Assessing Experience: Performance Based Assessment of Experiential Learning Activities
Performance based assessments are more than just skill development. They are part of evaluating relevant experiences that lead to the maturation of professional dispositions. A goal of performance based assessment is that as learners such as teacher candidates meet the challenges of a performance based assessment they become deeply cognizant and metacognitive of the level of commitment it takes to be an effective teacher. This chapter argues that at its core performance based assessment is experiential learning. The chapter reports and compares the findings from two case studies in order to develop a theoretical model for a performance based assessment of experiential learning. The model, called the Performance Based Assessment Cycle, weds David Kolb's Experiential Learning Theory with features of performance based assessment. The Performance Based Assessment Cycle is centered on the development of evaluating relevant experiences through a process of doing, concluding, connecting, and renewing.