DIFFERENCE BETWEEN “ASSESSMENT” AND “EVALUATION”
Assessment is the process of objectively understanding the state or condition of a thing, by observation and measurement. Assessment of teaching means taking a measure of its effectiveness. “Formative” assessment is measurement for the purpose of improving it. “Summative” assessment is what we normally call “evaluation.”
Learners Assessment
As with any language there is need to assess students performance atstrategic points in the course, for example at the beginning or at the end. The facility to assess proficiency is therefore, central to the whole concept of Esp. Assessment enables teachers and learners to decide whether and how much language tuition is required. This information is learner-centered, course based, frequently anonymous, and not graded.
Course Evaluation
It is the process of observing and measuring a thing for the purpose of judging it and of determining its “value,” either by comparison to similar things, or to a standard. Course evaluation helps to assess whether the course objectives are being met or whether the course is doing what it was designed to do. Evaluation of the learner not only reflects the learners performance but to some effect the effectiveness of the course too. Course Evaluation focuses on grades and may reflect classroom components and these could include discussion, cooperation, attendance, and verbal ability.
Difference between Assessment and Evaluation.
Dimension of difference | Assessment | Evaluation |
Content: timing, primary purpose | Formative: ongoing, to improve learning. | Summative: final, to gauge quality. |
Orientation: focus of measurement | Process-oriented: how learning is going | Product-oriented: what’s been learned |
Findings: uses thereof | Diagnostic: identify areas for improvement | Judgmental: arrive at an overall grade/score. |
Administrator/Recipient Relationship | Reflective: Internally defined criteria/goals | Prescriptive: Externally imposed standards |
Ongoing Modifiability of Criteria, Measures | Flexible: Adjust as problem are clarified | Fixed: To reward success, punish failure |
Standards of Measurement | Absolute: Strive for ideal outcomes | Comparative: Divide better from worse |
Relation between objectives of A/E | Cooperative: Learn from each other | Competitive: Beat each other out |
STRENGTH WEAKNESSES OF ASSESSMENT:
Weaknesses:
Bias is inherent in many of the assessment tools and measures that are taken to make assessments reliable and valid, bias may still remain an issue to overcome. Another weakness of assessments can be the cost associated with the development and delivery of the assessment. Finally, but certainly not exhaustive of the assessment weaknesses is the issue of the acceptance of the evaluation results in their ability and use to serve as a baseline to measure effectiveness of educational programs.
Strength:
Student assessment information is used in planning and decision-making that includes the mission and goals of the institution; academic programs; student support services; and faculty evaluation and rewards. Assessment tools measure the skills and abilities and knowledge attainment of the students in all academic areas and the results serve as a baseline to measure effectiveness of educational programs.
STRENGTH AND WEAKNESSES OF EVALUATION:
Weaknesses:
The pre-post design of evaluation can show only short-term changes in the problem which cannot account for preexisting trends. The interrupted time series is very hard to use if special data collection methods, such as surveys, are used to measure the problem. It cannot account for the possibility that some other factor occurred at the same time as the response, and caused the problem to change. Moreover, it takes long time to establish results. Pre-post design with a group can show only short-term changes in the problem and it requires a control group that is similar to response group. Besides that, multiple time series is very hard to use if special data collection methods, such as surveys, are used to measure the problem.
Strengths:
The pre-post design of evaluation is simple and quick to implement which can easily be used with surveys while providing a reasonable estimate of the post-response change in the problem. On the other hand, interrupted time series is easy to use with data routinely collected over many time periods which can rule out preexisting trends and many other alternative explanations. The pre-post with a control group can easily be used with surveys. It can also account for the possibility that some other factor occurred at the same time as the response, and caused the problem to change. Multiple time series is easy to use with data routinely collected over many time periods.
For Assessment it means emphasizing what tests can tell us about learning needs and while in course evaluation we need to involve all those who share the learning process in making the ESP course as satisfying to the parties as possible. The origin of ESP lies in satisfying the needs. Evaluation helps to assess how well the needs that have created the demand for a course are being served.