About this Course

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The Foundations of Teaching for Learning programme is for anyone who is teaching, or who would like to teach, in any subject and any context - be it at school, at home or in the workplace. With dynamic lessons taught by established and respected professionals from across the Commonwealth, this eight course programme will see you develop and strengthen your skills in teaching, professionalism, assessment, and more. As you carry on through the programme, you will find yourself strengthening not only your skills, but your connection with colleagues across the globe. A professional development opportunity not to be missed. 
There are various techniques which help to assess student learning. This course helps teacher to acquire the skills to develop and use appropriate assessment procedures. 

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Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

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Approx. 12 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Approx. 12 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.78/5 (115 Ratings)

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(3,190 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

2 hours to complete

An Introduction to Assessment Theory and Practice

What is the purpose of assessment? Research has shown that opinions on this differ around the world. In this week’s general introduction to assessment theory and practice, you can compare your own experience of assessment with some contrasting experiences from different parts of the world. We will take a clear look at how educational assessment integrates and links curriculum, teaching, and learning. We will then look at cultural factors that may influence the teaching practices of your workplace.

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 67 min), 4 readings, 1 quiz

5 videos

How societies use assessment and what you believe are the purposes of assessment15mFormative & Summative: Understanding the impact of timing on assessment decisions11mThe Curriculum-Teaching-Assessment cycle: A framework for integrating assessment with instruction10mCultural Concern: Perspectives of minorities on educational assessment13mDiscussion 117m

4 readings

General Overview10mSyllabus10mGrading and Logistics10mOutline for Week One10m

1 practice exercise

Quiz 130m

Week2

Week 2

3 hours to complete

The nature of feedback in improving teaching and learning

Feedback can vary greatly in its effectiveness. In the lectures this week we will identify the key characteristics of good (and bad) feedback. We will explore the practice of incorporating feedback into teaching. Teachers and students have their own views on what constitutes effective feedback. Understanding these views can help you to decide how you should give feedback to your own students. We will ask you to consider how you can best provide feedback to minority students. By the end of the week you should be able to generate your own examples of effective feedback for students.

3 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 59 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

Week3

Week 3

2 hours to complete

Reporting student achievement

Welcome back to our third week of exploring ideas connected to assessment. In the lectures this week, we explore current approaches to reporting and raise important questions about their validity. We will consider the strengths and weaknesses of standardized test scores and point you to effective techniques for writing reports and giving feedback that will actually help students and pupils improve their learning. We will give you tools for use in your own practice and encourage you how reporting practices used with majority groups might need to be modified for use with parents from minority groups.

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 60 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Week4

Week 4

3 hours to complete

Guidelines for developing and using objectively answered question procedures

This week we describe specific techniques for designing assessment tools. The assessment tool that we will focus on is multiple-choice questions (MCQs), however we will present a number of different formats. You will be given practical advice and tools for creating a variety of good test questions. The key point to note is that unless such objectively-scored questions are written well, getting them right will not be an indicator of knowledge or skill in the domain being assessed. Test-wiseness (i.e., knowing how to answer such questions) increases test scores but this is no guarantee students actually understand more. Hence, care and attention needs to be paid to how test questions are written. Stay active – and enjoy the learning this week.

3 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 62 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

Week5

Week 5

2 hours to complete

Guidelines for developing and using human judgement scoring procedures

Last week we focused on assessments that could be scored against agreed correct answers. We will now look at judgement-based assessments. The main assessment method used in teaching has changed from objective-style to using judgement-based assessment. This change has brought forward some new issues for us to consider. We will introduce you to challenges that are inherent in designing and evaluating student performance in open-ended formats in the first lecture. In the next two lectures we will focus on two assessment tools that are often used under judgement-based conditions: the rubric and the essay. In the last lecture, we will explore the concepts of moderation and inter-rater reliability. The topics for this week require you to grapple with notions of accuracy, quality, reliability, validity, and error. By the end of the week you should be able to design a valid and reliable assessment task and corresponding marking scheme (rubric).

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 59 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Week6

Week 6

2 hours to complete

Guidelines for developing and using procedures that involve students in assessment

In this final week we will define two assessment practices that involve student participation: self-assessment and peer assessment. We will provide you with exemplars of both kinds of assessment for your own personal use, and point you to important issues that you will need to consider when preparing your own assessments. By the end of this week you should be able to create peer and self-assessment tasks that facilitate learning for children you teach.

2 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 55 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Reviews

4.8

131 reviews

5 stars
85.53%
4 stars
10.90%
3 stars
2.93%
2 stars
0.62%

TOP REVIEWS FROM FOUNDATIONS OF TEACHING FOR LEARNING: INTRODUCTION TO STUDENT ASSESSMENT

by NIApr 27, 2017

Really liked the course and learnt about different modes of assessment and their objectives. Wish we got more about gamification of assessment, especially applying non-zero sum game philosophy.

by JTAug 19, 2017

I really learned a lot from this course. I hope they can make a follow up course dealing more extensively on the different formats of tests and how to analyze validity and reliability of test items.

by CFFeb 28, 2016

Excellent course, full of interesting, practical ideas and sources of inspiration. I loved it.

by KDMay 29, 2017

thank you!! I really enjoyed this course, and now understand the assessment process better.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Foundations of Teaching for Learning: Introduction to Student Assessment