Study On Postgraduate Achievement Evaluation Reformation

Achievement evaluation for postgraduates is an action of judging their changes in academic work with appropriate and effective means by collecting their academic information including theoretical learning, scientific research and social activity comprehensively, systematically and completely.All the times, grading theoretical study has been emphasized in achievement evaluation, but evaluation of students'scientific research ability and practical ability is neglected. Doing so makes us far from educational goal, causes students'insufficient development and affects their prospect of employment. Current achievement evaluation cannot be oriented to employment, the connection between the implementation of achievement evaluation and social demand for employability is not enough, and there is an actuality that getting a job for postgraduates is so hard, which makes a new requirement for the reformation of achievement evaluation. Under the guidance of new idea of evaluation, it is the orientation towards reformation of achievement evaluation that the purpose of evaluation is to promote students'development, as part of evaluators, students and social power should be drawed into evaluation, evaluation contents should be changed from knowledge to learning and research ability, from students'achievement to their learning process.Analyzing current achievement evaluation for postgraduates, we find issues in present achievement evaluation: first, the purpost and function of the evaluation are lack of developmental orientation, academic and grading are emphasized much more than application and development. Second, as part of evaluators, students and society are not involved in achievement evaluation. Third, the contents of evaluation can not satisfy social demand. Application of knowledge cannot be reflected in the evaluation of theoretical study. Scientific research evaluation has a obvious trend towards utilitarianism. Social activity is beyond the evaluation. Fourth, quantitative evaluation and summative evaluation are the main methods. It makes that students'realities can hardly be reflected with the single methods. Finally, the feedback of evaluation is lack of timeliness and effectiveness, such as the outcome of evaluation given to students out of time and the low utilization rate of the outcome, so they can not improve in time. Investigation into postgraduates'needs for achievement evaluation suggests that the purpose of present achievement evaluation is inclined towards offering help to students for their development, but what the students expect is showing them the direction in which they can make effort and providing information for employers choosing personnel. Most students think the level of thesis (design)for master's degree should play a decisive role in achievement evaluation, but the quality of thesis for master's degree should not be the the determinant in evaluating students'theoretical level. Whether papers are given or not and the case of Research Training Program should be brought into achievement evaluation. Students'social activity should be part and parcel of it as well. Students'achievement level should be evaluated by professional evaluation teams using evaluation criteria which should be set explicitly. Students's theoretical level should be evaluated by teachers according to the quality of their course work, combining peer-exchange evaluation. Students'scientific research level should be evaluated by professional organization in the form of report, according to the case of their research training program, giving papers and awards. Students'practical ability should be evaluated by employers in the form of report, according to the effect of their social activity. As evaluatees, students'input should be throughout the entire evaluation process. Based upon the issues of achievement evaluation for postgraduates and their demands for achievement evaluation, we suggest that achievement evaluation should: clarify the purpose and the function of achievement evalution——establish an applicational concept and emphisize the developmental function of achievement evalution; advocate multiple evaluators——encourage students to participate in achievement evalution and absorb the social power in it; elevate the fit between the contents of evalution and social needs——change the evalution of theoretical knowledge from memorization to application and transference, and take the quantity and quality into account in the evalution of scientific research; enrich multiple methods when evaluting——combine quantitative evaluation and qualitative evaluation, summative evalution and formative evalution; emphasize the feedback function of achievement evalution——feed back the outcome of evalution to students in time and increase students'utilization of the feedback.