Testing 1 2 3

This week, we are covering everyone's favourite topic... assessments! Thankfully, assessments don't always have to mean number two pencils, multiple choice tests, and sitting in silence.

To demonstrates some of the principles of assessment design, I designed a summative assessment to accompany my mini lesson on the history of the atom. (If you would like to view the full lesson, you should only need a Canvas account!)

To introduce my assessment, I used a Voki character that previously appeared in my course. Because the free version of Voki doesn't allow you to embed videos, you'll have to visit this link to see the video. I'll be working on fixing this to get it into my canvas course this week! Using avatars can create a more engaging and personal experience for students (Falloon, 2010), and is the first step in making assessment not the worst thing students have every encountered. 

For the assessment itself, I used Google Slides to present 7 possible activities, of which students must pick 5 to complete. I designed the assessment to incorporate choices so that students can demonstrate their knowledge in a way that fits their abilities and strengths, while still demonstrating integrity ("Choice of Assessment," n.d.). In this way, I can hopefully allow students to choose more challenging and stimulating options for themselves without excluding their classmates who may not be up for that task. Check it out below, and hopefully you'll notice a wide range of options!

This assessment is designed to be valid, meaning it matches the desired learning outcomes for the unit and could not be completed without having that knowledge (Lynch, 2018). I believe that the open-ended nature of the majority of activities aids in this goal, as there isn't any prompting that could facilitate guessing. Because this assessment style allows for a range of creative inputs, it may not be as reliable as a traditional test, but the rubric included should at least ensure consistent grading and clear expectations. The rubric is designed to include discrete levels of performance and is openly shared with students to enhance student understanding of the expectations, and thereby increase performance outcomes (Dawson, 2015). 

And once assignments are submitted, they must be graded and given feedback. Feedback, while time-consuming for the teacher, can be invaluable to contributing to a supportive atmosphere in the classroom particularly in the context of online courses (Rottmann & Rabidoux, 2017). I would provide students with their rubric levels, add comments in google slides if used, and then use screencast-o-matic to provide more detailed or overarching comments about their submission. Because the submissions can be so individualized and varied, I feel it would be necessary to provide feedback and the option to resubmit for a higher grade. By providing both analytic and holistic feedback through the rubric, specific content comments, and a video overview, I would hope to see considerable improvements.

Screencast-o-matic is easy to use and allows for quick video feedback.

Next week, I'll be compiling all of these goodies into one jam-packed mini lesson, so I appreciate all comments and critiques, and we'll see how it all turns out!

 

References

Choice of Assessment. (n.d.). Retrieved October 01, 2020, from https://alludl.ca/create/assessment/choice-of-assessment/

Dawson, Phillip. (2015). Assessment rubrics: towards clearer and more replicable design, research and practice. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. 10.1080/02602938.2015.1111294. 

Falloon, G. (2010). Using avatars and virtual environments in learning. British Journal of Educational Technology, 41(1), 108-122. Retrieved September 29, 2020, from http://web2integration.pbworks.com/f/Using+avatars+and+virtual+environments+in+learning.pdf

Lynch, M. (2018, August 16). The Five Major Features of Summative Assessments. Retrieved October 01, 2020, from https://www.theedadvocate.org/five-major-features-summative-assessments/

Rottmann, A., & Rabidoux, S. (2017, September 6). Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved September 30, 2020, from https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/views/2017/09/06/how-provide-meaningful-feedback-online-course