Assessment and Evaluation in Learning

In the area of learning and development, assessment is often confused with evaluation. So, what is the difference? As a learning designer, how can you leverage assessment and evaluation? 

Image by Anemone123 from Pixabay 

Assessment is used to take a closer look at the progress of learners and to collect information and evidence about their learning and the teaching process. This includes engaging in an ongoing dialog to gather inputs and feedback from the learners and providing them with critical feedback that is helpful towards meeting the learning outcomes. In that sense, the primary purpose of assessment is to improve both the learners’ learning as well as the facilitator’s teaching. 

Assessment is:

an ongoing, systematic process of gathering information using established standards to make a determination about a participant’s learning or to inform the instruction. The purpose of assessment is to improve the quality of learning.

Evaluation is used to make a judgement or put a value to the learning and the achievement of the outcomes based on established criteria. Once we provide value to the learning, we can then make key decisions about providing inputs and feedback to improve performance or consider other steps such as providing additional inputs and resources to further enrich the learning. 

Evaluation is:

the process of judging or putting a value on a learning process using established criteria to identify the degree to which knowledge or skill has been gained and applied. The purpose of an evaluation is to judge the quality of learning.

While the definitions highlight the differences between assessment and evaluation, I also see some similarities between the two. Both require the use of established standards or criteria, the application of specific method(s) of observation and measurement, and the use of the collected information to aid in decision-making. In addition, based on my experience as an adult educator, I see the purpose of assessment and evaluation as follows:

1. To communicate

I use assessment and evaluation as a bridge between the participant and the facilitator. It is a way for the participant to communicate their learning and progress to the facilitator and for the facilitator to share inputs and feedback on their learning. With this purpose in mind, a facilitator does not need to assign a mark or a grade for such a communication to take place. However, there is a need to be clear and transparent about the learning outcomes and assessment criteria and a need to be diligent about providing timely and qualitative feedback on the participant’s learning with respect to these outcomes and criteria.

2. To guide workplace performance

What we choose to evaluate tells our participants about what we value. Therefore, I use evaluation as a tool to guide workplace performance and align learning to business outcomes. The choice of learning outcomes, assessment criteria, and evaluation standards informs the participants about what is valued and expected at the workplace. It demonstrates the importance and value of the task (that is being taught) and how performing the task effectively is critical to the success of the participant and of the business.

3. To encourage continuous learning

I see the core purpose of assessment and evaluation to aid in continuous learning for both the participants as well as the facilitators. When we share information about a participant’s progress with the participant and with other stakeholders, it is a way to not only view the progress from a learning perspective but also to identify areas that require further work for both the participant and the process. Similarly, inputs and feedback from the participant to the facilitator aids in improving the teaching process and the facilitator’s skill in creating the right environment for learning. An effective assessment and evaluation approach needs to answer the question, “What needs to be improved?”

"Ultimately, assessment defines what students regard as important, how they spend their time, and how they come to see themselves as students and then as graduates. Because students take their cues about what is important from what is being assessed, if you want to change student learning, then change the method of assessment.” (Lombardi, M. (2008), p. 2)

References:

Fenwick, T. J. & Parsons, J. (2009). The art of evaluation. A resource for educators and trainers. 2nd Edition. Toronto: Ontario. Thompson Educational Publishing

Lombardi, M. (2008). Making the grade: The role of assessment in authentic learning. Retrieved October 15, 2018, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4041495/

Yambi, Tomas. (2020). Assessment and Evaluation in Education. (researchgate.net)

 

What's In a Name?

Image by John Hain from Pixabay

" Identity is not just who you are currently, but who you are called to be. "

- Kris Wolfe 

My name is Taruna.

In Sanskrit, Taruna means “the ever young”. My name was given to me by my parents. In Hinduism, there is a tradition to select names that have some auspicious meaning and many names are derived directly or indirectly from the names of the Gods and Goddesses. There are also elaborate ceremonies and rituals that reinforce the significance of one's name. Although I don't claim to be a religious person, my name truly calls to me. I have a deep spiritual connection to my name and every time I hear it, it is a call to my true, authentic self.

