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Enhancing thinking through continuous assessment
Author
Lee, Cho Seng
Supervisor
Chang, Agnes Shook Cheong
Abstract
In recent years, the advancement of science and technology has been growing at an exponential rate. Academics, educators and teachers in institutions of higher learning are all confronted with the problem of preparing their students to meet future challenges. As pointed out by Chen et a1 [l], those who are involved have acknowledged and realized that it is not possible to cramp and transfer all the " essential knowledge and competence of a profession " within a short span of 4-5 years of tertiary education. What should be emphasized is the need to prepare students to think critically.
The importance of critical thinking in tertiary education has been widely acknowledged and shared by many leading educators. Hale [2] asserted that an implicit aim of higher education is to encourage students to think for themselves. Gibbs [3] elaborated this aim further. Besides training students to develop their intellectual and imaginative powers, to improve their communication and problem solving skills, programmes in institutions of higher learning must also aim to stimulate an enquiry, analytical and creative approach to encourage independent judgement and critical self-awareness. Furthermore, two studies on higher education conducted at Monash University in Australia and at the University of Alberta in Canada have also identified three educational objectives summarized by Knapper [4] as follows:
Teaching students to analyse ideas or issues critically, to comprehend principles or generalizations, and training students to develop intellectual thinking skills.
Recently, Chang [5] reported some rather disturbing findings. The results of surveys carried out in both polytechnics and universities in Singapore reveal that many undergraduates, irrespective of discipline and year of studies, are surface learners. They are very dependent on their lecturers and tutors for reading materials and model answers to tutorial problems. Furthermore, they have only a superficial interest in their chosen programmes of study, and are therefore very likely to set a low achievement goal. Though the surveys conducted are not extensive and comprehensive, they should be regarded as warning signals in tertiary education!
Recent work by Laurillard [6] and others on student learning has discovered that students are able to vary their study strategies in response to different learning contexts. It is also noted that even in the same context, different students often choose to adopt very different study strategies. Thus, Elton [7] suggests that since students can change their study strategies that are appropriate to the particular learning situation in which their learning takes place, lecturers can and should use definite teaching strategies available to them to influence students in their learning processes so that the aims of education are achieved.
Chang [5,8] also points out that students learn according to the way they are taught and assessed. If non-routine problems are expected in an examination, students will make an effort to be more critical and analytical in their learning. Thus the methods of assessment used by lecturers are one of the most critical of all influences on their learning ! In the literature, Newbie and Jaeger [g], Thomas [l01 and Sharp [l11 have also reported that systematic changes in the learning environment can be used to influence students' approaches to learning and their study strategies. Thus, in order to prepare students to be critical thinkers in tertiary education, continuous assessment is undoubtedly one of the main teaching strategies lecturers can and should use.
Lee [l?] reported that many students in the module NAM 333 ( Numerical Analysis ) offered in Semester I of the 1994 195 academic year did not possess the skills of processing information and acquiring knowledge. They lacked the ability to reason logically and think critically, and they did not know how to make the best use of support facilities like library to meet the needs in their studies. All these students are taking the module NAM 303 ( Mathematical Methods ) in Semester I1 of the 1994 195 academic year. In this project, it is desired to use continuous assessment as a means to engage students in high level thinking activities like analysis of problem, logical reasoning and critical thinking in the problem solution process.
The importance of critical thinking in tertiary education has been widely acknowledged and shared by many leading educators. Hale [2] asserted that an implicit aim of higher education is to encourage students to think for themselves. Gibbs [3] elaborated this aim further. Besides training students to develop their intellectual and imaginative powers, to improve their communication and problem solving skills, programmes in institutions of higher learning must also aim to stimulate an enquiry, analytical and creative approach to encourage independent judgement and critical self-awareness. Furthermore, two studies on higher education conducted at Monash University in Australia and at the University of Alberta in Canada have also identified three educational objectives summarized by Knapper [4] as follows:
Teaching students to analyse ideas or issues critically, to comprehend principles or generalizations, and training students to develop intellectual thinking skills.
Recently, Chang [5] reported some rather disturbing findings. The results of surveys carried out in both polytechnics and universities in Singapore reveal that many undergraduates, irrespective of discipline and year of studies, are surface learners. They are very dependent on their lecturers and tutors for reading materials and model answers to tutorial problems. Furthermore, they have only a superficial interest in their chosen programmes of study, and are therefore very likely to set a low achievement goal. Though the surveys conducted are not extensive and comprehensive, they should be regarded as warning signals in tertiary education!
Recent work by Laurillard [6] and others on student learning has discovered that students are able to vary their study strategies in response to different learning contexts. It is also noted that even in the same context, different students often choose to adopt very different study strategies. Thus, Elton [7] suggests that since students can change their study strategies that are appropriate to the particular learning situation in which their learning takes place, lecturers can and should use definite teaching strategies available to them to influence students in their learning processes so that the aims of education are achieved.
Chang [5,8] also points out that students learn according to the way they are taught and assessed. If non-routine problems are expected in an examination, students will make an effort to be more critical and analytical in their learning. Thus the methods of assessment used by lecturers are one of the most critical of all influences on their learning ! In the literature, Newbie and Jaeger [g], Thomas [l01 and Sharp [l11 have also reported that systematic changes in the learning environment can be used to influence students' approaches to learning and their study strategies. Thus, in order to prepare students to be critical thinkers in tertiary education, continuous assessment is undoubtedly one of the main teaching strategies lecturers can and should use.
Lee [l?] reported that many students in the module NAM 333 ( Numerical Analysis ) offered in Semester I of the 1994 195 academic year did not possess the skills of processing information and acquiring knowledge. They lacked the ability to reason logically and think critically, and they did not know how to make the best use of support facilities like library to meet the needs in their studies. All these students are taking the module NAM 303 ( Mathematical Methods ) in Semester I1 of the 1994 195 academic year. In this project, it is desired to use continuous assessment as a means to engage students in high level thinking activities like analysis of problem, logical reasoning and critical thinking in the problem solution process.
Date Issued
1995
Call Number
QA11 Lee
Date Submitted
1995