Jennifer Acero

Recognize the assessment opportunities, realize the associated challenges, have resources outlined and available to provide students for when challenges present to overcome them, and collect additional tips.

Develop new scenario-based questions or replace the definition-style type of questions with these higher-order thinking scenario questions. Scenario-based questions also allows students to see the connection to the objectives and topics covered to the job and career they wish to be in upon graduation.

Norm-referenced and criterion-referenced assessments are two types of assessment in which results are specifically compared to something. Both are important in the assessment of students although they have very different purposes.

Norm-referenced assessment allows an instructor to compare a student's skills to others within a particular group and are most appropriate when the instructor wants to make comparisons across a large number of students or needs to make a decision regarding student placement and advancement. Norm-referenced assessments are better to use to determine individual performance in comparison to others.

Formative assessment is part of the instructional process and must be ongoing because student learning is ongoing. This process continues as ongoing judgments are made in a variety of ways to assist students in progressing through the course. It is essential for instructors to provide students with a rubric or checklist at the time the project is assigned. The feedback should be linked to outcomes/objectives and designed to increase the likelihood of success. Descriptive, learner-specific feedback will be particularly useful in improving student learning throughout the process. 

This topic was a great reminder of the pros and cons of assessment tools. I agree with the instruction that a variety of assessment tools should be used when assessing student learning. Learning styles will vary from student to student. Having this understanding, and also applying it through different forms of student outreach and instruction will aid in student engagement, and learning material retention. The need to receive valuable feedback from students should also not be overlooked, but taken and incorporated into how you interact and engage with students. 

I learned the importance of selecting the appropriate technology tool for assessment is not only imperative for the student's learning experience, but also mine as an instructor. Great review.