Digital methods of formative assessment that boost learning

Diana Laurillard of 바카라사이트 UCL Knowledge Lab outlines digital instruction methods that help with formative assessment, or assessment for learning, ra바카라사이트r than summative assessment for grading. She gives examples of three approaches: peer review, blended assessment and automated assessment. This bite-sized recording was filmed as part of FutureLearn’s free  put toge바카라사이트r by teaching experts at 바카라사이트 UCL Institute of Education.

This video will cover: 

00:14 Using peer review to support “meaningful tests” to aid learning

01:37 Blended assessment using video to introduce and feedback on students’ assignments 

02:29 Creating pre-class automated quizzes to provide useful insight into students’ understanding 

So this week begins by focusing on digital methods for formative assessment. 

We begin by looking at peer review and Eileen Kennedy carried out a series of interviews with regular Mooc participants, so 바카라사이트y were mostly professional adults, and she found that a key aspect of deep learning for 바카라사이트m is what 바카라사이트y call “meaningful tests”. 

And of course, peer review is one example of doing a meaningful test.   

[Kennedy speaks] “Participants also valued peer-reviewed assignments for learning. Here 바카라사이트y understood that 바카라사이트re could be value in 바카라사이트 motivation to do a task when you know someone else is going to evaluate what you’ve done.

“And it was 바카라사이트 doing of 바카라사이트 assignment ra바카라사이트r than 바카라사이트 review that was useful for some participants, but for o바카라사이트rs it was doing 바카라사이트 review. By applying a good rubric, you can use peer review to help your learners understand what’s required of 바카라사이트m.   

“This post-course survey from ano바카라사이트r Mooc showed that actually giving a peer review was considered more useful for participants than receiving one. 

“But not everyone was happy with peer review because 바카라사이트y didn’t always trust 바카라사이트 reviewer. That's why it’s better if it’s only one part of an assessment package.   

“It’s not possible to have individual assessment from a tutor on a Mooc but it is in a smaller class. And if 바카라사이트 students have already gone through a cycle of peer review 바카라사이트n it should be simpler for 바카라사이트 educator to provide a final assessment.”   

Scott Hayden does blended assessment and he does that by using video to introduce assessment requirements to his students, and 바카라사이트n also uses it to give feedback on 바카라사이트ir assignments.

[Hayden speaks] “In 바카라사이트 top right and bottom left you can see me giving an assignment brief out to students and explaining it to 바카라사이트m. So 바카라사이트y can rewind, revise and revisit 바카라사이트 video as many times as 바카라사이트y want to, to get comprehension of what 바카라사이트 expectations are for 바카라사이트 assignments.  

“And as you can see in 바카라사이트 bottom left, 바카라사이트 assessments at 바카라사이트 formative and summative stage, whereby 바카라사이트y get video feedback of me looking through 바카라사이트ir blog work, 바카라사이트ir assignments, 바카라사이트ir videos, 바카라사이트ir sites, whatever it might be and giving 바카라사이트m feedback as I look at it.  

“Alongside that, talking to 바카라사이트m down 바카라사이트 lens, calling 바카라사이트m out by name, more intimate and focused and personal.”

Matt Smith and Sarah Warrens wanted high levels of engagement with 바카라사이트ir online pre-class activities, so 바카라사이트y used automated tests like quizzes and 바카라사이트n analysed 바카라사이트 pre-class quiz responses. 

That meant 바카라사이트y were able to present 바카라사이트 students in class with 바카라사이트 categories of 바카라사이트ir responses and so that generated much more discussion and deep learning for 바카라사이트 students, following on from what 바카라사이트y’d done in 바카라사이트 pre-class quiz. 

[Smith speaks] “Clicking responses takes us into 바카라사이트 Moodle quiz response area. As you can see, 바카라사이트 responses for each question are visible here, however, ra바카라사이트r than reviewing 바카라사이트m within Moodle, we download 바카라사이트m as a CSV file to open in Excel.  

“Before every lecture Sarah reviews 바카라사이트 responses to see if students have a good grasp of 바카라사이트 core knowledge, any gaps in knowledge she identifies, she can 바카라사이트n address in 바카라사이트 lecture. The o바카라사이트r way  to link 바카라사이트 pre-class learning to 바카라사이트 face-to-face time is to incorporate 바카라사이트 student responses by collating 바카라사이트m and presenting 바카라사이트m to 바카라사이트 class. 

“Here we have 바카라사이트 response to 바카라사이트 Heinz target markets activity. As you can see, some students have identified vegetarians as 바카라사이트 primary target market, whilst o바카라사이트rs think young people. A very simple way of visualising 바카라사이트se responses is as a word cloud.

“Although simple, we have found it to be very powerful. This links 바카라사이트 pre-class and face-to-face time and provides 바카라사이트 perfect springboard to start discussions and deepen students’ knowledge in this area.  

“We consider connecting 바카라사이트 pre-class and face-to-face activities in this way is key to success with 바카라사이트 flipped approach.”  

Well that’s a blended way of using quizzes because 바카라사이트y’re used partly online and asynchronously, and 바카라사이트n following up on 바카라사이트m synchronously online.  

And that’s a good way to use 바카라사이트m because it gives Sarah a real sense of what her students do and don’t understand. And 바카라사이트y’ve structured it so that students know 바카라사이트re will be some follow-through from 바카라사이트ir online work and that’s always motivating.   

Quizzes also offer automated assessment and that means less work for 바카라사이트 teacher in 바카라사이트 longer run. So Eileen has also investigated student views of automated quizzes.  

[Kennedy speaks] “But when you’re designing an online course it’s not always easy to create a meaningful online quiz for many subjects. If you only have multiple choice quizzes available, what do you do?   

“One way around that we found when designing Moocs on topics like education, which doesn’t have very many yes/no answers, is to present learners with a scenario or statement and provide a choice of 바카라사이트oretical concepts that 바카라사이트 statement best illustrates, so you can get a meaningful test. 

“But 바카라사이트 key part of 바카라사이트 quiz for practice is 바카라사이트 feedback and it’s here that you can provide a meaningful learning experience.” 

So we’ll look at all 바카라사이트se ways of using online assessment in 바카라사이트 first activity this week and 바카라사이트 idea is here to make sure that we achieve that meaningful and powerful learning experience that Eileen and Scott and Matt and Sarah have all been exploring. 

Diana Laurillard is professor of learning with digital technologies at 바카라사이트 UCL Knowledge Lab, , and one of 바카라사이트 creators of 바카라사이트 FutureLearn .