ERIC Number: EJ1093459
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 19
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0260-2938
EISSN: N/A
Does Calibration Reduce Variability in the Assessment of Accounting Learning Outcomes?
O'Connell, Brendan; De Lange, Paul; Freeman, Mark; Hancock, Phil; Abraham, Anne; Howieson, Bryan; Watty, Kim
Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, v41 n3 p331-349 2016
Reliable, consistent assessment process that produces comparable assessment grades between assessors and institutions is a core activity and an ongoing challenge with which universities have failed to come to terms. In this paper, we report results from an experiment that tests the impact of an intervention designed to reduce grader variability and develop a shared understanding of national threshold learning standards by a cohort of reviewers. The intervention involved consensus moderation of samples of accounting students' work, with a focus on three research questions. First, what is the quantifiable difference in grader variability on the assessment of learning outcomes in "application skills" and "judgement"? Second, does participation in the workshops lead to reduced disparity in the assessment of the students' learning outcomes in "application skills" and "judgement"? Third, does participation in the workshops lead to greater confidence by reviewers in their ability to assess students' skills in application skills and judgement? Our findings suggest consensus moderation does reduce variability across graders and also builds grader confidence.
Descriptors: Higher Education, Foreign Countries, Accounting, Outcomes of Education, Experiments, Intervention, Workshops, Academic Standards, Control Groups, Comparative Analysis, Scores
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Australia
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A