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Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests

Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests. A presentation by Matthew Smith BSc MRICS Cert Ed School of Property Construction & Planning. 1. L&T Festival 2009. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests. Some questions… How long do you spend marking assignments?

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Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests

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  1. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests A presentation by Matthew Smith BSc MRICS Cert Ed School of Property Construction & Planning 1 L&T Festival 2009

  2. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests Some questions… • How long do you spend marking assignments? • How many of your students turn up late? • How many of your students don’t look at their notes from one lecture to the next? • How many of your students fail their Module? • If you could do something to decrease your answers to all the above, would you do it? 2

  3. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests Preview • How RMTs came about • What RMTs are • The benefits of RMTs • How you can use them! 3

  4. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests How RMTs came about • The problems: • Late arrival to a 9.00 a.m. session • Poor attendance at the later seminar • Lack of on-going revision • Lack of student performance feedback 4

  5. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests The solution! • Had to be holistic • to ensure prompt arrival at 9.00 a.m. • to link Lecture and Seminar • to motivate revision • and provide feedback 5

  6. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests What RMTs are • Random Mini Tests • Mini tests – 5 questions • At start of lecture – prompt arrival! • Totally random – have to prepare • Best 3 from 5 (or 5 from 8) • SENDA alternative needed 6

  7. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests The pedagogy behind them • KOLB experience, reflection, conceptualization and experimentation - cycle • GARDINER’S 7 pillars – variety • RICHARDSON’S verbalizer-visualizer cognitive style - visual stimulation • MOWL assessment as a tool of motivation – revision 7

  8. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests We learn by doing… .. so lets do one! 8

  9. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests Mini Test #1 1. What is an RMT? 2. The use of an RMT addresses what problems? 3. What feedback does an RMT provide? 4. What are the 4 stages of the Kolb Cycle? 5. Why is a motivational strategy needed? STOP! 9 3 2 1 0

  10. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests Mini Test #1 1. What is an RMT? A random 5 minute test at the start of lectures 2. The use of an RMT addresses what problems? Late arrival, poor attendance, lack of revision, lack of early feedback 3. What feedback does an RMT provide? Performance related for both students and tutors (as well as attendance!) 10

  11. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests Mini Test #1 4. What are the 4 stages of the Kolb Cycle? experience, reflection, conceptualization and experimentation 5. Why is a motivational strategy needed? To encourage deeper learning, motivate students to revise and to enable self evaluation 11

  12. V&T: Mini-test Post Mortem Mini-test # 1 12

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  14. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests The benefits of RMTs • Promote punctuality • Improve attendance • Create anticipation and a sense of fun • Encourage on-going study/revision • Produced a 12.5% improvement in Module pass rate! • Provides useful feedback, early on! • Spreads and reduces the assessment load 14

  15. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests Assessment times: • 48 CW @10 mins marking = 480 mins • 48 CW @ 2 mins feedback = 96 mins 576 mins (9.5 H) • 48 RMT @ 1 min x 5 tests = 240 mins • 5 tests x 10 mins feedback = 50 mins 290 mins (4.75 H) 15

  16. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests What the students say about RMTs: Areas of weakness can be assessed on an on-going basis rather than waiting until end of year exams The teaching style suits my own learning process very well They’re tough, but the mini tests do make you revise and I would rarely miss lectures I’m convinced they are a major contribution to road safety. 16

  17. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests How you can use them! • In lectures • As VLE activities • As seminar tasks • Summative or formative • And remember…. • RMT’s are like the Volkswagatron… 17

  18. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests …there’s more to them than you’d think! 18

  19. Banish Assessment Blues with Random Mini Tests Questions? Discussion: Would RMTs work for you? Further info/support: matthew.smith@bcu.ac.uk 19

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