Foregrounding Vignette-Based Assessment Tasks in Research Methodology Courses

Abstract

Research methodology represents a substantial module taught to university students to develop their investigative skills. The instruction of such a subject area culminates in an assessment process that is usually project-based. The evaluation of the learners’ methodological knowledge also capitalizes on written examinations. Indeed, the appraisal procedures should focus on the learners’ expertise in applying the information grasped from the module of inquiry approaches. Therefore, the present theoretical study advocates the exploitation of scenario-based tasks for gauging the students’ attainment in the lectures devoted to the methodology of scientific investigation. It delineates the different assessment practices applied in research methods courses and the benefits of vignette-based performance assessments. Subsequently, examples of scenario-based assignments designed by the writer of this article are presented as instances of activities conceived for appraising the performance of university learners in the written examinations and tests administered in research methodology classes affiliated with distinct disciplinary domains.