Using Exemplars in the Classroom

USING EXEMPLARS IN THE CLASSROOM

WHAT, WHY, HOW and BUT WHAT ABOUT? 

by Tana Esplin, Instructional Designer II

WHAT? 

Exemplars are ”key examples chosen so as to be typical of designated levels of quality of competence” (Sadler, 2005).  They can be authentic student work from previous cohorts or teacher-constructed examples based on the instructor's experience with issues and problems students commonly make.  These exemplars can help students increase their understanding of particular skills, content, or knowledge and internalize established criteria or standards.  The concrete nature of exemplars conveys messages in a way nothing else can.  (Sadler, 2010).  They can help the student "see" what is expected with regard to the assignment (Scoles, Husman, & McArthur, 2013). 

WHY? 

When students are presented with unfamiliar assessment formats or high-stakes class projects, it can be challenging for them to determine what is expected or, even harder, what constitutes a quality submission.  Using a rubric to help make assessment standards transparent is a good step in combatting these challenges. An exemplar, however, can showstudents rather than just tellthem what is expected.  In terms of supporting assignment preparation and enhancing learning, students usually find exemplars to be more useful than standalone lists of criteria and rubrics.  (Haw, Lightfoot & Dixon, 2017).  

Typically, students receive feedback on an assignment only after it is submitted for grading. If used skillfully, exemplars can save a lot of heartburn for both the student and the professor by giving “feedforward” as opposed to “feedback,” helping students understand the assignment criteria and clarifying what constitutes high quality.  (Hendry, White, & Herbert, 2016). 

HOW? 

  • Obtain written permission to use student work as examples.  Redact any names or personally identifiable information. 
  • Develop student's  understanding of assessment standards by actively engaging them in evaluating and explaining their judgements of exemplars.  Have the students mark the exemplars first and then discuss their findings with peers and the instructor (Hendry & Tomitch, 2013). 
  • Use a well written rubric in conjunction with exemplars to clarify meanings of criteria.  Or, invite students to co-construct rubrics and criteria with peers after exemplar analysis. (Ayalon and Wilkie, 2020). 
  • Conduct these evaluation exercises early in the process so students will be better equipped to self-regulate as they proceed with the assignment. 
  • Emphasize that the students should not merely mimic what the exemplars demonstrate.   

BUT WHAT ABOUT? 

There is a concern about inhibiting students’ creativity or receiving formulaic responses if exemplars are used.  Another worry could be that students will feel that a high quality submission is out of their reach.  Strategies to help combat this could be: 

  • Choose exemplars that are good but not perfect.  This demonstrates the need for improvement without being overly intimidating. 
  • Use exemplars that mirror the assignment but do not exactly fulfill it.  For instance, if the assignment is to analyze the writing of Dickens, use exemplars that analyze the writings of Poe. 
  • Use multiple exemplars so students can see there are many different ways to approach the same topic. 
  • Develop flexible assignments that allow students to pursue topics that interest them. Include an "I wonder" proposal after examining exemplars in which students explain their choice and why it engages their curiosity. 
  • Encourage higher order thinking and discovery rather than lower order Bloom's taxonomy tasks. 
  • For written assignments, activate plagiarism detection options in Canvas. 
  • Emphasize during the exemplar evaluation process the need to be creative and original. 

IN OTHER WORDS... 

Exemplars provide students with information, skills, and tools. They encourage self-reflection and guide students’ understanding in a very clear, contextual, and non-threatening manner.  However, exemplars should not be seen as a single solution. Instead, they should be employed in conjunction with peer discussion, group evaluation, and teacher explanation.  When used well, exemplars can help students succeed and improve performance. 

REFERENCES 

Ayalon, M., and Wilkie, K.J.  (2020) Developing Assessment Literacy through Approximations of Practice: Exploring Secondary Mathematics Pre-Service Teachers Developing Criteria for a Rich Quadratics Task.  Teaching and Teacher Education, 89: 103011.   

Hendry, G. D. and Tomitch, M. (2013) Implementing an exemplar-based approach in an interaction design subject: enhancing students' awareness of the need to be creative.  International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 24(3),337-348. 

Hendry, G. D., White, P., & Herbert, C. (2016) Providing Exemplar-Based "Feedforward" before an Assessment:  The Role of Teacher Explanation.  Active Learning in Higher Education, 17(2),99-109. 

Hawe, E., Lightfoot, U., & Dixon, H.  (2017). First-year students working with exemplars:  Promoting self-efficacy, self-monitoring and self-regulation.  Journal of Further and Higher Education, 1-15. 

Sadler, D. R. (2010). Beyond feedback:  Developing student capability in complex appraisal.  Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 35(5), 535-550 

Sadler, D. R. (2005). "Interpretations of Criteria-Based Assessment and Grading in Higher Education."  Assessment and Evaluation in Higher Education, 30(2), 175-194. 

Scoles, J.,  Huxham, M.,  & Mcarthur, J. (2013).  No longer exempt from good practice:  Using exemplars to close the feedback gap for exams.  Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 38(6). 631-645