When I moved to Canada in 2011, I started introducing myself as Taruna Goel. As I shook hands, I observed that people felt uncomfortable saying my name out aloud. Perhaps they didn’t hear my name correctly or they thought they may not be able to pronounce it correctly. Their discomfort soon turned into distance. I realized that I wasn't being offered an opportunity to participate because people couldn't say my name or ask me to join the conversation. Was no one interested in my opinion, I asked myself. At some point, I also felt 'forgettable' because I hardly ever heard my name outside of family and friends. I felt “unbelonged”.

So, I started introducing myself as TG (my initials).

Changing one’s name to fit in happens more often than some may think, especially on resumés. According to research from Stanford University and the University of Toronto, nearly half of black and Asian job applicants who altered their resumés did so by changing the presentation of their name in an effort to erase any racial cues. (The researchers found those who “whitened” their resumés were twice as likely to get call-backs for an interview, compared to those who left ethnic details intact.) as cited in Why getting a name right matters - BBC Worklife

Like many others, introducing myself as TG was a way to make myself “fit”. There was some degree of surprise on hearing two letters instead of a name but the handshakes were certainly firmer. People felt more confident about talking to me. I had many enthusiastic conversations with everyone in the room and was introduced to others.

I thought I might feel better; now that I ‘belonged’. But I didn’t. I felt as unbelonged as I did before.

 
"Name-related troubles are not trivial. Names associated with particular ethnoracial, linguistic or religious identities can hinder immigrants’ integration in terms of securing higher level employment, finding housing, accessing services, making friends and developing a sense of belonging in Canadian society. Even people born in Canada but who have “ethnic” names report cases of discrimination based on assumed links between their names and the hierarchy of ethnoracial categories which influence social power. These are not individual experiences; two studies done in Canada demonstrated systematic hiring discrimination based on applicants’ names. (Eid 2012; Oreopoulos and Dechief 2011)" says Karen Pennesi in Diversity and Names: Designing for Belonging.

Karen Pennesi is a professor at Western University, and she is also the Vice President of the Canadian Society for the Study of Names. She studies how individual’s names are shaped, perceived, and often judged by personal evaluation, familial values, and societal mores (her project is here, and on Facebook here). Karen says, that “As symbols of identity, names influence self-perception and the unequal treatment of others. Names are especially important in issues related to immigration, social integration and belonging.”

I have often pondered about the reasons for feeling the way I did about reducing my name to my initials. I have come to realize that we truly belong only when we bring our entire, authentic selves. We can’t remove the uncomfortable parts of us and try to belong. I also realized that true belonging requires effort and practice – equally - by both parties. I need to make an effort to belong and others need to do the same too.

So, I have started introducing myself again as Taruna Goel. I put a conscious effort into my introduction. When I see that look on their face, I repeat my name – again and yet again – without hesitation. I spell my name when I can and tell the meaning of my name to make my introduction more memorable. I take an initiative to join the conversation when others are too afraid to pronounce my name and use that as an opportunity to introduce myself.

Names are the very foundation of linguistic communication. A world without them would be a very confusing place, says linguist Jennifer Dorman, senior instructional designer at the language-learning application Babbel. “Linguistically speaking, a name is what we use to refer to a person and provides a connection to someone’s unique identity,” says Dorman as cited in It’s Well Past Time White People Learn How To Say Everyone’s Names Correctly

"...names hold powerful psychological connections with how we see ourselves. In a world where identity is key and multifaceted, it makes sense then that names are, too." - Kavya Makam in The Name Game

But it is not all psychological and social. There is physiological evidence about the importance of hearing one's name too.

A scientific study published in Brain Research provides evidence that hearing one’s own name has unique brain functioning activation specific to one’s own name in relation to the names of others. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, brain activation patterns were examined in response to hearing one’s own first name in contrast to hearing the names of others. There are several regions in the left hemisphere that show greater activation to one’s own name, including middle frontal cortex, middle and superior temporal cortex, and cuneus.

