A Summative and Formative Assessment Approach for Science Students’ Internships

Abstract

As part of the 4-year B.Sc. curriculum, disciplinary internship is an important element of Capstone learning. The aim is to allow students to combine knowledge learned throughout the curriculum in work experience in the industry related to their major(s) of study. Currently, students are graded according to their performance. However, the current assessment system may not truly reflect students’ performance due to individual biases. Moreover, due to the diverse nature of the internships, there are a variety of internships offered by various departments with different assessment criteria. The current evaluation of students’ performance is largely based on comments from the external supervisor, oral presentation and written report. In this project, both summative and formative assessment strategies to encourage students’ self-motivated and self-reflective learning as well as unbiased assessment rubrics for work performance, oral presentation and written reports, are proposed to be set up by the Faculty to provide guiding principle for different majors for a multi-angle analysis of students’ learning with their different interests, aspirations, and abilities. It is anticipated that these should improve students’ attainment by providing teachers an unbiased grading and helping students to identify their strengths and weaknesses.

Deliverables