PGCE CERTIFICATION ASSIGNMENT

PGCE certification assignment

PGCE certification assignment

Task 1

One of the primary purposes of assessment is to be summative. In its summative role, the purpose of assessment is to judge the quality and characteristics of the student and summarise these in a clear and widely acceptable format. Traditionally, the principal mechanism for summative assessment is the end-of-module examination. Summative assessment is assumed to help employers by providing 'costless' information on the productive potential of job applicants. It is also a mechanism for selecting students for post-compulsory education, and may be a factor in the reputation and financial security of institutions in higher education. Students care most about the results of summative assessment, as these impact on their employability and prospective earnings.

Summative assessment is essential to measure achievement. By summative assessment I mean assessment designed to measure whether the intended learning outcomes of a programme, or a part of a programme, have been achieved. Formative assessment is of critical importance to student progression. By formative assessment I mean assessment that provides feedback to students on how well they are doing and guidance on how they could improve their performance. Prompt feedback on assessed work is of vital importance to support student progression. If this is not being provided, the reasons for the failing need to be addressed. One possible reason may be the relative priority that staff accord to marking student work, particularly if marks do not count towards an eventual award. Most academic staff have to balance the different aspects of their jobs, including teaching, research and contributing to the administrative running of their department or institution. Nevertheless, Heads of Department, and others in positions of authority should make clear, not least by example, the priority that should attach to ensuring students receive prompt and constructive feedback. A problem may lie in programme design. It is possible for students to be subject to too much summative assessment, and for the resultant burden of marking to consume a disproportionate amount of the time of academic staff. Modularisation of provision, a common feature of many mass participation systems, can bring many benefits. These include the ability to construct programmes that reflect the interests of individual students and which permit flexible patterns of attendance. However, if a programme is broken down into very small units, each of which requires summative assessment to contribute to the final award, two problems arise. First, from the student perspective, the balance between preparing for assessment and reflecting on learning may become distorted. Second, the burden of formal marking and moderation may consume a disproportionate amount of staff time, perhaps at the expense of time that might otherwise have been devoted to providing formative feedback to students. 

A challenge posed by widening participation is that of giving credit for learning that takes place, or which has taken place, outside the framework of a conventional academic programme. The principle that must apply to the granting of credit for such learning is that outcomes must be demonstrated that are relevant to the programme of study, and those outcomes must be assessed as rigorously as outcomes that result from more formal study...