New IIEP MOOC on learning assessments

02 December 2015

Why is it important to monitor learning? Who should be assessed and in which subjects? What are the various ways to assess learning outcomes and what is the best option for your country?

Registration is now open for the IIEP-UNESCO Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on learning assessments. Over four weeks (1-26 February 2016), participants will have an opportunity to address salient questions around how countries can better understand and measure learning outcomes through the use of different learning assessments.

Registration (click here) will remain open until 22 January 2016.

This course (free of cost) will be in English.

Why learning assessments?

The Incheon Declaration, which was recently adopted as a roadmap for transformational change in education over the next 15 years, has put new emphasis on the importance of monitoring learning outcomes. Assessments can help monitor student learning and are viewed as a critical component to achieving the global education goal to deliver equitable and inclusive quality education for all by 2030.

Course Objectives

The main objective of this course is to review various ways of monitoring and evaluating learning outcomes and to select the best method for your country context. 
Upon completion of the course, participants should be able to:

  • Recognize learning assessment as one of the approaches to monitor learning,
  • Identify characteristics (purposes, target population, subjects tested, test framework, etc.) of various learning assessments,
  • Evaluate the feasibility of carrying out each assessment within your country context.

The course, offered on the IIEP Virtual Campus, will embrace a collaborative approach. Participants will have access to a number of pedagogical resources including PowerPoints, videos, practical exercises, discussion forums, chats, surveys, quizzes and the IIEP Learning Portal. Participants who complete all of the required activities (which will typically amount to three to four hours of work per week) will receive a certificate of participation from IIEP-UNESCO.

Who’s the MOOC for?

This MOOC is open to anyone in the education sector and has no prerequisites. It is especially designed for education planners and managers as well as educational professionals interested in learning assessments.

Skills acquired during this MOOC should enable education planners and managers to advise senior decision-makers about the pros and cons of any given assessment in relation to the country context.

For a more advanced understanding of this topic, participants are urged to pursue the IIEP Specialized Course on ‘Quantitative Methods for Monitoring and Evaluating the Quality of Education’, which will take place from 9-20 May 2016 in Paris.

This MOOC is free of cost.