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Appropriate Assessment in Problem Based Learning

Suggestions for PBL Assessment | Methods of PBL Assessment | Example

Dewey (1980) describes learning as a habit formation that arises from the continual reconstruction of existing dualisms into entirely new unitary functions and understandings. Research has shown that Problem Based Learning (PBL) is an innovative pathway to learning with many educational advantages, especially in the habit formation of “educational process/life skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, self-directed learning, interpersonal/social skills, and group/team-work skills” (Hoon & Gwee, 2003). With this comprehensive style of teaching and learning can come complications and oversights in the assessment of student learning. “Many PBL activities are followed by traditional, pencil-and-paper assessments. This misalignment confuses students by disrupting their understanding of teacher expectations. It is important to maintain instruction-assessment alignment during PBL” (Nowak & Plucker, 1999).

O’Grady (2004) states that assessment is doing many things at once. Assessment encompasses measuring, defining, and summarizing what students can do and/or infers what students could do. It is about diagnosing the quality of learning so that learner’s strengths can be identified and weaknesses addressed. Furthermore, a raft of assessment tasks should be used collectively when fostering and measuring understanding. “Assessment as an integral part of the learning process requires a shift away from teaching models that define learning in terms of discrete bits of information that are dispensed and passively absorbed, to models that provide opportunities for the student to make sense and understand the world around them” (von Glasersfeld, 1996).

Since the pedagogy behind PBL strives to make learning authentic for the student, it is imperative that the assessment also possess authenticity. To obtain a real-world indication, assessment should “document and promote the development of ‘real-world’ skills, reflect student learning over time, take place in a context familiar to the student, contain standards well known to the students, build real mastery of subjects, and include an authentic audience” (The Multimedia Project, 2001). Problems have arisen in the past regarding assessments that did not mesh well with the pedagogy and structure of PBL. To combat these tribulations, Nowak & Plucker (1999) offer “Suggestions for Aligning PBL Instruction and Assessment”.

• Suggestion One: Stress that students are professionals in the fields in which their ill-structured problem exists and assess them as if you were their supervisor.

Having students operate as professionals increases student enthusiasm and ownership for learning. As part of the role-playing, teachers acting as facilitators and real-world supervisors hold positions that make assessment both appropriate and realistic. The activity is no longer unrelated to anything outside of the classroom and students’ efforts relate to issues that society has faced or is facing.

• Suggestion Two: If instruction is problem-based, assessment should be similarly structured.

If students are asked to solve ill-structured problems through hands-on activities, the assessment should include how well they complete that task. The instructor should qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate students’ work.

• Suggestion Three: Provide reasonable guidelines regarding your expectations for the students.

Present student expectations before the unit begins so the students will understand their goals and how their progress will be assessed. Expectations should be flexible enough to allow for student exploration, while maintaining a realistic timeline. Some goals may need to be left open-ended as the unit begins. [Rubrics are great tools to use, as long as they are presented prior to the unit. Teachers may wish to include the students while creating the PBL to increase a sense of ownership.]

• Suggestion Four: Don’t hold off on assessment until the end of the activity or unit; model real-world behavior, in which ongoing assessment occurs.

Traditional assessments typically take place at the end of the unit. This tends to stress student recollection of factual knowledge, even though significant amounts of learning take place during the process of solving a problem. Instructors need to assess students continuously during the course of their problem solving, much as real-world supervisors would oversee a project.

Integrating these suggestions into an evaluation method allows the teacher to align instruction and assessment.

Because PBL units are so diverse, it is important for an instructor to consider a variety of evaluation techniques. Keeping in mind that “one of the goals of assessment is to organize learning so that it is visible and can be documented,” (The Multimedia Project, 2001) O’Grady (2004) implies the following methods may prove useful: team presentations, peer and self assessment, learning journals, tests and quizzes, and observations of student discussions.

Team presentations allow small groups of students to share research and discussions with the other members of the class who, in turn, may offer comparisons and constructive critiques. In peer and self assessment, students may be asked to complete questionnaires. Using this method requires students to reflect upon their learning regularly and hold themselves and others accountable for their behaviors. In learning journals, students are expected to articulate how they have personalized public knowledge or made sense of what they have done during the day. The very act of writing these entries help students organize thoughts and facilitate learning. Tests and quizzes are usually not conducive to assessing PBL; as under these conditions the facilitator may not be aware of the students’ reasoning process behind responses. Multiple choice and short answer tests can, however, be effective if the questions focus on requiring more than recall. In PBL, the teacher’s role is to act as a facilitator guiding students through repeated practices in reasoning and giving encouragement and advice on how to enhance abilities in self-directed study. In the course of this guidance, the facilitators are able to observe students working through these processes and are able to formulate judgments about students’ understanding based on their engagement with the processes of learning e.g. problem definition, identification of learning issues, reading, discussing, testing theories or possible solutions, etc.

