Curriculum, pedagogy and E-Assessment

 

Curriculum over the time has been defined by the various scholars in various ways. Broadly when we talk about curriculum it can be considered as the medium which mainly emphasize on what the teachers are going to teach and what the learners are going to learn. It can also be considered as the checklist of the desired outcome. As we dwell deeper in to the start and the devising of the curriculum the term curriculum have been coined from the Latin word Currere which means to run according to Pratt, Barrow and Milburn. Since then it has been defined by various scholars in various forms. According to Caswell and Campbell (1935): curriculum is composed of all of the experiences children have under the guidance of the teacher." Next scholar Daniel Tanner and Laurel N. Tanner (1988) defines curriculum “that reconstruction of knowledge and experience systematically developed under the auspices of the school (or university), to enable the learner to increase his or her control of knowledge and experience." There are various scholars who have defined curriculum in various ways over the period of time. If we try to derive the essence of all these definitions it mainly emphasizes on what a student should acquire as the knowledge and skill. How a teacher should instruct their learners so that it facilitates on their learning. It also should specify how an assessment con be done so that the teachers knows that their facilitation was fruitful and how overall educational should be organized.

Pedagogy generally refers to the methods and practices of teaching. It includes all the strategies and ways that are used by the facilitator to help the learning of the students and also encourage into an effective instruction. If we dwell deeper into the term pedagogy it is an approach which enhances the learning of the learners as it focuses on the interaction between the teachers and the learners. It includes various aspects of learning that includes the formation of the curriculum, assessment techniques, classroom management and the use of the technologies. It is also a process that emphasize on the active involvement of the students leading to the inclusive learning environment in the class. A well-defined pedagogical system boosts up the soft skills like critical thinking, collaboration and creativity in the students. The various forms of teaching learning techniques as discussion, group work, hands-on activities and multimedia presentations cater to the different learning style and enhances the understanding of the students. However sometimes pedagogical may be different according to the need of the context, subject matter and the age factors of the students. If we consider all these aspects pedagogy is the heart of teaching which focuses on how the facilitator can frame a wonderful learning experience that promote the engagement of the students and develops their learning outcome.

E-assessment also known as electronic assessment refers to the involvement of the digital technology to know the learning and knowledge of the students. It also helps the facilitators understand the competencies of the students. "E-assessment is a process that utilizes computer technology to evaluate, measure, and document students' learning outcomes, achievements, and competencies in a wide range of educational contexts." (Race, Phil. "E-assessment for learning?") In the same way another scholar named Gikandi John W. Morrow, Derek, and Davis,Neal E. in the book “ Online formative Assessment in Higher Education: A Review of the literature” has defined E-assessment as "E-assessment is a method of assessment that uses digital technologies and tools to administer, deliver, and score assessments. It involves the use of computers, internet-based platforms, and interactive media to engage learners and provide feedback on their performance. This kind of assessment can be taken through various platforms like Quizzes, multimedia presentation, digital Portfolio, simulations and various interactive exercises. This kind of assessments has lots of flexibility in itself as it can be conducted remotely and has the conveniences to the students to complete the assignments on designated time.   The immediate feedback that the students get helps the students identify their strength and the weakness and helps them to work further. The ability in the rich multimedia integration helps in the integration of various multimedia like video, animations etc. which allows the students to presents their idea in a dynamic way which further enhances the assessment process. One of the best benefit that we have of this assessment is the collaboration and the peer assessment. This kind of assessment helps the students work together and exchange their ideas. Accessibility and inclusivity provides equal learning opportunities to all type of students which generally refers to audio, video, images etc. Students with diverse needs and abilities can fully participate, engage with the assessment content, and demonstrate their knowledge and skills effectively.

When we look into these three aspect in our learning we can understand that all three of them go hand in hand. The relationship between Curriculum, pedagogy and e-assessment are connected and they influence each other a lot. They are the elements of the teaching and learning process that works in harmony to support each other. Curriculum is a base which sets the foundation on the things that is to be delivered to the students and also explains on how it should be assessed. Along with that pedagogy is a process that helps in delivering the curriculum. Be it the instructional strategies, resources that are used in the teaching and learning and hands on activities. All in all it is the guideline which facilitate in the effective learning. On the other hand, e-assessment helps in the evaluation of the students. It is a process through which the facilitator measures the learning outcome of the students and also measures if that aligns with the curriculum provided. In simple word curriculum tells the teachers what to teach, the pedagogy helps the teachers on the way it is to be taught and the e-assessment helps in knowing the understanding of the students.  When these three aspect of the teaching process come together it creates a solid and impactful learning experience to the students. The alignment between these elements ensures that the students are being exposed to the relevant content according to their age and their learning ability, they are being involved in the meaningful learning activities which also includes the experiential learning and the life skills and are always provided with the valuable feedback which enhances their learning process and helps them to strive for better in the future.

Let’s look into an example the teacher is teaching the students of grade 3 about the plants which is defined in the curriculum. The curriculum emphasizes on inquiry based and practical skills.  The pedagogy that the teacher might apply be making the students explore and investigate about the plants through the use of the internet. And the teacher can also involve the student’s into the experiential learning through the visit to the garden where they can feel the real plant. When it is time for the students to showcase their learning, they can present their learning through the power point presentation. Not only that the students can present their understanding through the online quizzes and peer assessment which also focuses on the pedagogical approach of the collaborative learning.

