Formative

assessment in

online spacesTLC July 2017

Alan Cliff, CILT, UCT

alan.cliff@uct.ac.za

Why do we assess?

To check how much/what students know

To grade performance; certificate

To assess our teaching

To facilitate learning

To differentiate/separate/classify students

To promote/model thinking

To reflect on our purposes/aims/goals

(Newton 2007)

Formative and summative

assessment

It is not about when assessment occurs

It is about the purposes of assessment

Assessment for learning as opposed to

assessment of learning

A ‘snapshot’ view vs a development view

Theoretical framing

Learning potential assessment (Vygotsky; Sternberg and Grigorenko; Poehner)

Social constructivism and constructive alignment (Biggs; Rust)

Assessment of qualitative differences / taxonomic approaches (Marton; Bloom; Krathwohl)

Adult learning theory, particularly critical reflection (Brookfield)

What is mediation?

An intentional, sequenced, guided, co-

constructed learning activity the aim of which

is to enable quantitative and qualitative

change

The mediator is the skilled, aware ‘expert’

whose move and succeeding moves are

based on learning environment ‘signals’

Feedback to both learner and teacher

Three focuses

Turning course objectives into learning focuses (from lecturer focus to student focus)

Thinking about assessment in terms of levels of cognitive/affective/behavioural ‘demand’

Analysing the extent to which student response on assessment is evidence that learning focus has been achieved

Alignment between learning and

assessmentRecall Applica-

tion

Understan

ding

Transform

ation/re-

working

Review/cri

tique/evalu

ation

Content

Concept

Process

Argument

Applica-

tion

Theory

Compari-

son

Scenario

Assessment: design questions

What do we want to assess?

How do the assessment activities align with course objectives/content/learning?

What ‘signals’ do assessments provide about the course and to students (values/learning)?

What form/s of assessment (e.g. selected response; case-study; essay) best suit what we are assessing?

What are we talking about?

Forums

Chat rooms

Blogs

Electronic ‘spaces’

Other?

Myths and misconceptions

Online assessment is more difficult than

conventional assessment

Online assessment is easier than

conventional assessment!

Oral assessment is more subjective than

written assessment

Formative learning cannot or should not be

assessed

Why online learning? A continuum from very informal spaces to guided

reflective moments (cf. Brookfield) to highly intentional, structured learning moments

A continuum from student-directed and led to lecturer-directed and led

A space for dialogue and meaning-making

A practice / try-out space

Knowledge-building

A space for challenge

A learning community space

Design issues as impact

Lecturer as participant or not

The learning purpose:

Knowledge-making

Knowledge-production

Degrees of student autonomy

Critiques / evaluation

Cognitive / affective /social issues

Lecturer as ‘voyeur’ / discussant

Learning analytics issues

Ethics

Focuses of assessment Content focuses: what participants interact about

Concept focuses: conceptions and misconceptions

Change / formative focuses: the object is in what ways and by how much a student or group changes

‘Flipped’ opportunities: pre-lecture focuses; other-than-lecture focuses; augmented focuses

Assignment focuses: students share their work with one another

Assessment choices

Discussion with students / external participants

To ‘count’ or not to ‘count’? (Should the learning

event be for marks)

What counts: the content; the concept; the

grappling; the reflective quality; the extent of

change?

Intentional, guided activity

Rubric or feedback guide to participants

Formative or summative?