“A pupil does not really know what he has learned till he has organized it and explained it to someone else” (Rowntree, 1987). Using the aforementioned methods gives students the opportunity to document evidence of their learning to be assessed.

To demonstrate a PBL unit that utilizes several of these methods, I offer this earth science example from Nowak & Plucker (1999):

Traditional methods for teaching K-12 students how to identify minerals involve providing students with several tools (e.g. mineral key, pictures of crystal shapes, a streak plate, glass plate, nail, penny, weak acid, hand lens), a step-by-step demonstration about how to use the tools, and an activity in which students identify the minerals based on the demonstrated procedure.

In a PBL unit designed to cover the same curriculum, students were told that they are playing the roles of geologists. Their task was to identify the minerals at a couple of local sites in order to facilitate the modification of local zoning ordinances. All of the above mentioned tools and various minerals were made available, and the students worked in small groups to identify the minerals. As student curiosity became engaged, the freedom to explore eliminated student fear of not using the ‘correct’ method. After preliminary attempts to identify the materials, the instructor encouraged students to discuss the various methods they employed (i.e. comparing similarities and differences, classifying the various characteristics). At this point, the teacher introduced the standard method of mineral identification and had students probe the method’s strengths and weaknesses. Students were then given the opportunity to apply and expand their knowledge by identifying a new group of minerals.

At the end of the unit, after several similar PBL activities, student achievement was assessed by bringing students to a local quarry and a wilderness area and requiring them to identify as many different minerals as possible. In this setting, the students - who were addressed as geologists throughout the unit - now had the opportunity to work in the field as real geologists. In addition to the teacher’s field-based observations, the students were also asked to log in their field notebooks what they found, where it was found, and describe how and why they identified it as they did. Finally, a debriefing discussion during the next class meeting in which individual students and small groups reflect on and share their experiences with the rest of the class helps students to compare and contrast the creative skills employed. The authenticity of applying skills to a real world problem is what makes this PBL assessment valid and appealing to students.

One final thought on PBL assessment is the inclusion of a real audience. In the example, students visited a rock quarry. Employees there could have been promoted to interact with the students and informally test their knowledge to cement the experience. Tapping into local resources should be one component of every PBL. Several school districts have appointed partners in education who make a commitment to aid teachers in education. Along with knowledge development, these resources can also be included in the assessment. Local experts may be brought in at the conclusion of a unit to hold a discussion with a class on their findings. For example, a building inspector can look over student designs to see if they would pass. If local resources are not available, try video-conferencing or email mediums. Virtual tours via internet expand your options for field trip possibilities, where students can apply new understandings. Don’t forget experts on your own campus: co-workers may possess special talents, or know of people who do. Including professionals and specialists in PBL strengthens the authenticity and significance for all involved.

References

Hoon, T. & Gwee, M. “Student Assessment in Problem-based Learning: A Challenge Beyond Reliability and Validity” Centre for Development of Teaching and Learning Brief. March 2003. p.4.

Nowak, J. & Plucker, J. “Student Assessment in Problem-based Learning.” 1999. Indiana University. http://www.indiana.edu/~legobots/q515/pbl.html.

O’Grady, G. “Holistic Assessment and Problem Based Learning.” Oral presentation. March 2004.

Rowntree, D. “Assessing Students: How Shall We Know Them?” (2 nd revised ed.). 1987. London: Kogan Page.

San Diego State University. “Assessment of problem based learning: students and classes.” 1996. http://edweb.sdsu.edu/clrit/learningtree/PBL/webassess/studentNclasses.html

The Multimedia Project: Project-based Learning with Multimedia. “Assessing Student Work with Project-Based Learning.” 2001. San Mateo County Office of Education. http://pblmm.k12.ca.us/PBLGuide/AssessPBL.html

Von Glasersfeld, E. “Introduction: Aspects of constructivism.” In C. Fosnot (Ed.), Constructivism: Theory, perspectives, and practice. 1996: pp.3-7. New York: Teachers College Press.

Bonham Elementary EPISD

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