A responsive assessment model for mitigating endemic knowledge gap in educational training

Abstract

Learning outcome measures the quality of knowledge a student possesses after the completion of an academic programme. For successful attainment of this feat, it is necessary to periodically engage in assessment exercises to measure the expected learning outcome before the completion of the students’ academic programme. However, it is observed that this is not the case for institutions of higher learning in Nigeria. The traditional assessment method of pen and paper is not only inadequate but no longer tenable in this information and Communication Technology (ICT) era. To address these inadequacies, this paper proposes a Responsive Student Assessment System (RSAS) to mitigate the endemic gap between actual knowledge and expected knowledge. RSAS addresses assessment from both the student and teacher’s perspectives. It engages assessment in three (3) assessment modes; diagnostic assessment, formative assessment, and summative assessment. Diagnostic assessment is performed at the beginning of the semester, formative assessment is performed in the middle or during an ongoing semester, and summative assessment is performed at the end or towards the end of the semester. The outcome of these exercises arms the teacher with the academic performances of the student who thereafter advises as to whether the student should proceed to the next class or repeat the just concluded class. RSAS was test-run for a number of students and staff using performance and perspective analysis, for one academic semester. Results show a remarkable improvement in the student's academic performances, subsequently, the perspective analysis reveals a high level of acceptance of RSAS.