Checklist: what is it and how to use this evaluation tool?

This evaluation tool is widely used in pedagogical and educational contexts.

One of the most widely used assessment tools in pedagogy is the checklist.. Broadly speaking, it allows a comparison to be made between the objectives set and the learning or tasks obtained. It is a very simple and useful technique for analyzing, at different levels, the achievement of a given skill or procedure.

Next we will see what a checklist is, how it is made and which are some related evaluative techniques.

Checklist: an evaluation instrument

In pedagogy, an evaluation instrument is a material or a set of actions that allow to obtain relevant information about the teaching process. relevant information about the teaching and learning process.. Thus, a checklist is a material that makes it possible to record the achieved and unachieved objectives of a given process.

It usually has the format of a table with three or four columns in which both indicators (the skills, behaviors or elements expected to be found both in the person and in a particular task) and specific information about the presence or absence of these indicators are explicitly stated.

In other words, the indicators are organized as a list in a first column. To one side are placed two or three more columns, where it is possible to indicate whether the indicator is "achieved", "not achieved", or "in progress". The above terms may vary depending on what is being evaluated.. For example, in the case of procedures or elements expected to be found in a written or visual work, the "yes" and "no" columns can simply be included to indicate whether they are present or absent.

4 main characteristics

Like all assessment tools, the checklist has some characteristics that make it different from other assessment tools. has some characteristics that make it different from other techniques. These characteristics can be both an advantage and a disadvantage, depending on what is to be evaluated. We can identify 4 main characteristics of the checklist: it is pre-structured, it is generally dichotomous, it allows sequences to be established and it is based on observation.

1. Pre-structured

This is a pre-structured evaluation technique, since the evaluation criteria are established before the observation is made. First list the goals that are intended to be achieved, and then record which of these goals have actually been achieved and which have not.The fact that this is a pre-structured tool can be an advantage, as it allows for an objective evaluation.

The fact that this is a pre-structured tool can be an advantage, since it allows for an objective evaluation. However, it can also be a disadvantage because it is difficult to add other elements or learning achieved once the evaluation has begun.

2. Dichotomous

Related to the above, the checklist is usually a dichotomous assessment technique, that is, it generally only accepts the options of "acquired" "not-acquired", "present", "absent", "yes", "no". In some cases the checklist includes a third option, "in process". In this sense, the checklist can be a very easily accessible and quite practical tool. But, on the other hand, may limit the evaluation criteria to very specific learning..

3. Sequenced

The checklist makes it possible to record in a sequential manner the tasks expected to be achieved or performed, as well as the order in which they should appear. In the specific context of pedagogy, the checklist is made by listing behaviors, skills, attitudes or tasks that are expected to be observed in the students. In this way, it is possible to establish a graphical sequence of progress and pending tasks..

4. Observational

This is a tool based mainly on observation. This means that it depends on what the person evaluating has observed with respect to the person and the task being evaluated. Depending on how the indicators to be evaluated are structuredDepending on how the indicators to be evaluated are structured, the checklist allows for a qualitative-quantitative evaluation.

Related educational tools

Before deciding which evaluation technique is most operative for analyzing the accomplishments of a particular task, it is necessary to define that task. In other words, it is important to start by asking what you want to assess, and then ask how.

In this sense, some tools that are similar to the checklist, although they have some differences with the latter, are rubrics and rating scales.. In the first case, they are tables of contents where the learning or the expected task can be explained in detail. They serve to measure both the level and the quality of these indicators. Above all, they facilitate the communication of the evaluation criteria between the evaluator and the one being evaluated.

The assessment scale, on the other hand, makes it possible to identify the frequency of an indicator. It is also a list but it establishes in more detail whether the expected skill, behavior or task has been achieved. It can be descriptive (detailing what has been observed in the person being assessed), or it can be numerical (achievements are rated on scales, for example from 1 to 10).

Bibliographical references:

• SENCE (S/A). Instrumentos de Evaluación. Retrieved August 14, 2018. Available at http://www.sence.cl/601/articles-4777_recurso_10.pdf.
• Carbonell Sebarroja, J. (2015). Pedagogías Del Siglo XXI. Alternativas Para La Innovación Educativa.. Barcelona: Octaedro.
• Medina-Díaz, M. del R., Verdejo-Carrión, A. L. (1999). Assessment of student learning.. San Juan (Puerto Rico): Isla Negra.