The e-assessment class in the PGD this time helped me learn the various ways through which the learning of the students can be interesting and effective. It also helped me in the comprehensive understanding of the elements in the digital assessment. Also it enhanced my understanding of the development of the e-assessment plan through the use of the technology and also made me aware about the implementation of e-assessment technologies to promote productive and meaningful learning outcome. Each module in this e assessment fostered my knowledge and ideas about the use of the ICT in the assessment process. Module one which helped in the exploration of the digital age, its benefit and its challenges. Along with that it also highlighted the importance of aligning the e-assessment with the learning objective and educational goal to ensure effective and efficient learning outcome. The second module helped me understand the concept of assessment of learning, assessment for learning and assessment as learning. Along with that it also provided the comprehensive understanding of the importance of blended learning environment. It helped me understand that the digital tools can be used for the assignments and the assessment which can have an impactful learning environment. In the same way the third module helped me understand the concept of developing the comprehensive e-assessment strategy keeping in mind the learning strategy, educational goal and technological infrastructure. When we moved to the third module it help me understand why it is important to select and use the appropriate e-assessment tools which can be relevant, meaningful and engaging for the students. However this module also gave the reminder that whenever we are designing the e-assessment tool we should always keep into the consideration the learning objective, educational goal and give the students a clear instructions and appropriate feedback. The fourth module help me comprehend about the analytics in the e-assessment. It provided the overview of learning analytics, and its use in evaluating the students learning outcome and providing formative feedback. The fifth module helped me summarize the different types of alternative assessment including e-portfolio, journals, projects, group work and others. This module also assisted me in knowing the challenges and the benefits of the alternative assessment method in the e-learning.

When reflecting back on the learning of the e-assessment it gives me a very enriching feeling. When I look back to the knowledge and the ideas gained so far I consider it was a worth experience. There were application which I was aware about. But when I compare it with my previous knowledge I have gained more after the completion of the e assessment. I knew there were techniques through which the students could be assessed as COVID gave us the chance to imply it in the practice. But I was not aware that there were ample of ways and techniques through which we could assess our students. In my prior understanding I thought that the e assessment could be applicable only when the classes run through the online. But to my surprise e-assessment could also be conducted when we have our physical classes. I though the most convenient way of doing the assessment physically would be the pen and the paper test but the enrollment in this particular class has changed my perception on the way we take the test of our children. The students have ample opportunities to showcase their talent and they don’t have to rely solely on the pen and the paper to reflect their understanding. And even the teachers don’t need to take the test and have the hassle of correcting the piles of papers. A simple badge and the certificate which could be automatically generated can create the environment of learning to the students. The teacher can assess them on various aspects like their regularity on the class, assignments, reading etc. and as they receive these things there is the track of it. Which further on helps the teacher on assessing the students’ performance in the class. 

I was aware about the Google doc. I got the chance of the implementation of the same in the period of the COVID as the students were taking the online classes during that time. The ICT classes of the 1^st semester also helped me get acquainted with this tool. However this class helped me understand and differentiate about the Google form and the Google quiz. It enabled me to understand the change of the access on the URL. If that technique is applied in the daily teaching learning process it lessens the hassle of the user as well as it saves the time. The idea of the Hyper Doc, edpuzzle, also gave me the opportunities to look into the learning of my students in a different ways. A small micro learning of the particular topic can increase the learning of the students and can also make learning of the students enjoyable. Which was a good learning for me as it can help me in the classes in the days to come which can be effective in the learning among the students and can achieve the learning outcome desired form the curriculum.

This kind of tools and techniques were not actually implied in my teaching career. Some tools as quizzes, Khaoot, Google forms were used during the online classes. Along with that I was also aware about the Google Classroom as it was the medium through which I could conduct my classes. However after the opening of the physical classes these forms of the ICT tools and the simulations seemed to disappear. Teachers found it easy in their old traditional technique of teaching process. Nevertheless after my acquaintance with these apps, tools and techniques I figured out that it would be an added assets in our teaching process. Now as I further continue my teaching career I will add these learned practices in the plan. If I implement these practices in the plan first I will be integrating technology in the lessons which is the most important skill that a students of the 21^st century should learn. Apart from that the students don’t have to wait for knowing their feedback for days. The instant feedback generated form the computers helps the students strive for better learning. Not only that they will also know which area they are supposed to work on. There will be an inclusive learning along with that I will be meeting the need of the varied types of students. Some students might be techno friendly, they might be able to learn through the audio and the video. I will be catering the need of those types of students as they will learn through these medium and can also showcase their learning with the multimedia presentations. The teachers will feel the increased efficacy in their work. There will be less burden of the papers work as there will be automated scoring and manual grading. Sometimes I also allows the flexibility to the students to complete their assignment and their test. Sometimes the data that is generated from the system can help me in tracking the record and pattern of the students. Moreover if I start practicing this in my coming days the students will be more engaged and interactive. It will also lead to the managed classroom which further grows the learning which further contributes to the increased motivation, participation and retention of the knowledge. Thereof now I have to start to modify the plans that I make so that the learning objective of the curriculum is met with the intensified knowledge of the students.

All in all the learning of the e-assessment class has been an elevating experience to me. There were certain things that we had already applied in the class. There were many things that I can now start implementing in the class as the implementation of these things will lead into the effective learning of the students which ultimately meet the learning goal of the school and the curriculum.

References:

Daniel Tanner and Laurel N. Tanner (1988)

Caswell and Campbell (1935)

Gikandi John W. Morrow, Derek, and Davis,Neal E

Race, Phil.