Assessment is a necessary part of the teaching and learning process, helping us measure whether our candidates have really learned what we want them to learn. While exams are certainly favorite and useful methods of assessment, out of class assignments such as mock assessments or home assignments (written or otherwise) can offer similar insights into candidate’s learning. And just as creating a reliable assessment takes thoughtfulness and skill, so does creating meaningful and effective assignments. Undoubtedly, many assessors have been on the receiving end of disappointing candidate work, left wondering what went wrong… and often, those problems can be remedied in the future by some simple fine-tuning of the original assignment.

A home assignment is a piece of (academic) work or task. It provides opportunity for candidates to learn, practice and demonstrate they have achieved the learning goals. It provides the evidence for the assessor that the candidates have achieved the goals.

When designing and using an assessment/assignment as a summative test (candidates get a score or pass/fail judgment), there are certain things to consider: will it be an individual assignment or group assignment; just one assignment or more; how to make it challenging; will it provide proper feedback, etc.? There are also challenges to think about for assessing the final results. What are the methods to assess in a reliable, objective, consistent way; what are the factors to be used; how to weight different components or tests of the assignment; how to calculate the grades based on the scores; etc.

A simple, but often-overlooked solution is to require candidates to submit assignments on a daily/weekly basis.

What types of practical, out-of-class assignments are needed?

Many assessments now come with test banks that can easily be integrated with learning management systems. For maximizing learning, this threaded learning ought to be consistent (daily) and predictable. These threads can be part of a discussion board or a group and should contain material that connects assigned reading to classroom activities (lectures, labs, etc.).

Step two in the thread is creating a daily in-class mock assessment. This works well as a bonus-points opportunity and when presented precisely at the class start time, provides an incentive for candidates to get to class and to be there on time. These assessments are brief (three to four carefully crafted multiple-choice questions will suffice), and they should include material from the reading and also the homework. Therefore, if the candidate did the out-of-class assignment, he/she would undoubtedly score well on the in-class assessment.

The performance analysis dashboard that comes from daily/weekly/monthly assessments can serve two important purposes. First, the assessor gains insight into how the candidates, both individually and collectively, are doing in the course. Second, and most important, the candidate can see tangible evidence of how he/she is performing.

A one-stop solution for any assessment or assignment needs

To overcome the above challenges, Mindlogicx has come up with IntelliEXAMS®, the integrated assessment management platform for enrichment centers and other assessment bodies.

IntelliEXAMS® the one-stop assessment solution, assists enrichment centers to conduct mock assessments, test preps or home assignments with ease in a distributed environment and for any number of candidates. The cloud-based solution helps to conduct and govern the entire assessment and assignment process. It is a secure and robust solution to conduct fair and trustable exams. The cutting-edge technology suite of IntelliEXAMS® helps the enrichment centers to conduct assessments frequently with ease and share the evaluated answer sheets with candidates for self-evaluation. The home assignments can be done by the candidate using the intuitive mobile app which allows the candidates to view and print the question papers and scan and upload the answer scripts or response sheet as well using mSCAN feature in the mobile app. Once the answer script or response sheet is uploaded in the cloud, the faculty can access the same for on-screen marking anywhere, anytime using any devices including windows, iOS and Android operating systems.

Features of IntelliEXAMS® include:

• Automated assessments and assignments for online and pen and paper-based tests
• Flexibility to take assessment from any geographical location
• In-depth performance analysis and eventual performance prediction
• Deployable with Apple and Google classroom
• Parental oversight on candidate’s performance
• In-app fees payment and tracking

Value additions

• BYOD enabled secure delivery of QP
• Allowing students to take exam anywhere at stipulated time
• Just In Time display of QP
• Digitization of handwritten answer scripts at source with IE-mSCAN option in mobile app
• On Screen Marking (OSM) of digitized answer scripts by authorized faculties
• OSM with Cross platform support (Windows, iOS & Android)
• Online view / access of evaluated answer script with annotations and feedback by students

• BYOD enabled delivery of assignments
• Options to provide response as direct file upload
• Rubrics enabled OSM for qualitative grading
• Options to provide marks and feedback to individual questions
• Timebound assignment delivery and response collection
• Online view / access of evaluated answer script with annotations and feedback by students
• Cross platform integration

IntelliEXAMS® offers complete peace of mind to the enrichment centers by intuitively working on their needs and connecting with all stakeholders such as the candidates, faculties, administrators, and the parents as well.

The EdTech market has become more interesting as Mindlogicx has stepped up through its AI powered assessment software and mobile app - IntelliEXAMS, to manage the candidate and teacher experience in the classroom environment for conducting home assignment or test prep examinations. A revolution has also been brought about by easing the integration of Apple Classroom and Google Classroom through our assessments platform that makes for a more progressive classroom learning experience.

In conclusion, a return to carefully planned assignments and assessments can lead to impressive rewards, when it counts. Ultimately, the success of candidate responses to an assignment often rests on the assessor’s deliberate design of the assignment. By being purposeful and thoughtful from the beginning, you can ensure that assignments will not only serve as effective assessment methods, but also engage and delight your candidates.