http://blogs.rsc-wales.ac.uk RSC Wales Teaching and Learning Blog Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:52:37 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://blogs.rsc-wales.ac.uk/blog/2009/08/11/not-much-sign-of-the-%e2%80%98e%e2%80%99-in-%e2%80%98advanced%e2%80%99/ http://blogs.rsc-wales.ac.uk/blog/2009/08/11/not-much-sign-of-the-%e2%80%98e%e2%80%99-in-%e2%80%98advanced%e2%80%99/#comments Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:38:39 +0000 Christine Davies http://blogs.rsc-wales.ac.uk/blog/2009/08/11/not-much-sign-of-the-%e2%80%98e%e2%80%99-in-%e2%80%98advanced%e2%80%99/ QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority – but now QCDA) originally had high hopes  for the involvement of e-assessment in high-stakes, summative assessments like A levels. As we head towards Autumn 2009, there is little evidence of this, as highlighted in a recent Guardian article. Whilst the use of various technologies for formative assessment seems to be expanding (see RSC Wales blog of Nov, 2008), take-up of e-assessment for summative purposes in schools and colleges is mainly restricted to  certain GCSE subjects (eg. Science, AQA), and courses on basic and vocational skills (eg. GOLA).
The only technology-enabled A level examinations I’m aware of (but I’m happy to be corrected!) are run by the Welsh examination board WJEC (there have also been trials of onscreen assessment in some IB examinations (ie. International Baccalaureate). This summer, WJEC ran online examinations in 25 centres for two A level subjects – Applied Business and ICT –through the medium of Welsh as well as English ( the bilingual aspect is significant, since Welsh-language versions of questions tend to take up more space than their English counterparts, which may create issues of formatting).
There are many reasons why A levels remain largely paper-based, not least the cost of equipping institutions with the necessary technology and support. There are also good reasons why examination boards should look further at e-assessment – for example, the value of multimedia and interactivity for learners, and ease of marking for examiners. They might start with internally-assessed components (eg. course-work, science practicals, extended essays etc), and make use of technologies such as e-portfolios . This would extend the range of evidence that could be examined (eg. images, audio, blogs), and provide far more flexibility for internal and external moderation.

]]> http://blogs.rsc-wales.ac.uk/blog/2009/08/11/not-much-sign-of-the-%e2%80%98e%e2%80%99-in-%e2%80%98advanced%e2%80%99/feed/ 1