Is the way we assess students healthy?

Dr Bhawana Bhatta Kaudal, (edited by Dr Daniel Andrews) School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne

As an assessment due date approaches, stress levels reach boiling point for many University students. But why do assessment tasks induce so much stress? And how could educators attempt to reduce assessment related stress?

Assessment induced stress

Assessment related stress causes many students to perform worse than they should on assessment tasks (based on their understanding of the subject content). Worst still, assessment related stress can negatively impact the student’s mental and physical health. But where does this stress come from?

One of the main culprits is the students own high expectations of themselves, with many considering a low mark a failure. Students may also feel stress because of the consequences of poor performance, including failing a subject or thinking they won’t be able to land the job they want. Parents may also have high expectations of their children, which can place even more stress onto a student’s shoulders.

High-stakes assessment tasks

High-stakes assessment tasks are the worst culprits for inducing stress.

For some students, the most stressful thing about an exam is the time pressure. This is one stressor that can be alleviated, by setting a longer time-frame for students to complete the exam. As long as the exam questions are applied and not “googleable”, a strict time limit is not required.

It is important to remember that the main purpose of any assessment is to help students learn. At the end of the day, are exams really the best measure of the knowledge and skills that a student has gained through their learning in a subject?

Shifting the mindset

Making assessments less stressful requires shifting both the educator and student mindset. Educators can help to shift student’s mindset by reframing the value of assessment. Replacing high-stakes assessments with multiple authentic assessment tasks is a great way to reduce student stress. This shifts the focus to using assessment tasks to develop the knowledge and skills, rather than just getting a high mark.

Communication & feedback

Better communication and timely feedback around assessment tasks also helps to reduce assessment related stress. If the students have a better understanding of what is required of them in the assignment (made clear with comprehensible rubrics and assignment timelines), they have a better chance of completing the assignment to the required level, while keeping their stress to a manageable level.

Timely feedback on assessments can also help students to reduce anxiety and build confidence for future assessments. Another option is to use formative assessment, where students can build their knowledge & skills, and the educator can identify areas where students may be struggling (allowing additional support to be provided).

Non-traditional assessments

No one course assessment regime will suit all students. But there are ways to build some flexibility into an assessment regime. What about allowing students to pick their own assessment type?

For example, students could choose either to write a report, or make a poster, or do an oral presentation. This would allow students to play to their strengths or develop skills they were interested in aquiring, all while taking increased ownership of their studies.

Educators and institutions who value the wellbeing of students highly could even consider changing the grade system to pass-fail. With pass-fail system, students won’t have the pressure to achieve high grades. Instead, they can focus on learning for understanding, rather than to pass a test.

A study looking at the effect of pass-fail grading on the mental wellbeing of medical students showed pass-fail grading significantly reduced stress, while increasing group cohesion (compared with traditional grading system) (Rohe et al., 2006).

Assessment related stress is a huge issue for University students. But, there are some simple ways educators can help to relieve some of this stress for students. Afterall, we want students to be focusing on learning not just chasing a high score!

 

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Resources:

• Rohe DE, Barrier PA, Clark MM, Cook DA, Vickers KS, Decker PA. The benefits of pass-fail grading on stress, mood, and group cohesion in medical students. Mayo Clin Proc. 2006 Nov;81(11):1443-8. doi: 10.4065/81.11.1443. PMID: 17120399. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17120399/