Assessing and Evaluating for Learning/A and E Course Glossary

This glossary is being developed with the help of course participants and will continue to grow.

This link takes you to a list of instruction words and their definitions from the Online Information Literacy collaborative project between the University of Otago, Dunedin College of Education and Otago Polytechnic.

Glossary of Useful Terms provides a larger range of assessment definitions from SABES (System for Adult Basic Education Support) Massachusetts Department of Education.

=Course Title= Assessment - defined

as·sess·ment n. 1. The act of assessing; appraisal.


 * The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

assess verb [T] to judge or decide the amount, value, quality or importance of something


 * (from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

Assessment = Any systematic method of obtaining information from tests and other sources, used to draw inferences about characteristics of people, objects, or programs; the process of gathering, describing, or quantifying information about performance; an exercise-such as a written test, portfolio, or experiment-that seeks to measure a student's skills or knowledge in a subject area.


 * (from SABES glossary of useful terms)

Evaluation - defined

e·val·u·ate tr.v. e·val·u·at·ed, e·val·u·at·ing, e·val·u·ates e·valu·ation n.
 * 1. To ascertain or fix the value or worth of.
 * 2. To examine and judge carefully; appraise. See Synonyms at estimate.
 * 3. Mathematics To calculate the numerical value of; express numerically.


 * The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

evaluate verb [T] to judge or calculate the quality, importance, amount or value of something evaluation noun [C or U]


 * (from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)

Evaluation = When used for most educational settings, evaluation means to measure, compare, and judge the quality of student work, schools, or a specific educational program.


 * (from SABES glossary of useful terms)

=Other assessment words=

Compare – defined Compare – write the advantages and disadvantages (pros & cons) of two points of view (or key points)


 * Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09

Critically analyse – defined Critically analyse – indepth evaluation
 * 1) break it down and evaluate
 * 2) think about how it works and what you think about it
 * 3) what would you tell your friend over coffee of how it does not work
 * Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09

Define – defined Define – a clear concise definition of the term or concept
 * Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09

Demonstrate – defined Demonstrate – to show how something is done, process and completion
 * Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09

Discuss – defined Discuss – explain your ideas from different angles
 * Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09

Discuss – explain the topic of the assignment from a variety of perspectives
 * Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09

Discuss – to provide information on the topic from several angles, ie, not a one word answer
 * Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09

Evaluate – defined Evaluate – to identify positives, negatives and then to conclude
 * Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09

Evaluate – find the value for… value can be either quantitative or qualitative
 * Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09

Identify – defined Identify – point out
 * Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09

List – defined List – create a column of important points/components/aspects of the item
 * Informal definition from class participant, A&E course workshop 6 Aug 09

Rote learning– defined Rote learning is learning things by repeating them without thinking about them or trying to understand them. Rote learned material can be recited or reproduced in writing, but it does not necessarily mean that the knowledge has been understood or can be applied to another situation.
 * Informal definition from A&E course participant, Aug 09