Evaluation

Competence-based evaluation

According to studies, evaluation and assessment methods have a greater significance than any other individual factor in terms of what and how students learn (Biggs 2003; Keurulainen 2018; Medland 2012). The students direct their actions and select their learning strategies according to how their competence is assessed and with which methods. Evaluation and its methods should be developed when developing students’ learning and education.

The traditional view of evaluation emphasises the relationship between teaching and learning. The evaluation focuses on what is learned as a result of teaching. In competence-based evaluation, competence is understood as a broader concept than a repetition of lessons learned (Virkkula et al. 2018.) In the competence-based approach, competence can also be acquired and demonstrated outside the institutional environment. However, it is important to remember that even in this case, the evaluation decision (the identification, evaluation and recognition process) must always be made in relation to the learning outcomes.

In competence-based evaluation, the students are never compared to each other. Instead, the evaluation must be goal-oriented and focus on developing the students’ competence. The student’s competence is assessed in relation to the intended learning outcomes and the assessment criteria derived from them. It is of paramount importance that the intended learning outcomes and assessment criteria are aligned. The intended learning outcomes are usually expressed in a neutral format, and the assessment criteria valuate them: they assign the learning outcomes value and significance.

The student’s self-evaluation plays an important role in competence-based evaluation. From the perspective of evaluation, the learner is a subject and a key actor. Instructional feedback and instructional evaluation during the student’s learning process makes the student’s self-assessment meaningful. This way, learning progresses according to the intended learning outcomes, and the student becomes aware of their competence.

Components of the evaluation

Competence-based evaluation can be perceived through various evaluation components: self-evaluation, instructional evaluation and making an assessment decision (Keurulainen 2018). When a student is guided with different feedback during the learning process, it can be considered instructional evaluation. The purpose of instructional evaluation is insight and aligning learning with the intended learning outcomes. We know that the student’s learning and intended learning outcomes can best be supported by giving feedback during learning. If components were valuated from the learning viewpoint, self-evaluation and instructional evaluation would be more significant than the assessment decision. From the perspective of the achieved competence, self-evaluation and instructional evaluation are significant, as they can also be used to influence the learning result. The assessment decision states the current situation. Therefore, evaluation is more than just making a decision.

Conclusion

High-standard evaluation of learning and competence is versatile, meaningful, encouraging and provides guidance. It should support learning, not be a tool of power (teacher on the student’s side, not as a judge). Evaluation must be based on intended learning outcomes and criteria, not on comparing students with each other. It would also be good to move from evaluating what has been learned (assessment of learning) to instructional evaluation (assessment for learning). Evaluation should be linked to the teaching and learning process so that the evaluation itself would provide an opportunity for learning (assessment as learning) and be a learning event in itself.

Page 1: Competence-based approach
Page 2: Modularity

Siru Lehto 13.1.2023