So, to light up my brain, I am making the transition to introducing myself as Taruna Goel instead of TG. But all my friends and clients can always call me TG after they have been duly assessed for making a genuine effort in being able to say my name out loud correctly 😊

• Here's an educational resource for respecting ethnic names: https://twitter.com/AnpuLondon/status/1313994893405155333
• Here are some tips on How to get someone’s name right if it’s unfamiliar to you (theconversation.com)
• Here are some guidelines from Karen Pennesi for respectful and effective treatment of diverse names to be used in institutional and social contexts. These guidelines are informed by the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Universal Design for Belonging: Living and Working with Diverse Personal Names – Journal of Belonging, Identity, Language, and Diversity (J-BILD) (bild-lida.ca)
• The My Name, My Identity Initiative is intended to build a culture of respect & inclusiveness. As educators, take a pledge to pronounce student names correctly

PS: The study of names is called onomastics or onomatology. Onomastics covers the naming of all things, including place names (toponyms) and personal names (anthroponyms)

References and other readings:

• Brain Activation When Hearing One’s Own and Others’ Names, Dennis P. Carmody, Michael Lewis Brain Res. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2006.07.121 PMCID: PMC1647299
• https://www.linkedin.com/posts/tarunagoel_diversity-inclusion-belonging-activity-6706281802140651520-_nXz/
• https://www.aol.com/lifestyle/why-saying-kamala-harris-name-174400092.html
• https://www.wibwire.com/blog/the-name-game
• https://bildlida.wordpress.com/2016/05/08/diversity-and-names-designing-for-belonging-by-karen-penes/
• https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20210108-the-signals-we-send-when-we-get-names-wrong
• https://www.wellandgood.com/importance-pronouncing-names-correctly/
• https://hbr.org/2020/01/if-you-dont-know-how-to-say-someones-name-just-ask
• https://www.differenttruths.com/relationship-lifestyle/religion/tales-from-srimad-bhagavatam-the-story-of-ajamila-xii/ (Story of Ajamil and Narayan from Bhagwat Gita on the importance of names and calling out names shared by my Father with me on 17 April 2024)

Integrating Human Rights into Learning Design

Diversity People Heads - Free image on Pixabay

Yesterday, I attended a very informative webinar by The Institute for Performance and Learning on "Integrating Human Rights into Learning Design". It was led by Sharon Thira at BC'sOffice of the Human Rights Commissioner @humanrights4bc

During her talk, Sharon outlined the scope of human rights and how they intersect with learning and curricula. She specifically spoke about decolonizing curriculum design and highlighted design approaches including: 

- Kirkness & Barnhardt 4Rs

- Respectful Design 

- Trauma-informed Design

She spoke about the elements of a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) approach using the acronym: PANEL

P articipation
A ccountability
N on-discrimination and equality
E mpowerment and
L inkages to the legal human rights framework 

At the end of the webinar, I realized that no development work is power-neutral. It is the lack of power that leads to discrimination and exclusion. The session made me ponder about what I am doing to make sure that L&D programs are equally accessible to everyone across the board. I also thought about how I could apply the human rights-based approach to elevate the skills of people in a more equitable manner and make things more inclusive.

Related reading:

• What are human rights? - BC's Office of the Human Rights Commissioner (bchumanrights.ca)
• OptimizingThe Accessibility Of Your eLearning (dominknow.com)
• L&D has a racial inequity problem (chieflearningofficer.com)
• a11yresources- A growing list of accessibility tools and resources (webflow.io)
• Reducing Inequality and Bias in the Workplace - Training Industry
• What Works, and What Doesn’t, in Diversity Training: Research Library | TheLearning Guild
• Dr.Lesley-Ann Noel on Emancipatory Research and Design Thinking – University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Human Ecology
• IndigenizationProject – BCcampus
• Building Your UDL Toolkit – SET-BC