THE INTEGRAL EVALUATION

Talking about evaluation today is more relevant and urgent, because it is through it
and its different approaches, forms, instruments, and criteria, that are monitored
to educational and pedagogical processes and outcomes and a stance is taken
critical - interpretative, reflexive - argumentative and creative - propositional for qualifying
education and all the factors implicit in it.

CONCEPT OF LEARNING EVALUATION

For Iafrancesco (2004), learning assessment is understood as a process.

permanent and systematic, which involves the search and acquisition of information from
various sources about the quality of student performance, achievement or accomplishment and
the quality of the processes, the organization and analysis of information, that lead to
the determination of the importance and relevance, in accordance with the objectives of
training that is expected to be achieved; all with the purpose of making decisions that
guide the learning by the students.

According to the above, evaluating learning is a process that encompasses:

The search and retrieval of information.

The diagnosis regarding the observed reality.
The assessment of compliance with the proposed goals.
The determination of the factors that are influencing the results
obtained (partial and final) in relation to the expected, during the process and
at the end of it.
The decision-making that consequently arises from that process.

On the other hand, several aspects are taken into account when evaluating this.
how are they:

The cognitive realm, the acquisition of knowledge, skills, and the

intellectual aptitudes: knowing and knowing how to do.
The affective domain, the development of attitudes in relation to the content
pedagogical, in relation to the group: knowing how to be, see, feel, and react.
The psychomotor field, in enriching motor behaviors: the
motor skills.
The social sphere, in the ongoing relationship at all levels:
cooperate and compete

The performance of our students is evaluated in the following way:

Continue: because it is carried out in several phases, using learning strategies.

varied.

Integral: take into account the relevant traits of the student's personality, the
performance and the factors that intervene in the learning process.
Cooperative: because it allows the participation of all those involved in the process.
educational: Coordinator. Tutor, teacher, advisor.

In standards: when the teacher issues their judgment about the evaluated, situating themselves and
waiting for it to happen within the normal curve.

In criteria: in this, the teacher judges based on criteria, it is evaluated according to compliance or
not with the established criteria.

In the same way, the evaluation can be:

Diagnosis: At this point in the evaluation, the student's situation is determined.

before starting the process.

Format: It consists of the continuous and permanent appreciation of the characteristics and
student's academic performance, through monitoring throughout their
formation process.

Sumatva: The evaluation is sought, the achievement or not of the planned objectives is verified.
and its assessment depends on decision-making, such as the approval or disapproval of a
course, etc.

The evaluation must consider two areas for the scope of its objectives.
fundamentals: the area of professional domain and the area of behavior.

EVALUATION PRINCIPLES THAT SHOULD BE APPLIED TO INTEGRAL EVALUATION

Some evaluative principles that should be taken into account to put them into practice
evaluation of the educational (formal) process and of the learnings are (Ianfracesco,
2004):

1. 'The evaluation is an integral and integrating part of the global processes of the
education and learning at all levels.
The evaluation must be carried out in accordance with the proposed objectives.
3. "The evaluation applies to all the factors that somehow influence the
educational processes (formal) and learning.
4. "Evaluation is a means, not an end in itself; therefore, it must also
to evaluate oneself.
5. "Within educational action and learning, evaluation constitutes a
continuous feedback process to guide the redesign.
6. "In the comprehensive assessment of learning, the following must be taken into account:
individual differences.
7. "The educational and learning evaluation lacks techniques, procedures and
infallible instruments.
8. "The educational and learning assessment requires participation from
different people.
9. "The educational and learning assessment requires a great variety of
types, shapes, techniques, tools, and instruments to collect the
information
10. "The educational evaluation and learning does not seek to reward or punish, but rather
investigate how to improve training and learning processes and their
results or validate and systematize successful experiences.

Notes and reflections on the issues of learning assessment

Colleagues: The following material is a compilation of some works that I have done.
about the topic of Learning Assessment in Higher Education. I would be happy to do it.
I make it available to you and I hope you find it useful to read. Any information to
Regarding this, you can contact me and I will gladly respond. I must clarify that it is not
a completed job and you must apologize for any errors or omissions that may occur.
Thank you all.

I. The Evaluation of Learning

The evaluation of learning constitutes an important function that every teacher

must know how to perform as part of their teaching activity, however, it is common
to ascertain the existence of various difficulties that affect its quality.

To understand the development of evaluation practice, it is necessary to analyze what it is.

general theoretical conception that analyzes basic questions about it
tales como Qué es evaluar, Para qué evaluar, Qué evaluar, Cuándo evaluar, Quiénes
evaluate and how to evaluate.

