Important: Translated automatically from Spanish by 🌐💬 Aphra 1.0.0
When I started working as a teacher in Ciclos Formativos1, I knew I would have to evaluate using Learning Outcomes (LO from now on) and Assessment Criteria (AC from now on). Another thing entirely was whether I had a clear understanding of what that meant.
So the first thing I did was to search for the content of the professional modules I had to teach, sequenced them into units, and decided which LO I would work on in each of them. That turned out to be my first big mistake.
Today I want to tell you how I do it now, which is still far from perfect, with the aim of shedding some light for those teachers who are just starting out. I hope the veterans keep reading, but only to correct me to help me do it better.
First things first. What are LOs? I’m not going to give a technical definition, it could simply be said that they are the didactic objectives that students must achieve to pass a module. The ACs of each LO indicate to us teachers what we should look at to know if it has been achieved or not. We find this same thing in other stages, with different nomenclature. To understand each other, we could simplify the following equivalences (with many nuances):
| Stage | Denomination of the different subjects | Didactic objective | What I look at to know if it’s achieved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vocational Training | Professional Module | Learning Outcome | Assessment Criterion |
| ESO2 and Bachillerato3 | Subject | Assessment Criterion | Learning Standard |
| Primary | Area | Learning Standard | Indicator |
| Preschool | Area | Objective | Assessment Criterion |
Why so many different nomenclatures? That’s a great question – I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for it.
What interests us now is how to approach the module programming taking into account the LOs and ACs. If this is our starting point, it will be much easier for the assessment than if we start by looking at the content.
I recommend classifying the ACs of each LO into basic, intermediate, or advanced levels. The basic ones would be the simplest, those of which the students should have the clearest ideas to overcome the LO. Usually the first ones on the list. Then we have the intermediate ones, which require minimum prior knowledge of the basics to make any sense of them. Last but not least, the advanced ones. The last step of knowledge within the LO. To understand each other, those that make the difference between a notable and an outstanding. It may happen that an LO has no advanced ACs or even that we consider it has no intermediate ones because they all have the same degree of importance.
This classification will allow us to make a weighted average of these criteria to obtain a qualification of the LO. For example, we could consider that the basic ones have a weight of 4, the intermediate ones a weight of 2, and the advanced ones a weight of 1. Thus, if an LO has 6 criteria distributed as follows: c1 (basic), c2 (basic), c3 (basic), c4 (intermediate), c5 (intermediate) and c6 (advanced), the qualification of the LO would be calculated by adding the multiplications of the grade of each criterion by its corresponding weight and dividing the result by the sum of all the weights. For example:
LO = (c1*4+c2*4+c3*4+c4*2+c5*2+c6*1)/(4+4+4+2+2+1)
This formula calculates a weighted average of the criteria grades, giving more importance to basic criteria and less to advanced ones.
And where does the qualification of each criterion come from? From the assessment instruments. The next step would be, therefore, to assign assessment instruments to each criterion. How many? If it’s your first time doing something like this, I would recommend only one, because the number of grades increases very quickly (from the start you’ll have one per criterion). That doesn’t mean we need as many instruments as criteria, because they can be grouped. For example, we may be interested in assessing three criteria using the same work, although I recommend indicating the rubric of each criterion individually. That work would have three grades. The same can happen with an exam in which we assess several criteria, which would have more than one associated grade. If we assign more than one instrument per criterion, we can also opt for an arithmetic or weighted average.
Following this proposed scheme, we could indicate to the students in each evaluation what is the exact qualification they have at that moment for each of the Learning Outcomes.
Finally, for the calculation of the final qualification of the module, we can also choose to make an arithmetic average of all the LOs (considering them all equally important) or a weighted average assigning a different percentage to each one.
Remember to make clear at the beginning of the course how you are going to carry out the assessment, both in the teaching program and to the students.
If you want some example of this classification in modules such as Local Networks4, Network Services5 or Computer Security6, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Update 19-06-2024: I usually grade directly on the Moodle7 platform. I configure the calculations so that students can access their evaluation in real time. This way, they can also check the corresponding rubric or feedback comments. However, as several of you have asked me for a spreadsheet for grading, I have prepared one that can serve as an example of application. It is generic with the aim of adapting to all modules. You can access it (it is possible to create a copy) at this link. In the “Configuration” sheet are the instructions to adapt it to different modules. You also have an example with fictitious information of a supposed module with 5 Learning Outcomes at this link.
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Ciclos Formativos refers to specific vocational training programs in the Spanish education system, typically pursued after completing compulsory secondary education. ↩︎
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ESO (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria) is the Spanish equivalent of compulsory secondary education, typically for students aged 12-16. ↩︎
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Bachillerato is a two-year pre-university course in Spain, roughly equivalent to A-levels in the UK or the last two years of high school in the US. ↩︎
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Local Networks (Redes Locales) is a professional module in Spanish IT vocational training that covers the design, implementation, and maintenance of local area networks. ↩︎
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Network Services (Servicios en Red) is a professional module that focuses on the configuration and management of network services such as DNS, DHCP, web servers, etc. ↩︎
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Computer Security (Seguridad Informática) is a professional module that covers various aspects of cybersecurity, including network security, access control, and data protection. ↩︎
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Moodle is a widely used open-source learning management system that allows educators to create personalized learning environments. ↩︎
