3.

Improving Structure and Quality of Assessments

For improving the structure and quality of assessment in our programs following points need to be
remembered:

1. In Indian engineering education system written examinations play major role in assessing the
learning and awarding of grades to the student. Universities and colleges give highest
weightage to the outcomes of the written examinations in overall grading. Questions raised
in the examination / test papers play an important role in defining the level of learning the
student is expected to achieve in the courses and hence in the program. Since, assessment
drives learning, the design of question papers need to go beyond mere test of memory recall.
They also need to test higher order abilities and skills.
2. Written examinations assess a very limited range of outcomes and cognitive levels.
Particularly in the courses, where course outcomes cover a broad range of expectations,
written examinations alone will not be sufficient to make valid judgements about student
learning. A wide range of assessment methods (example; term papers, open ended problem-
solving assignments, course / lab project rubrics, portfolios etc.) need to be employed to
ensure that assessment methods match with learning outcomes.
3. It is advisable to formulate assessment plans for each of the course in the program that brings
clarity to the following
a. Alignment of assessment with learning outcome of the course
b. Level of learning (cognitive) student is expected to achieve
c. Assessment method to be adapted

The method to align examination questions / assessment to course outcomes and hence POs was
discussed in the section-1. The following sections discuss application of blooms taxonomy framework
to create optimal structure of examination papers to test the different cognitive skills.

3.1 Bloom’s Taxonomy for Assessment Design

Bloom’s Taxonomy provides an important framework to not only design curriculum and teaching
methodologies but also to design appropriate examination questions belonging to various cognitive
levels. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives developed in 1956 by Benjamin Bloom [6] was
widely accepted by educators for curriculum design and assessment. In 2001, Anderson and Krathwohl
modified Bloom’s taxonomy [7] to make it relevant to the present-day requirements. It attempts to
divide learning into three types of domains (cognitive, affective, and behavioural) and then defines
the level of performance for each domain. Conscious efforts to map the curriculum and assessment
to these levels can help the programs to aim for higher-level abilities which go beyond remembering
or understanding, and require application, analysis, evaluation or creation.

Revised Bloom’s taxonomy in the cognitive domain includes thinking, knowledge, and application of
knowledge. It is a popular framework in engineering education to structure the assessment as it
characterizes complexity and higher-order abilities. It identifies six levels of competencies within the
cognitive domain (Fig. 2) which are appropriate for the purposes of engineering educators.

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According to revised Bloom’s taxonomy, the levels in cognitive domain are as follows:

Level Descriptor Level of attainment

1 Remembering Recalling from memory of previously learned material

2 Understanding Explaining ideas or concepts

3 Applying Using information in another familiar situation

4 Analysing Breaking information into part to explore

understandings and relationships

5 Evaluating Justifying a decision or course of action

6 Creating Generating new ideas, products or new ways of

viewing things

Fig. 2, Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy

Bloom’s taxonomy is hierarchical, meaning that learning at the higher level requires that skills at
lower level are attained.

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3.2 Action Verbs for Assessment
Choice of action verbs in constructing assessment questions is important to consider. Quite often,
the action verbs are indicators of the complexity (level) of the question. Over the time, educators
have come up with taxonomy of measurable verbs corresponding to each of the Bloom’s cognitive
levels [8]. These verbs help us not only to describe and classify observable knowledge, skills and
abilities but also to frame the examination or assignment questions that are appropriate to the level
we are trying to assess.

A suggestive list of skills / competencies to be demonstrated at each of the Bloom’s level and
corresponding cues/ verbs for the examination / test questions are given below

Level Skill Demonstrated Question Ques / Verbs

for tests

• Ability to recall of information like, facts,

1. Remember list, define, tell,
conventions, definitions, jargon, technical
describe, recite,
terms, classifications, categories, and
recall, identify, show,
criteria
label, tabulate,
· ability to recall methodology and
quote, name, who,
procedures, abstractions, principles, and
when, where, etc.
theories in the field
• knowledge of dates, events, places
• mastery of subject matter

• understanding information describe, explain,

2. Understand • grasp meaning paraphrase,
• translate knowledge into new context restate, associate,
• interpret facts, compare, contrast contrast, summarize,
• order, group, infer causes differentiate
• predict consequences interpret, discuss

• use information calculate, predict,

3. Apply • use methods, concepts, laws, theories in new apply, solve,
situations illustrate, use,
• solve problems using required skills or demonstrate,
knowledge determine, model,
• Demonstrating correct usage of a method or experiment, show,
procedure examine, modify

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 4. Analyse • break down a complex problem into parts. classify, outline, break
• Identify the relationships and interaction down, categorize,
between the different parts of complex analyze, diagram,
problem. illustrate, infer, select
• identify the missing information, sometimes
the redundant information and the
contradictory information, if any.

5. Evaluate • compare and discriminate between ideas assess, decide, choose,

• assess value of theories, presentations rank, grade, test,
• make choices based on reasoned argument measure, defend,
• verify value of evidence recommend, convince,
• recognize subjectivity select, judge, support,
• use of definite criteria for judgments conclude, argue, justify,
compare, summarize,
evaluate

6. Create • use old ideas to create new ones design, formulate,

• Combine parts to make (new) whole, build, invent, create,
• generalize from given facts compose, generate,
• relate knowledge from several areas derive, modify,
• predict, draw conclusions develop, integrate

It may be noted that some of the verbs in the above table are associated with multiple Bloom’s
Taxonomy level. These verbs are actions that could apply to different activities. We need to keep in
mind that it’s the skill, action or activity we need out students to demonstrate that will determine the
contextual meaning of the verb used in the assessment question.

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3.3 Assessment Planning
While using Bloom’s taxonomy framework in planning and designing of assessment of student
learning, following points need to be considered:

1. Normally the first three learning levels; remembering, understanding and applying and to
some extent fourth level analysing are assessed in the Continuous Internal Evaluation (CIE)
and semester End Examinations (SEE), where students are given limited amount of time. And
abilities; analysis, evaluation and creation can be assessed in extended course works or in
variety of student works like course projects, mini / minor projects, internship experience and
final year projects.

Fig. 3 Assessment methods for different Bloom’s cognitive levels

2. Before adopting this framework for reforms in examination system of a University/Institution,

it is worthwhile to study the present pattern of assessment in each of the course in the
program to gain insight about:
a) Alignment of assessment questions with course learning outcomes
b) Whether all the learning outcomes are tested; sometimes some learning outcomes are
over tested at the expense of others which may be not tested at all.
c) Overall weightage in the assessment, to each of the Bloom’s learning levels
d) Assessment methods used to adequately assess the content and desired learning
outcomes

Based on the study, improvement priorities for each of the above factors need to be arrived
at. The reform process need to be well planned and implemented through institutional
strategy and communicated to the all stakeholders particularly to the students.
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