Alternative ways to assess learning

While schools and colleges have switched to e-learning due to the coronavirus pandemic, alternative assessment methods need to be explored to evaluate students’ learning outcomes. As most of the courses near term-end 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 considered. Here is a list of some alternative assessment techniques feasible for both school and college level.

Essay or research paper

Here, students can be encouraged to write an essay 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.

Interview

The interview technique can be adapted to any subject. Students can 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 guard. The family happily narrated the intricacies of their marriage celebrations.

Newspaper 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 analyse a week’s newspaper or a weekly news magazine on a chosen subject. For instance, students of economics may analyse single or multiple articles on the economy. Similarly, for social sciences specific social problems or development projects may be scrutinised.

Students can select a photo or a couple of photos on a given theme from a newspaper or news magazine. The selected photograph can be pasted on a A4 sheet or one-fourth of a chart paper. A brief write-up on the message conveyed by the photograph may be written in own words.

Quiz

The popular quiz can be administered in various formats and include live quizzes, online quizzes, classroom quiz and so on. One option is a take home quiz which, for the sake of assessment, may include a couple of descriptive answers apart from the one-word and multiple-choice type.

Speech and presentation

Students can be encouraged to give prepared lectures, presentations or speeches on a topic from the syllabi. This fosters communication skills and boosts self-confidence.

Exposure visits

Students, in small groups of two to four, can 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

Students of all ages are generally passionate about movies, so films and documentaries relevant to a subject may be screened and analysed from various angles. A lively discussion is likely to emerge. A short review of the film can follow.

Book review

In book reviews, students can summarise a book and analyse its strengths and weaknesses. The students can present their own perspective on the book. Background information about the author and publication details are to be included.

Bibliography

Students can 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 approach to education. The list is, however, not exclusive. Other options include open book examination, oral exams, essays, role plays, discussions, group work, log books and opinion polls. In the present uncertain situation, blended mode of evaluation —preparing the material at home and sending it via emails and social media platforms—may be adopted.

(The author is the dean of a school of social work)