Assessing higher order skills using simulations

The alignment of assessment strategy with learning outcomes is important to ensure the validity of any measurement obtained. Without the ability to assess higher order skills, online assessment will be unable to progress beyond objective testing. Bennett’s (1998) vision of the future of assessment sees an increased use of simulations together with a blurring of the lines between assessment and teaching. This paper outlines a project that is taking the first steps in this direction. A system is being devised to allow an assessment engine and a simulation to communicate at a deep level to improve authoring capability and enable more complex assessments. The paper explores issues that have been addressed in the design of the communication interface and protocols. The higher order skills that can be assessed with the system are outlined with examples, using the cognitive process dimension of the revised version of Bloom’s taxonomy produced by Anderson et al (2001).