Introduction
1.1 Background of the study
Assessment is a process which includes identifying objectives to assess, formulating a design to carry out the assessment, carrying out measurement, reporting and documenting the results of the measurement usually in measurable terms. Behaviors usually assessed include knowledge, Competencies, skills, attitudes, and beliefs. To a lay man, assessment could mean to quantify and report the quality of characteristics and behavior of an individual. However, Palomba & Banta (2009), defined assessment as the systematic collection, review and use of information about educational programs undertaken for the purpose of improving learning and development. Assessment can focus on the individual learner, the learning community (class, workshop, or other organized group of learners), the institution or the educational system.
Assessment for educational purposes is a continuous process. Bardes & Denton (2006) affirming this opinion defined assessment as the process which provides data/information on students learning, analyses and uses this data to confirm and improve learning (formative assessment), produce evidence that students are learning the outcomes intended (summative assessment), guides the institution in taking educational decisions, evaluate whether changes made improves/impacts on students learning and documents the learning and the assessors efforts. Assessment is formative when the purpose of the assessment is to improve learning. It is summative when the purpose of the assessment is for placement, certification and other judgmental purposes.
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