Assessment in experiential learning

In specific occupations there are key indicators of assessment shared by both workplace and academic supervisors since the workplace and the university course share common course accreditation criteria. For example, entry into professions such as social work and nursing are regulated by professional bodies that have significant input into the structure and content of university course. There is a shared set of conceptual and practical skills that have to be assessed by both academic and workplace supervisors. The types of assessment may vary but at the end of the course the students are meant to demonstrate competency in practicing the professional skills in the workplace. To that end there is a range of work specific skills that a student needs to acquire and these can be assessed in their practical and theoretical work.

Beyond specific professions though, assessment becomes more diffuse. In workplaces that do not have explicit criteria established to judge performance of students in experiential learning, assessment becomes more problematic. Assessing learning in these workplaces is often associated with methods that rely upon student self-appraisal and workplace supervisor reports. The range of skills may vary from workplace to workplace even though there may be congruence in the theoretical frameworks. For example, public policy students may work in government or non-government agencies where the types of skills required will vary from giving ministerial advice to preparing a brief to lobby a specific government department. In both instances the aim is to review and change public policy however the skills required for the different workplaces may vary markedly. The theoretical frameworks for understanding the public policy process will inform the pathways for critical review of the different workplaces. However, as there is a range of theoretical approaches to public policy, the student has to choose the one that best suits their critical approach to the specific situation.

According to Gibbs there is a range of strategies that can be used for assessing workplace learning (Gibbs, 1987). First there are action plans where learners are given general rules about undertaking particular tasks from which they derive action plans about applying these general principles to the workplace. Here assessment is based upon how the student applies the specific tasks judged against the general principles outlined by the teacher. A second approach allows students to set objectives for themselves before embarking upon their placement. In this instance assessment is based upon how well the students achieve their own objectives. A third approach is to allow students to design their own set of problems to solve. This approach can be problematic in a workplace situation in that students will have little understanding of the particular workplace before they enter it. However, assessment under these circumstances will be based upon how well the students can indeed solve the problem that they have set.

A fourth approach is to give students a checklist that they will use as a way of testing their ability to understand the processes that are occurring in the workplace. This approach has inbuilt assessment as there will be a list of outcomes that the student will be expected to notice. Essentially checklists are a form of student test that have minimum requirements. Checklists may have drawbacks in that student experience will be circumscribed by the particular lists and other experiences may be excluded as inconsequential. A fifth approach is to discuss with students the criteria that they would use for the evaluation of their work placement. Here the idea is to get the student to make some judgements about what they think the conceptual aspects of their practical experience are.

The final approach is a combination of setting objectives, devising criteria and developing action plans that can be formulated in a formal learning contract between the academic and workplace supervisors, and the student. The idea of this approach is to combine the ideas of the students with the experience of the workplace held by the workplace and academic supervisors. In this process the student is able to establish the criteria for assessment in a multi-faceted manner. By setting objectives the student is able to test whether they have achieved their desired results. Next by devising criteria for workplace experience in conjunction with workplace and academic supervisors the student gives both supervisors the means by which to assess their work. Lastly action plans allow both the student and supervisors to evaluate the progress of the workplace experience.

According to Earl et al. an important element here is the use of the learning contract that helps the student to focus their attention in a number of ways (2003). First it gives the student a central place in the outcomes of the placement by giving them responsibility for negotiating the agreement. Secondly it helps the student to understand the rationale for the placement and the types of actions that are intended to occur. Thirdly it can assist the student to plan the learning within the placement in a manner that best suits their skills and time. Fourthly it can be used by both the student and the supervisors to measure the progress of the placement. Fifthly it can outline how the output and the results will be presented. Finally, it reveals the criteria that will be used for assessment. This final point is important in the context as getting the students to elicit their own criteria involves them in a collaborative process; a vital ingredient for work place assessment (Marshall & Mill, 1993). It is also constructive and responsive to the needs of the students as they perceive them.

In developing a learning environment for students in a workplace Evans suggests a fourfold approach. First there needs to be a systematic reflection on experience. That is students need to write down their experiences in some form of log or diary that records their reactions to particular workplace events. There are other strategies that may be used here using video or audio recordings, peer appraisal in seminars or workshops (Gibbs, 1987). This record is not a mere story of the event but an analysis that reflects upon the implications of their experience in a broader theoretical framework. Stories can be instructive but they are merely the evidence that supports the broader understanding of the experience. This leads to the second element, that of 'significant learning, expressed in precise statements, constituting claims to the possession of knowledge and skills' (Gibbs, 1987). Students need to be aware of either the new knowledge that they are attaining or the evidence that they are compiling to substantiate or critique their theoretical understanding of the issues with which they are dealing. Thirdly and following on from the third element students need to be able to synthesize their evidence to sustain an argument about the issues or problems they wish to solve. Finally, the work that students produce from their reflection must be capable of assessment within a theoretical framework that can be evaluated against some broad criteria.

Any assessment of students in formal education involves choices on the part of the teachers and learners as to the best way to achieve the learning outcomes. In this respect teachers have to use some forms of summative assessment to assure quality of standards in the certification of the levels of achievement their students attain (Falchikov, 2005). Wiliam and Black (1996) define summative assessment as 'those assessments given at the end of units, mid-term and at the end of a course, which are designed to judge the extent of students' learning of the material in a course, for the purpose of grading, certification, evaluation of progress or even for researching the effectiveness of a curriculum' (Wiliam & Black, 1996). The aim of summative assessment is to test for shared meanings between the given (or teacher supplier) and the student (or learner receiver). Teachers are also accountable to a range of stakeholders including their employer, professional bodies, students, governments and the general public for ensuring that students achieve appropriate learning outcomes (Banta et al., 1996). Accordingly, teachers need to use some forms of summative assessment to fulfil their part in the accountability chain.

At the same time though, teachers may also use different types of formative assessment that can include 'diagnosis, motivation, feedback and improving learning' (Falchikov, 2005). According to Black and Wiliam (1998) 'innovations that include strengthening the practice of formative assessment produce significant and often substantial learning gains' (Black & Wiliam, 1998). That is, formative assessment can be employed as a tool of learning in itself as its aim is to review and build upon previous iterations of learning. The aim is to help students learn in a meaningful and productive manner that leads to greater motivation for further discovery learning in the future (Athanasou & Lamprianou, 2002). In this sense formative assessment is quite central to experiential learning as it helps students to ground their theory in practice and thus strengthen their commitment to lifelong learning. Accordingly choosing appropriate assessment tools is essential if the workplace experience is to be treated as deep learning. As Wight suggests '[t]he assumption is that we seldom learn from experience unless we assess the experience, assigning our own meaning in terms of our own goals, aims, ambitions and expectations' (Wight, 1970).

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