Balanced multi-assessment pedagogy enables knowledge and workplace skills development for undergraduate GIScience students

A teaching pedagogy based on carefully balanced formative and summative student assessments can enable higher-order learning outcomes. This balanced multi-assessment approach was developed and implemented by Drs. Shiv Balram and Suzana Dragicevic during the last 5 years in a Multimedia Cartography course (GEOG351). The assessments include hands-on practical computer work, quizzes, examination, communication using multiple media, and a final problem-based data intensive project that are all carefully balanced to decrease cognitive overload and improve knowledge and skills development. Students communicate their final project work in a professional setting involving their peers as shown in the photograph above.

In Spring 2019, students enrolled in the GEOG351 - Multimedia Cartography course provided feedback on the developed pedagogy using a quasi-experimental survey design. The changes in ratings for knowledge, workplace skills development and the overall rating of the pedagogy are all statistically significant (n=34, p < 0.05).