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Learning assessment is a system and process that collects evidence of learning in students. It is used anywhere learning takes place, be it a place of education or place of work. Assessments provide feedback to students about their learning progress and help teachers measure the effectiveness of their teaching methodologies. They also act as the necessary evidence for the grades awarded to the students by their teachers.

A good system of assessment begins with the proper definition of the learning objectives. These objectives include learning activities and tests aimed directly toward reaching an academic goal.

Research in the field of psychology has explored the interaction between testing, memory, and learning. It suggests that an assessment process can help in retaining what a student has learned and also help in applying the learning across different contexts.

Types of Learning Assessments

Following are some of the different types of learning assessments and their purpose:

  • Diagnostic assessment: It is also known as pre-assessment and is conducted right before creating any module or instructions for a group of students. It helps to know the strengths, weaknesses, skills and knowledge of the students, so as to create an effective module with appropriate learning activities that are right for their age, mental capabilities, and other factors.

  • Formative assessment: It is used during the initial stages of the learning module and instruction development. The aim is to monitor learning, provide feedback and identify any gaps in the delivery of instruction. Assessment for learning helps teachers know what and where to focus on to expand their teaching methodologies and to ensure effective learning for their students.

  • Summative assessment: Also known as assessment of learning, helps assess the extent to which the important outcomes have been reached at the end of a particular module. In addition, an assessment of learning also helps to measure the effectiveness and application of learning. 

  • Confirmative assessment: It helps to test the success of a set of instructions after an extended period of time to ensure that the teaching and methodology are efficient. A confirmative assessment may be regarded as an extensive form of summative assessment. 

  • Criterion-referenced assessment: This type of assessment measures the students’ performance against a fixed set of predetermined criteria or standards. It is used to evaluate the assimilation of a particular knowledge body of skill set; for example, the curriculum taught in a course.

Applications of Learning Assessment Tests

Learning assessment tests have several uses in the field of education, as given below:

  • Identify learning gaps:Formative assessment as well summative assessment help identify learning gaps based on a student’s performance.

  • Promote self-learning: Once the gaps have been identified, students can bridge the gaps by focusing on an area that needs attention. The instructors can also tweak the teaching methodologies to help the students in achieving success.

  • Encourage learning: Assessments serve as a reason for students to revise what they have learnt, which helps in information recall and retention.  

  • Enhance transfer of learning: While attempting an assessment, the student needs to recall information which they have learned this helps students understand the concepts better. The summative assessment also promotes the application or transfer of learning across multiple contexts, test formats, and knowledge domains. 

  • Strengthen memory: Having to recall the information and to apply it helps retain it and strengthen memory. In fact, research by Association for Psychological Science suggests that repeated testing, as compared to repeated study, helps in the long-term memory of information.

MeritTrac Platforms for Learning Assessment Tests

Given the importance and relevance of learning assessments, it necessitates their conduct with a lot of care and planning. MeritTrac can help you do that with absolute precision, convenience, and speed. From accurately measuring the relevant competencies and keeping the assessments fresh and relevant to cutting out candidate impersonation, we can help administrators at every stage. With application processing, online test booking, and test center management taken care of by MeritTrac’s comprehensive online assessments, educational institutions can plan and deliver secure tests in no time.

Be it assessment for learning, assessment of learning or any other type of learning assessments, MeritTrac ensures a robust test design and format for scientific measurement of competencies enabling valid, fair, and reliable results. Pariksha andSmartTestare two of our platforms that offer end-to-end assessment solutions. They are adaptive, easy to set up, and completely secure. Being cloud-ready and suitable for any OS platform and mobile devices, they allow the possibility of remote assessment.

FAQ

FAQ

1. What are learning assessments?

A. Learning assessments help collect evidence of learning and therefore are an important feature in the education sector.

2. What is an assessment for learning?

A. Assessment for learning is another name for formative assessment that is usually conducted during the initial stages of the learning module and instruction development.

3. What are some of the benefits of learning assessments?

A. Learning assessments help identify key challenge areas and help students to focus more on the areas where they could perform better. Learning assessments also bridge any learning gaps, promote the transfer of learning and strengthen both short term as well as long term memory.

4. What are the USPs of MeritTrac learning assessments?

MeritTrac’s end-to-end assessment solutions make the entire process of conducting assessments automatic, convenient, and rapid. MeritTrac platforms ensure a robust test design and format for scientific measurement of competencies enabling valid, fair, and reliable results. The assessments, therefore, have meaning and use for both the teaching as well as the student communities.