It was the belief that assessment is the driving force of curriculum that motivated the authors of this monograph to embark on a program of research and development into the use of digital technologies to support more authentic forms of assessment. They perceived that in responding to the educational needs of children in the 21st Century, curriculum needed to become more relevant and engaging, but that change was unlikely without commensurate change in methods and forms of assessment. This was particularly true for the high-stakes assessment typically conducted at the conclusion of schooling as this tended to become the focus of the implemented curriculum throughout the years of school. Therefore the authors chose to focus on this area of assessment with the understanding that this would inform assessment policy and practices generally in schools.This book provides a conceptual framework and outlines a project in which digital methods of representing students performance were developed and tested in the subject areas of Applied Information Technology, Engineering, Italian and Physical Education. The methodology and data collection processes are discussed, and the data is analysed, providing the basis for conclusions and recommendations.

Preface; Introduction and Background; Significance and Rationale; Statement of Problem and Research Question; Method; Recommendations; Literature Review and Conceptual Framework; Performance Assessment; Computer-Supported Assessment; Digital Forms of Performance Assessment; Methods of Marking; Conceptual Framework for the Study; Method and Analysis; Samples; Data Collection and Analysis; Methodology Framework; Developing the Assessment Tasks; Applied Information Technology; The Nature of the AIT Course; Implementation and Technologies; Online Repository; Analytical Marking and Analysis; Comparative Pairs Marking; Conclusions About Marking Processes; Student and Teacher Perceptions and Attitudes; Comparison Between Classes; Conclusions from The AIT Course; Summary of Findings for AIT; Recommendations from the AIT data; Engineering Studies; Implementation and Technologies; Engineering Case Studiesl Online Repository; Analytical Marking and Analysis; Comparative Pairs Marking and Analysis; Conclusions About Marking Processes; Conclusions from Student and Teacher Data; Comparison between Classes; Conclusions from Engineering Course; Summary of Findings from Engineering Studies Case Studies; Recommendations for Engineering; Italian Studies; Implementation and Technologies; Italian Case Studies; Online Repository; Analytical Marking and Analysis; Comparative Pairs Marking and Analysis; Conclusions About Marking Processes; Conclusions from Student and Teacher Data; Overall Conclusions from Italian Course; Summary of Findings for Italian Studies; Physical Education Studies; Implementation and Technologies; Case Studies; Online Repository; Analytical Marking and Analysis; Comparative Pairs Marking and Analysis; Conclusions About Marking; Conclusions from Student and Teacher Data; Overall Conclusions from PES Course; Summary of Findings from PES; Findings And Conclusions; Findings; General Conclusions; References.