While most faculty think of
assessments as used to measure learning after the fact, formative assessment
classroom techniques (FACTs) give an instructor a snapshot of where students
are in their learning so as to address any gaps in their understanding. Online
instructors have a variety of tools at their disposal to incorporate engaging FACTs
into their courses that will improve learning outcomes.
Partner Questioning Rounds is a discussion forum strategy that will both
measure student learning and force students to approach the course content with
a questioning mind. Students are put into pairs, with each given its own
discussion forum. Students then take turns asking each other questions they
have about the course material, with the other student answering. Students do
three rounds of questions, and so this technique can be spread out across a
weeklong online module, with one student assigned to ask a question on Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday, and the other assigned to ask a question on Tuesday,
Thursday, and Saturday. In this way students are asking and answering questions
as their understanding develops throughout the module. The process thus allows
instructors to see how student understanding is or is not developing, and how
students are interpreting the course content.
Think-Pair-Share (TPS) is another discussion forum strategy
that tasks students to work together to solve a problem or answer a question. This
strategy also requires dividing students into pairs. First, students think
individually about the topic or question and then share their ideas with their
partner. Pairing students helps because many are more likely to engage when
they are working in a semi-private area, outside of the larger online
discussion forum visible to all students. The structure of this FACT also
encourages individual accountability for engagement.
This strategy could be applied in an
English course where students contemplate a prompt about a specific excerpt or
piece then exchange ideas with a partner to prepare a response to the whole
group. The instructor can monitor the pairs for productive exchange of ideas
and be prepared for the disparities or consistencies when the pairs share with
the whole class. The FACT could also be used in a mathematics course to allow
students to share their strategies for solving problems. Instructors could then
observe the different processes students used and gather information on the
most common strategies used successfully, as well as common errors and
misconceptions.
Annotated Student Drawings is a FACT that allows students to apply their
understanding to images. Student first either create or find an image related
to the course content. They then annotative that image to represent concepts
covered in the course. For example, in an engineering course exploring waste
water treatment, students could be required to either find or create an image
of a waste water treatment system. Some students will
prefer to use their graphic design skills to create a drawing, while others
will find one on the Internet. Then students would be required to sketch out
the various steps in waste water treatment by adding labels to the image that
represent those steps. They can do this by using free photo editing software
such as Pixorize, Pixlr, PicMonkey, or meme generating websites like Meme Generator, or Meme Creator. Most
students today are well versed in annotating images and creating memes.
Using this strategy early in a lesson
gives the instructor insight into prior knowledge, while using it later in a
lesson provides an opportunity to evaluate misconceptions and vocabulary use.
If used early in the module, the annotated image could be revisited later in
the module with a reflective prompt and the opportunity to edit based on
feedback.
3-2-1
is an excellent FACT to use as an exit ticket in either traditional or
asynchronous classrooms. While this FACT has several variations, the common
theme is that students prepare 3 key ideas, 2 vocabulary words with
definitions, and 1 question they still have. These can be submitted as ordinary
text documents using the assignment feature of an LMS or gathered with a tool
such as Google Forms. A form can be set up with fields to fill out, with the
results automatically compiled and presented to the instructor to determine
where the class stands on the material. The instructor can use the information
to craft a wrap-up announcement for the module that answers the student
questions or to develop extra content or work to address common issues.
While clickers have garnered significant attention in traditional classrooms, particularly those with large enrollments, online polls can serve the same function in an asynchronous online course. PollEverywhere even has the capability to embed the poll directly into the LMS and report the live results. Polling is truly versatile and can be used to check for basic content understanding, explore prior knowledge or common misconceptions, or to gauge opinions. For example, in a biomechanics course, the poll could quickly determine if students can identify a specific muscle by name. This poll can also be open throughout the module to measure student learning at different points as they go through the content. The fact that the poll is not graded and only feeds one or two questions at a time makes it less anxiety-inducing than graded assessments. Students can use their results to determine where they misunderstood something and need to go back to look at the material again.
A Terminology Inventory Probe (TIP) can be used as an introduction activity in an online module to gauge student prior knowledge and misconceptions. In this FACT, students are presented key vocabulary and asked to identify if they 1) have never heard of the word 2) have heard of the word but are unsure of the definition 3) have an idea of what the word means, or 4) know what it means and can define it. This FACT could be programmed into the LMS as a quiz or an unweighted survey. Alternatively, it could be embedded into the LMS using H5P, a free open-source platform that allows the completion of the TIP to be graded as pass/fail for participation.
Sorting activities are an engaging alternative to the
traditional quizzing format. In a meteorology course, for example, students may
be tasked with sorting gases by whether they are greenhouse gases. Online card
sorting tools are freemium-based, with the free version only allowing a limited
amount of time on the system or only permitting a restricted number of
participants. Paying the premium cost removes these restrictions. However,
there are some off-line card sorting tools that are free to use but require
software downloads, including UXSORT, Uzilla Mozdev, and WebCat.
Formative assessment is an
underutilized method of determining where online students stand in
understanding material. Luckily, there are a variety of tools and techniques
available to the online instructor to measure student understanding and
intervene where needed to improve learning outcomes.
Emily Faulconer is the chair of the Physical
and Life Sciences Discipline and Beverly Wood is the chair of the Mathematics
Discipline at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