The present work aligns with a qualitative and procedural conception of evaluation.
of learning, which contributes with a formative spirit to the education of learning
of the student and their personality comprehensively. Their character is recognized.
participation and the dynamic and flexible use of various evaluative procedures
that ensure the validity, reliability, and fairness of the evaluation correspondingly
with the requirements of the group teaching process and with an approach
personological of the evaluative process.

Therefore, we recognize that the educational function of evaluation is its most important function.

important, the one that defines its essence and its place in the teaching process. Without
It is common to observe the educational dysfunctionality of it.
Many of the problems that manifest in the educational process.
they are related to the ignorance or non-recognition of such conception
evaluation. The deficiencies of the teacher's work or their collective in this sense,
even from the institution, it is often due to insufficient preparation
pedagogical training of teachers to fulfill their role as such. Let us remember that the
higher education teachers do not prepare for it in advance which
brings a set of problems and needs that must be addressed by the
Institutions to guarantee the quality of their faculty not only scientific but also
educationally. This is precisely one of the fundamental challenges that one faces
faces the quality of education currently.

In the case of learning assessment, many teachers express their

insufficient knowledge to adequately complete this task. The interesting thing is
Before acknowledging this aspect, many educators raise issues.
related to learning assessment that are not the real problems
that are essentially conditioning a deficient evaluative practice. This is
understandable precisely for what was previously mentioned regarding the
incomplete preparation how teachers.
For example, teachers try to explain the existing problems in the evaluation.
from learning referring to the numerical scale that is used to assign grades to
the students is an incomplete or inadequate scale, they also point out that something is missing

objectivity in the evaluative process and then they only worry about the
creation of the exams, of their questions, without analyzing other aspects more
important related to the objectivity of the evaluation such as the
Planning of the criteria that must be considered, their indicators, etc.

In general, teachers attribute the problems of evaluation to external causes.

the teacher himself, it is unusual that individual responsibility is recognized as
teachers in problem state. For example, they propose that it is not graded with
objectivity and fairness but do not analyze the quality of the methodological work being done
the group of teachers in a subject that allows them to improve their system or not
evaluate specifying what to evaluate and how to evaluate it. However, it is common that when
ask these same teachers about what the essential skills are that
your subject must contribute to developing those who cannot respond accurately and
much less what the indicators of development of these skills are that
allow them to be evaluated objectively. (Sainz Leyva L., 1998)
It is necessary to clarify that when talking about the objectivity of the evaluation, it must start from

recognition of the subjectivity of the assessment of learning. Although

It may seem like a paradox, but it is not. Every educational act is, in itself, an act.
subjective like any other of a human nature. Any process that involves the
interaction and communication between people, in this case between teachers and
Students are basically a subjective process. But that does not mean that because
Subjective to be arbitrary. The evaluation of learning can be as objective, reliable
and just as we are able to organize it scientifically, and to achieve this science
pedagogical offers the sufficient elements, only that it is common that it does not
dominate such elements and as a result the evaluation fails to assess
adequately the real learning.

II. Some Problems in the Evaluation of Learning...

There is no doubt that the evaluation of learning constitutes a complex

didactic component. The analysis of one's own experience as teachers and
advisors of the teaching process (Sainz l. 1998), along with the review of the
literature on the subject allows us to summarize a set of problems
interrelated fundamentals that point to dysfunctionality
educational evaluation of learning. These problems deny in some way
the evaluative conception defended here and therefore merit special
attention with the spirit of to contribute a I solution.
It is important to point out that the issues presented here are not
exclusive problems of our educational context, on the contrary they are
universally recognized characteristics in the international bibliography on
the topic. Such problems are explained below.

Reduce the assessment to its quantitative or accrediting aspect.

This is perhaps the fundamental problem most frequently cited by various
authors and for this reason we will dwell more extensively on this issue. As we
As previously expressed, traditional evaluation is positivist and emphasizes its aspect
quantitative attempting the objective measurement of variables (Luján C.D., 1994). Just as
Villarroel (1990) suggests that teachers take for granted that the procedures of
Preparation of tests, grading, etc. is synonymous with the complex process of evaluation.
The evaluation is for them to determine how much the students have learned and for that
knowledge tests must be applied. And being determined by regulations
Teachers worry less about educational topics.

One would need to ask then if the evaluation system as conceived allows for
The educational objectives of the evaluation are fulfilled. Questions like the
Do grades reflect what the student knows? Is grading synonymous with evaluating? They have
scientific rigor the tests and evaluation instruments? suggest answers that
they contradict the formative, developmental spirit that must fulfill the evaluation.
One of the biggest problems with schools is that they are a product of a system
evaluation oriented towards failure and an approach to education centered on the
mistakes. We are more concerned about the deficiencies and faults of the students than their aspects.

vigorous and their gifts...If we are interested in a person's learning within

from a school system, we must develop a system that allows it (even more, it
to learn and then recognize what he has learned. If he doesn't know something today,
We must trust that perhaps he will know tomorrow. The grading system many times
it closes this opportunity for him or takes away any desire he might have to do it again
test tomorrow. (Villarroel Idrovo J. 1990.
Villarroel himself (1990) expresses a series of 'reservations about the grading system.'
such as: grades are valued and not learning, the quality of teaching declines,
reduces the motivation to learn, leading to the measurement of insignificant objectives,
they destroy the feeling of little worth, create barriers between students and teachers,
they promote individualism and competition, they promote behaviors that clash with the
moral, etc. For this author, the grading system has no value.
pedagogical nor human.

