Università Roma Tre

The course “Lifelong Learning Assessment” will focus on the historical benchmarks and theoretical framework for testing and assessment techniques (docimology) and evaluation research, with particular reference to adult competencies.
The criteria for designing and arranging micro and macro-level survey researches will be illustrated and discussed, with a view to the basic features of evaluation validity and reliability, as well as to the construction of data collection tools.
The characteristics and the findings of the major national and international research studies on adult competencies will be presented and discussed. Beginning from the definition of key competencies, at European and international levels, the emphasis will be on the methodology used in this type of research studies.

The objectives of the course are: to have in-depth knowledge of theoretical and methodological foundations of experimental research in adult education, with particular reference to evaluative research; to identify the drawbacks of mainstream assessment tests; to know the main national and international surveys on adult competences; to identify suitable tools for the collection of data through comparison with the main international surveys dedicated to the adult population; to analyse and interpret data concerning adult competences.

Part of the course is dedicated to early childhood and applications to educational contexts for children.

Foreseen knowledge obtained by the students at the end of the course “Lifelong Learning Assessment”:
- Knowledge and understanding: be able to know the most relevant international comparative surveys on adult skills assessment; be able to identify theoretical and methodological foundations of international comparative surveys on adult learning.
- Applying knowledge and understanding: the preparation and administration of the questions (types of stimulus and response, administering paper and pencil and computer based, review mode, encoding open-ends); understanding the results of the major international comparative surveys on adult skills assessment.
- Making judgements: be able to analyze the relationship between functional literacy and ICT at the national level; be able to conduct a critical analysis of the impact of technology on literacy and how informal and non-formal learning in adulthood.
- Communication skills: be able to explain the results of research to specialists and non-specialists.
- Learning skills: be able to identify the diachronic perspectives in the analysis of the data available on a worldwide scale in relation to the skills of the adult population; be able to identify similarities or differences between international surveys with a high degree of autonomy.

B. Vertecchi, G. Agrusti, B. Losito, Origini e sviluppi della ricerca valutativa Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2010.

D. S. Rychen, L. L. Salganik, Agire le competenze chiave. Scenari e strategie per il benessere consapevole, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2007.

G. Di Francesco (a cura di), Il framework teorico del programma PIAAC. Metodologia e strumenti per la valutazione delle competenze degli adulti, Isfol, 2013. (Il testo completo è pubblicato sul sito web dell’Isfol, all’indirizzo http://sbnlo2.cilea.it/bw5ne2/opac.aspx?WEB=ISFL&IDS=19828)

Further materials will be distributed on the course website.