Evaluation as a method of assessment

Ruth Craig, Queens University Belfast

Presentation at Vocational Teachers Forum II, 1 July 2002

In her session at the second Vocational Teachers Forum Ruth, a lecturer at the Institute for Professional Legal Studies at Queens University Belfast, presented her experiences of assessing students’ ability to evaluate their own and other peoples’ performances in interview situations.

Student evaluations encourage reflective learning, provide students with a tool for self analysis which is useful for future practice and encourage participation by the whole class, keeping students focused. They are of primary relevance to skills courses, but might not be appropriate to substantive or procedural courses if the ability to evaluate is what is being assessed. Evaluation needs to become an integral part of the whole course in question – it cannot be an added extra.

Arising out of this, the skills necessary for useful evaluation have to be embedded in the course as well as the actual ‘headline’ skill being taught. Students must be given very clear induction, so that they understand the place of evaluation in the course and in assessment.

Evaluation on a client care course

The client care course at the Institute is focused on the needs and expectations of the client. It is primarily interview based, and employs small group work using role play.

Learning outcomes:

1. To improve trainees’ ‘mechanical skills’ – structuring interviews, identifying necessary information etc.
2. To improve trainees’ interpersonal skills – respect, communication, empowerment.
3. To improve trainees’ ability to evaluate and analyse how an interview has been conducted.

During each role play trainees are requested to complete evaluations of their colleagues’ performance. They use these to inform their discussion of the interviews as they progress and on completion. Formal assessment is based on an evaluation exercise. Originally, trainees ‘paired’ for an interview as lawyer and client and then completed a written evaluation of the interview (either peer or self evaluation). Now all trainees complete a written evaluation of a pre-recorded video.

Criteria for evaluation of the interview

• respect – friendliness, politeness, emphasis on client’s value
• communication – taking time, inviting questions, appropriate language, listening
• empowerment – offering clear advice on options, dealing with expectations, establishing instructions

Example evaluation

Established Oliver was afraid of Sykes and would rather plead guilty than risk intimidation. This was not made explicit, but the interviewer realised Oliver was frightened of something and kept returning to this until Oliver’s fears were discovered.

Last Modified: 4 June 2010