Knowledge Survey Assessment as a Learning Evaluation Tool

Introduction to Knowledge Survey Assessment

The Knowledge Survey Assessment (KSA) is a valuable resource for measuring the level of development in intellectual learning. It allows students to continuously improve their learning as part of a course curriculum, while simultaneously enhancing the curriculum by providing structure and planning (Wirth, 2004). Teachers using this tool are able to deliver course information that is aligned to course content and incorporates best practices for successful assessment.

Knowledge assessments, or surveys, are a method of evaluating how well students have studied and prepared themselves, as well as how accurately course material was taught. According to Nuhfer, one of the founders of the method, an assessment contains an itemized questionnaire about the course content (1996). The survey does not require direct answers; instead, it asks students whether they feel capable of answering the questions. In this way, an evaluation of the student's knowledge — rather than the actual answers — is what is being measured.

How Knowledge Assessments Work

For example, a valid response might be "I could find the answer in the text" or "I would not be able to answer this" (Nuhfer, 1996). This type of assessment has been evaluated and found to produce results significantly similar to those of an actual test in which direct answers to course material are sought.

The Knowledge Assessment is particularly useful when it is necessary to know the expected outcomes of a specific curriculum in order to make a decision about the use of a particular text or course of study. In this way, a course of study can be mapped out that will lead to a successful progress report reflecting the efforts of both the student and the teacher (Nuhfer & Knipp, 2003). As described on Wikipedia's overview of knowledge surveys, this approach has gained traction across multiple educational contexts.

One way of interpreting the data or results from an assessment is based on Benjamin Bloom's educational classification system (1956). Bloom, a researcher in the field of education, established six levels of cognition required to achieve effective learning. These six stages are known as Bloom's Taxonomy (Wirth, 2004). The areas of cognition most relevant to a KSA include comprehension, analysis, application, synthesis, knowledge, and evaluation (Wirth, 2004).

Bloom's Taxonomy and KSA Measurement

These core areas of cognitive thinking were developed by Bloom, who also created tables and scales for measuring KSA effectiveness. Bloom designed these tables with questions that pinpoint whether a given cognitive level has been successfully achieved.

For example, to measure comprehension, the assessment might ask whether a student understands "how the wiring in the brain can change with age and use." This kind of KSA could be useful in a social science discipline where the topic being taught concerns how violent video games affect children over time (Wirth, 2004). Similarly, to evaluate application, an assessment might ask whether a student demonstrates "critical thinking" in a writing example (Wirth, 2004). This data can then inform decisions about the effectiveness of instructional materials used to train students in case study analysis.

Although Bloom's Taxonomy offers a useful guideline for measuring the success of a Knowledge Assessment, other evaluative frameworks may be more effective depending on the discipline.

Conclusion

This assessment was chosen because it allows the teacher to document a process for evaluating how effectively a syllabus, course design, or lesson plan is laid out and delivered to students. It systematically sets objectives for the course and then logically maps out a plan for teaching the concepts required to meet those objectives. The KSA benefits students in several ways: most notably, it allows students to evaluate their own progress in mastering course material.