Assessment literacy profile of tertiary level course coordinators

Abstract

Assessment literacy has been Identified as a critical factor in improving student learning (William & Thompson, 2007; Hattie, 2009; Popham, 2009; Hill, 2017) and thus the construct of assessment literacy required by various stakeholders has been of keen interest recently. In particular, Taylor (2013) outlined the difference between the assessment literacy profile of a university language teacher and a university administrator. However, her framework does not include a key stakeholder in a tertiary language context – the course coordinator. Within a tertiary language context, course coordinators are considered middle managers where they hold teaching and administrative duties; apart from teaching, they are also responsible for preparation of course materials and assessments, training and management of course teachers, handling course level student inquiries, grade moderation and decision making, and preparation of internal and external reports. Usually, they hold this position due to seniority, years of experience, and/or qualification. This presentation outlines the results of a case study that explores the aspects of the assessment literacy construct required by course coordinators. Course coordinators working in a Hong Kong tertiary institution were asked to complete an assessment literacy survey, review a language assessment code of practice document, and participate in in-depth semi-structured interviews that solicit their suggestions on content and implementation of the code of practice document and probe their assessment literacy knowledge. The presentation concludes with the assessment literacy profile of a university course coordinator that could help in the hiring and professional development of current tertiary level course coordinators.