social sciences specific social problems or development projects may be scrutinized.
An easy and less-time consuming method. Students select a photo or a couple of photos on a given theme from a newspaper or news magazine. The selected photograph is pasted on a A4 sheet or one-fourth of a chart paper. A brief write-up on the message conveyed by the photograph is written in its own words.
Take Home Quiz
The popular Quiz is administered in various formats, include live quizzes, online quizzes, classroom quiz and so on. One option is a take home quiz which, for sake of assessment, may include a couple of descriptive answers apart from the one-word and multiple-choice type.
Speeches and Presentations
Students are encouraged to give prepared lectures, presentations or speeches on a topic from the syllabus. This fosters communication skills and boosts self-confidence.
Exposure Visits
Students, in small groups of two to four, make visits to NGOs, historical sites, industry and write reports on the visit which can be evaluated later. Such visits are different from designed field trips or study tours organised by the faculty.
Posters and Collage
A single poster or collage or a series of posters, easily adaptable to any subject, fosters creativity. Posters can then be presented in the class and later displayed on the bulletin board.
Film Appreciation
Movies are a passion for the young who are very knowledgeable about the medium. Films and documentaries relevant to a subject may be screened and analyzed from various angles. A lively discussion is likely to emerge. A short review of the film can follow.
Book Review
In book reviews, students summarise a book and analyze its strengths and weaknesses. In addition, the student presents his or her own perspective on the book. Background information about the author and publication details are to be included.
Bibliography with Introduction
Students compile a bibliography on a problem or topic rather than write a paper. The bibliography apart from having the usual details of author, title and publication information, will include a synopsis of the book or journal article.
The above tasks will ensure Continuous Comprehensive Evaluation (CCE) approach to education. The list is, however, not exclusive. Other options include open book examination, oral exams, essays, role plays, discussions, group work, dairies, log books and opinion polls. In the present uncertain situation, blended mode—preparing the material at home and sending it via emails and social media platforms—may be adopted.
About The Author:
Prof. Joselyn T Lobo is Associate Professor & Dean, School of Social Work, Roshni Nilaya, Mangaluru. He has a graduate degree in Commerce and a Master’s degree in Social Work as well as Sociology. He has three decades of teaching and training experience. His participatory approach and innovative teaching methods have been highly appreciated by students and trainees. He has conducted hundreds of workshops on Effective Communication, Leadership, Team Building, Personal Growth and related areas, all over India and abroad. In order to improve classroom teaching, Joselyn is now facilitating Workshops on Teacher Effectiveness for school and college teachers.
Prof. Joselyn is a Certified Practitioner of NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming). He is also the President and Consultant of GRID (Group for Institution Development), a training organization and presently most of his workshops are facilitated through GRID. He is the author of Fieldwork in Social Work Education, a Manual for educators and students. His articles and essays have appeared in Encyclopedia of Social Work and in newspapers and journals.
Prof. Joselyn is actively involved in the Teachers’ Movement in Karnataka. He is the past President of AMUCT (Association of Mangalore University College Teachers). Formerly, he was an elected member of the Academic Council of Mangalore University. He is the Coordinator of the Centre for International Partnerships in his college and guides international students during their internship in India. He is a regular visitor to Volda University in Norway and delivers presentations there.
Contact Details: Joselyn T Lobo; Cell: 094484 88721, 81233 88784; Email: joslobo9@gmail.com