As Días Barriga A. points out, 'the assignment of a grade is a problem of the

educational institution and of society, it is not an intrinsically question of the
pedagogy” a criterion shared by Materi Lidia EH. when she rightly states
that when the teacher evaluates the student's performance, it cannot be translated into a number
rigid because a series of factors and observations are implicit in the evaluation that
they allow to appreciate the learning outcomes (Díaz B. A., 1993).
Following this conception, the instrument and the evaluative moment become
an end in itself because knowledge is only considered as measured
socially relevant knowledge, valid. Research work (Black 1986 cited.
p. Sacristán G., 1992) highlight that for teachers, evaluating is an activity that
it is required as an institutional obligation, which they evaluate because they have to
to inform about it, more than any other pedagogical reason.

As various authors suggest (Montañez S., García J., Soria J., 1994) another
The problem regarding the evaluation is the use of the numerical scale that has
state accompanied by a set of attitudes and actions that distort the
educational process evidenced in facts such as: speculation around the grade as
end of school task, partialization and atomization in the measurement of achievements
learning and the qualification subject to the measurement of a circumstance and not of a
process.

The reduction of evaluation to its quantitative or accrediting aspect is accompanied by

his time of others problematic as:
dissatisfaction of the student with the obtained evaluation usually accompanied by
an attitude of overestimation of the student regarding their results. Priority is given to the
information about the grading regarding qualitative feedback from the
Professor. The sanctioning, selective function of the obtained evaluation is emphasized and not
I have function educative.
Learning is not systematically assessed, with a predominance of summative evaluation.
about the procedural o format.
Predominance of the excellent category in the evaluation results without this being the case
always respond with the actual quality of the lighting as proposed by the owners themselves
teachers or is subsequently confirmed in the practice where the student performs
No correspondence between the evaluative results of the theoretical exam and the exam.
practical. Generally, better results are obtained in the practical exam which
it is contradictory if we assume the criterion that knowing how to do must result more
complex what the saber.
Teachers express having difficulties in preparing exam syllabi, keys.
of qualification, etc. which already raises doubts about the objectivity and reliability of this
evaluation.
There are no precise indicators to evaluate the learning of skills,
which on occasions worsens due to the teacher's lack of knowledge of the set of skills
essentials of a subject.
Students' dissatisfaction with the evaluation or their own overvaluation
results.
Teachers show very little pedagogical knowledge to execute
adequately the function of evaluating.

To conclude, we consider that the most important thing is the reflection on each one of
problems explained in this work. This will allow us to self-assess our
evaluative practice as higher education teachers. Assess how
we carry out the learning assessment to truly contribute to the
student education, their learning, constitutes an important step for
perfect this process.

The theoretical and methodological study of any of the elements involved in the
Educational activity is another important element to raise the quality of education.
in general. The training and pedagogical updating as teachers is
essential to gain a high level of reflection on these topics that allows
truly intervene actively in the improvement of education and in this case
of learning assessment.

It is also necessary to improve the teaching regulations so that it

provide greater flexibility to all educational activities and especially to the activity
of the professor. This is extensive for the evaluation of learning, an aspect that captures
great space in regulatory aesthetics and undoubtedly requires emphasis on
the most qualitative and formative conception about it that becomes more evident in
the rules that govern the evaluation.

Avoid facts, situations, actions in the teaching process that diminish by themselves.
the educative character of learning assessment must be a constant alert
both from directors and teachers of the educational institutions. Even those
that are inevitable due to reasons unrelated to the process, for example, the necessary
accreditation of students to allow their transition to higher levels or the
establishment of the so-called ranking regarding academic performance and others
requirements of the student that will make them deserving of a certain status. It is about
of what primes the formative spirit, developer of the evaluation and not its matz
sanctioning authority, selectivo o merely mandatory.
Of course, none of the previous suggestions could be achieved without effort.
set of social, institutional, and personal factors involved in the
evaluation phenomenon. But undoubtedly, the teacher is an essential figure for
achieve a more human and definitely educational assessment of learning.
From the recognition of the previously mentioned problems and
commented in the international bibliography on the subject, we carried out a
investigation that allowed us to confirm many of these difficulties and that
We summarize below.