Checklist: what is and how this evaluation tool is used
One of the most used evaluation tools in pedagogy is the checklist . Broadly allows a comparison between the objectives, and the learning or tasks obtained. It is a very simple and useful technique to analyze, at different levels, the scope of a particular skill or procedure.
Next we will see what a checklist is, how it is done and what are some related evaluation techniques.
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Checklist: an evaluation tool
In pedagogy, an evaluation instrument is a material or a set of actions that allow get relevant information about the teaching and learning process . Thus, a checklist is a material that makes it possible to record the objectives achieved and not reached in a given process.
It usually has the format of a table with three or four columns in which both the indicators (the skills, behaviors or elements expected to be found both in the person and in a specific task) are specified, as well as the specific information on the presence or absence of these indicators.
In other words, the indicators are organized as a list within a first column. On one side two or three more columns are placed, where it is possible to indicate if the indicator is "reached", "not reached", or in "process". The above terms may vary according to what is evaluated . For example, in the case of procedures or elements expected to be found in a written or visual work, the "yes" and "no" columns can simply be included to indicate whether they are present or absent.
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4 main characteristics
Like all evaluation tools, the checklist It has some characteristics that make it different from other techniques . These characteristics can be an advantage as well as a disadvantage, an issue that depends on what you want to evaluate. We can identify 4 main characteristics of the checklist: it is pre-structured, it is generally dichotomous, it allows to establish sequences and it is based on observation.
1. Pre-structured
It is a pre-structured evaluation technique, since the evaluation criteria are established before observing. First, the goals that are intended to be achieved are listed , to then record which of these goals have been effectively achieved and which have not.
The fact that it is a pre-structured tool can represent an advantage, since it allows for an objective evaluation. However, it can also mean a disadvantage because it is difficult to add other elements or learning achieved once the evaluation begins.
2. Dichotomous
Related to the above, the checklist is usually a dichotomous evaluation technique, that is, generally it only accepts the options of "acquired", "non-acquired", "present", "absent", "yes", "no" . In some cases the checklist includes a third option, "in process". In this sense, the checklist can be a tool that is very easy to access and quite practical. But, on the other hand, can limit the evaluation criteria to very specific learning .
3. Sequenced
The checklist allows sequential recording of the tasks that are expected to be achieved or performed, as well as the order in which they should appear. In the specific context of pedagogy, the checklist is made by listing behaviors, skills, attitudes or tasks expected to be observed in the students. This way you can set a graphic sequence about the advances and about the slopes .
4. Observational
It is a tool based mainly on observation. This means that it depends on what the person who evaluates has looked at the evaluated task with respect to the person. According to how the indicators to be evaluated are structured , the checklist is allows to perform a qualitative-quantitative evaluation.
Related educational tools
Before deciding which evaluation technique is most operative to analyze the achievements of a particular task, it is necessary to define that task. In other words, it is important to start by asking yourself what you want to evaluate, and then ask how.
In this sense, some tools that resemble the checklist, although they have some differences with this one, are Rubrics and scales of appreciation . In the first case, these are tables of contents where the learning or the expected task can be explained in detail. They serve to measure both the level and quality of these indicators. Above all, it facilitates the communication of evaluation criteria between who evaluates and who is evaluated.
The scale of appreciation, on the other hand, allows to identify the frequency of an indicator. It is also a list but establishes in more detail whether the skill, behavior or expected task has been achieved. It can be of a descriptive type (it is detailed what has been observed in the person evaluated), or it can be of a numerical type (achievements are scored on scales, for example from 1 to 10).
Bibliographic references:
- SENCE (S / A). Evaluation instruments. Retrieved August 14, 2018. Available at //www.sence.cl/601/articles-4777_recurso_10.pdf.
- Carbonell Sebarroja, J. (2015). Pedagogies of the XXI Century. Alternatives for Educational Innovation. Barcelona: Octahedron.
- Medina-Diaz, M. del R., Verdejo-Carrión, A. L. (1999). Student learning assessment. San Juan (Puerto Rico): Isla Negra.
