Oral and Written Feedback and Their Relationship with Using Different Assessment Methods in Higher Education

Introduction Higher education institutions are beginning to focus on learning and student centered education. No doubt, improving learning in higher education cannot be achieved without improving the assessment systems and assessment practices. Assessment systems affect students who are looking for qualification or high grades in order to be employed upon the completion of their studies. Assessment Methods Brookhart (2005) categorized assessment methods into four types: Paper-pencil assessment, performance assessment, oral communication, and portfolios. Alquraan (2007) added online and computer assisted testing, peer and self assessment, and students' notebooks. Paper-pencil assessment refers to multiple- choice, true-false, matching, fill-in-the-blank, restricted response, and essay items, and it is usually given in one setting (sit in for an exam). Each of these item formats has some advantages and disadvantages. The advantages and disadvantages are related to instructional objective cognitive levels, time in a unit of study, objectivity, subjectivity, wording, and students' belief in adequacy for assessing their real performance and skills (McMillan, 2006; Osterlind, 1998; Linn & Gronlund, 2000; Yildirim, 2004). According to Worthen (1993), Performance or authentic assessment has two main characteristics : "(a) they are viewed as alternatives to traditional multiple-choice, standardized achievement tests; and (b) they refer to direct examination of student performance that is relevant to life outside of classrooms"(p.445). Taylor (2003) defined authentic assessment as "an assessment that requires the application of knowledge to real-life, real-world activities" (p.139). Performance assessment refers to "an alternative assessment that requires students to do (demonstrate, perform, create, apply, build, solve, plan, show, illustrate, convince, or explain) some task"(Taylor, 2003: p.139). Oral and personal communication assessment evaluates learning during the instruction process. The oral/personal communication assessment method uses the students' verbal responses, and it could be combined with written responses. Joughin (1998) argues that a well-planned oral/personal communication assessment is much more useful than the unplanned one. Portfolios are systematic collections of student work over time, often with accompanying students' reflections. Paulson, Paulson, and Meyer (1992) defined a portfolio as "a purposeful collection of student works that exhibit students' efforts, progress, and achievement in one or more areas"(p.60). Students' portfolios may be used in any discipline, fitting the needs of many different learning outcomes (White, 2004). They are learning tools as well as assessment tools (Taylor, Thomas, & Sage, 1999). Furthermore, a portfolio is a type of performance assessment that provides a picture or tells a story about students' learning. They help teachers, parents, and learners to know what students know and can do outside of paper-pencil tests, class discussions, and other performance measures (Borich & Tombari, 2004). Portfolios can easily be integrated with instruction. They show what students can do, encourages students to become reflective learners, provides an effective way to communicate with parents, and increase students' motivation (Linn & Gronlund, 2000). Also, portfolios are used for summative assessment as well as formative assessment, selection, promotion, reflective learning, and professional development (Smith & Tellema, 2003). Self and peer assessment can be a useful way of providing feedback. In most universities and colleges tutor assessment is the most common method that is used to assess student's learning. Self and peer assessments are rarely used in higher education. Student self-assessment is a cognitive strategy that focuses on learning rather than on learning outcomes, because it helps the students to think about their thinking. …