Why is assessment so problematic?

Why do I hear you say? Well, I believe assessment as we know it today should reflect the real-world. In other words, it should be authentic. Authentic is the key word, and not just a buzz word used by entrepreneurs about the importance of being real with your customers. In the world of work when one creates a product or delivers a service, the individual is not formally assessed within a specific time framework, there are no rigid or strict boundaries. If one has provided a good service, the customer comes back or brags about it to their friends (the most powerful form of marketing, as I am only beginning to realise the power of.)

I believe NGL provides the opportunity to engage in this type of authentic assessment because it asks the student to create their own blog, teach their own interest area, and actively network with peers to gain further insight into the area of interest and the process of engaging in networked learning. This is in marked contrast to the assessment that I experienced at university or the assessment that I was responsible for delivering within the high school context. These assessments were mostly comprised of assessing specific material within a specific time period but not something the student would continue with after they finished the task.

What bothered me as a high school teacher was putting students on the spot to write about a topic or issue that they often had very little interest in. I realised this issue with my oldest son who loved to write stories but when placed in a "creative writing" class spent most of his time analysing the creative literature chosen by the teacher. Although there are benefits to this type of learning, a Year 9 student reading "Playing with Beattie Bow" only to write a critical analysis can be thwarting their perception of reading. As I have also mentioned in a previous article, the predominant focus on assessment, particularly essay writing, constrains the learning process and narrows it to what is going to be assessed.

David, the lecturer for NGL, highlights how assessment is one of the "most troubling aspects of a course being delivered" in a networked environment. The issue of innovative assessment, perhaps the type of assessment that I am referring to, is problematic, not because it is unrealistic, as we are effectively doing it, but because of the non-linear approach of this type of assessment. What I find most appealing though is how explicit the assessment process is, even inviting course participants to actively contribute input using Google Docs and making suggestions throughout. I have not seen this type of transparency in assessment. It makes me feel like I am playing a role in the assessment process, particularly what is deemed worthy of being assessed.

I have always found assessment to be problematic and one of the "downfalls" of learning. One of the things that appeals about informal learning is how it is all done on the basis of intrinsic motivation. I have seen this by just viewing the behaviour of my son and his friends. They are all creating videos on YouTube that require the mastery of several complicated programs, such as Sony Vegas Pro, Adobe Premiere, and Dxtory to create videos that embed and reconfigure, amongst many other things, material for the pleasure of the viewing fans. These videos can take hundreds of hours but the perseverance behind them can be tasted in the air. I have seen them not sleep, eat or do anything else in the goal of completing the next video.

Nevertheless, in the world of education and grades, or at least as we know it, there is still the reality that something needs to be assessed, regardless of how much one does not like it. I'd be interested to hear others thoughts on this tumultuous area.