What a whirlwind my assessment journey has been. To begin, I presented three things that I believed to be true about assessments. Below are my initial thoughts about assessments. You can also read these thoughts in my first blog. My initial thoughts about assessments are supported by newly acquired knowledge I have gained over the past few weeks.
My first thought was that “assessments are used to see how students are growing, performing, their level of engagement, interest, and thoughts. Instructors learn this information not through graded tests and quizzes but through observation, feedback, and projects, etc.” After learning more about this topic, I believe a portion of this thought remains true. Many current educational theories support teaching and learning opportunities through a variety of methods, including formative assessments, as opposed to standardized testing. Regardless of the type of assessment being used, Pellegrino et al. states, “Any assessment is based on three interconnected elements or foundations: the aspects of achievement that are to be assessed (cognition), the tasks used to collect evidence about students’ achievement (observation), and the methods used to analyze the evidence resulting from the tasks (interpretation)” (Pellegrino et al., 2001, p. 19).
My next thought was that “assessments are used by both students and educators. Students provide feedback, such as did the project or activity help them retain content or retrieve it . . . And educators can gauge how students are performing through their progress, answers, and engagement.” Feedback, as a form of assessment, or in response to an assessment, has been found to be very impactful to the growth of both students and educators. But, while the idea of feedback seems straightforward, implementation can be challenging to ensure its effectiveness. Content management systems, like Brightspace Desire2Learn, allow unique feedback opportunities for students through assessment types such as discussions, self assessments, assignments, and surveys.
My final thought was that “assessments come in many forms and are often ongoing. Assessments can be through observation, written or verbal feedback, comments and suggestions, conversations, projects, assignments, and more. Assessments are reviewed and, when needed, actions are taken to enhance the educational experience, help the students, and clarify the expectations.” This thought can be supported by the use of both formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments are said to be assessments for learning while summative assessments are assessments of learning. My initial thoughts focused on the use of formative assessments, but the use of both types of assessments can be beneficial, given the proper context. I’m supporting this final thought by focusing on the different forms that formative assessments can take. Content management systems can be used, but so can alternative digital technologies. Students can record audio using podcast platforms, record videos using various film production and sharing platforms, or even create or play game-based assessments. These alternative assessments can be intriguing to students, especially if a connection between content and modern day topics or gossip can be made. It has been found that students benefit from different ways of learning. Some students learn best through opportunities of engagement, others when various sources of representation are available, and some when given opportunities to create and show expression. To help provide assessments and other teaching and learning experiences that will benefit all students, the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework should be referenced. Often, these alternative methods of assessments help meet these three learning preferences in students.
The thoughts that I originally presented about assessments can be supported by the new knowledge I’ve gained. I have a better understanding of the differences between formative and summative assessments. My beliefs first focused on the importance of formative assessments, and while I learned much more about this specific assessment type, I also now recognize that summative assessments can be valuable as well. Summative assessments can be challenging. They should not benefit a specific group of students, and questions should be formulated to foster learning, not hinder it.
To help focus learning experiences on the overall course goals and design tasks to highlight such student achievements, I’ve started implementing the framework backward design. When designing course assessments and a curriculum it’s important to focus on the main points, as Jay McTighe states, “What’s worth understanding in all of the content that we could teach? . . . What we want students to understand are the larger transferable concepts and processes within and across subjects” (Hawker Brownlow Education, 2013, 1: 03). As an instructor, it can be overwhelming when we consider all of the content we assume we need to share with students. Backward design has helped me focus on the big ideas of a course and from which I can create learning goals and tasks (sometimes including assessments) to ensure students grasp these big ideas.
Over the past few months I’ve created several digital assessments that highlight my thoughts about assessments as well as the new information I’ve learned. My Assessment Design Checklist was an ongoing assessment that I revisited over many weeks, adding content as I went. This assessment was at times challenging as I used critical thinking to link new information to previously known content. This formative assessment task did not require me to simply regurgitate the new content, but forced me to apply it using other methods of learning, which I believe led to increased retention and application of information.
To further explore assessments using digital technologies and content management systems I created a competency assessment using D2L. Here I focused on using backward design to consider the skills students must master in their small animal nursing skills course. With this assessment option, students complete tasks linked to a specific competency. For this competency students must become proficient in performing CPR. Through the utilization of Flipgrid, a video recording and discussion platform, and a D2L quiz, students master CPR. This assessment highlights an alternative assessment method and the importance of feedback. Flipgrid allows educators and students to watch videos that others post as well as leave comments or feedback. The D2L quiz allows educators to give independent feedback to students but also allows educators to formulate quiz questions to elicit feedback.
References:
Hawker Brownlow Education (Producer). (2013). What is understanding by design? Author Jay McTighe explains [Online video]. Retrieve from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=114&v=d8F1SnWaIfE&feature=emb_title.
Pellegrino, J. W., Chudowsky, N., & Glaser, R. (2001). Knowing what students know: The science and design of educational assessment. Washington DC: The National Academics of Sciences Engineering Medicine. DOI: 10.17226/10019