Sheila,
That is true, as an educator we can look at the results and see where we may need to improve in our teaching. It should be used by us to alter our teaching.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Is the student learning and the quality of the material.
Paula,
I don't know what you are saying. Would you allow a student to post a discussion reply like the one you just posted?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
When conducting summative assessments, the two most important things to consider are: (1) whether the questions in the assessment align with the learning objectives and (2) whether the questions are clear. Although the second seems rather simple, I teach many student in which English is a second language and clarity is imperative. I often find that multiple choice questions are harder for them then short essay because they can easily misread one of the choices. Consequently, I offer all my student to provide a 1-2 sentence explanation with regards to why they chose their answer. This enables me to determine whether we have an issue of misinterpretation and whether the student does actually understand the concept.
Sharon,
You are right, clear questions is not easy. What a great idea about giving students an opportunity to explain their answer. I also want educators to use summative assessment to review and reflect on the specific questions.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
These types of assessments are designed to evaluate the content of the lesson or objective of a completed project, task or lecture. Make sure the summative test is consistent with the material learned. I know this sounds simplistic, but how many times during school did one of us take a test which had little or nothing to do with the content spent learning for the last 4 weeks? The method by which learned material is presented is also a monumental factor in determining summative assessments. For example if lectures were as the method of delivery which may include processes--then it is important to test students through these processes instead of assessing parts through a multiple choice test. Lab content can also be determined through the process by which the method was delivered by allowing students to perform lab tasks in the same manner.
Roland,
True! We can also use this information to improve how we, the instructors, teach the content. If there are holes in learning, it could be us!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
It can be a very valuable tool for the instructor in that he/she can see if there were any items that were not connecting well to the class as a whole. It also can provide a good tool for identifying an individual student who may have significant issues with the areas covered or even with the type of evaluation questions.
Has everyone run into the student that seem to know it well...but on an exam does badly?
Good point about student responsibility. Getting items done and asking questions they may have does fall on them. Offering the opportunity to ask questions in a private manner often works well.
Any thoughts to add?
John,
I have seen it and that is where you can measure student learning in different ways. It may be using portfolios or projects but it does provide students a different way to display learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
John,
When I teach online I always offer time to talk online but privately. I also provide a discussion where they have to ask students questions about issues.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The primary goal of the summative assessment is to determine student understanding and growth, and teachers use a variety of tools to do this. Paper-and-pencil tests cannot measure every skill, nor would an extended interview be helpful (or practical) to gauge all learning. They are used at the end of a unit or end of the year, used to measure growth and achievement formally (e.g., end-of-unit test). When designing an assessment it is important to understand the two main categories or types of assessment questions: objective and non-objective. At the most basic level “objective†assessment questions are items that are generally not open to interpretation (e.g. multiple choice) while “non-objective†assessment questions are more open-ended and allow greater room for interpretation (e.g. essays). Choosing the best assessment question type for a particular unit or group of students may feel complicated and overwhelming. To aide your selection of the appropriate assessment method, consider the following factors:
• Content of the unit – what exactly are you trying to assess and what questions would be best suited to measure understanding of this content?
• Efficiency – what types of assessment will simplify the creation, administration, and grading of the assessment?
• Breadth of material – how suited is the assessment to cover different quantities of material?
• Depth of knowledge – how much will your assessment reveal about student understanding/misunderstandings?
• Distorting factors – what factors might distort scores and prevent the assessment from accurately revealing student mastery (see question four below)?
All of these factors govern student performance.
I think it can be really good to combine diagnostic assessments with summative assessments. Like a pre-test on the first day of the class and a post-test the last day of class. It can help the instructor maybe identify areas where students weren't remembering as much and try to improve on that in future classes. So, this wouldn't be helpful for the current student obviously, but might help future ones.
And like the lesson points out, it is important to consider those levels of learning from Bloom's Taxonomy. Summative assessments should have a range of those classifications.
Vimlarani,
You have a very good post. I agree with you about the different types of assessment all have a purpose and must be matched with the objective(s) you want to measure. There is such a value for instructors looking at the assessment data. It is a way to review and reflect on teaching to improve learning outcomes for students.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Josh,
Great post! These tools all have a role in the learning process. In our culture of testing, it is easy just to depend on the end of course, high stakes testing. Although important they may not tell the whole story or provide educators with the information to change the course of learning. Diagnostics and summative assessment provide a holistic type of assessment that is "closing the loop" of learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
When conducting summative assessments, the two most important things to me are what the student learned when taking the course AND what areas they lacked knowledge.
Diana,
I agree with you. How do you use that information to "close the loop"?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Ah, summative assessments, the grand finally in the classroom :), for me two important things to consider when conducting the summative assessments are, 1) Are the Learning Objectives - Course Outcomes clearly stated [For the Instructor and Students], and 2) Does everyone understand what is expected from the Learning Objectives - Course Outcomes. These things are important because they are your GPS if you will for a course. A summative assessment is your final destination but everyone needs to understand how to plug in the right information to get to your destination and often recheck (formative assessments are needed) to assure that you are still on track.
Michael
Michael,
Yes, these are great ways to use the data gathered from the summative assessment. I love that you use the term "GPS" for the course as that data can be used for that. (I may use that term). This will allow you make the adjustments in the learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The objective of summative assessments is to assess if students have mastered the course outcomes and objectives with the grade earned used as an accountability measure reflecting their level of learning. Since these assessments occur at the conclusion of a lesson or unit, they provide can be used to identify if students need remedial help on specific topics. To make sure students are learning at all levels, instructors must design them to meet Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy criteria that span the highest level to the lowest level of learning. Making a connection between what is being assessed in the classroom to real-world applications is another important aspect of designing these summative assignments. Bottom line these assessments need to provide adequate information to guide instructors towards organizing their curricula for future courses.
Thanks
