Richard,
You are right, the assessments are so important for us. That is our accountability too.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
When conducting summative assessments, I believe the two most important things to consider are the assessment is linked to course objectives? the assessment is valid and reliable?
The first would be if the assessment has been clarified to properly function and second would be the time allotted. These are basic functions that can get easily overlooked.
I have seen assessments that clearly were designed to confuse or narrow down those who would succeed.
If the time frame is lacking then the assessment cannot be utilized to it's fullest.
When looking at summative assessments, I believe that they need to be well thought out to cover the learning outcomes desired. I also agree with many in this forum, that it can be used as an indicator if I did my job as the instructor to enhance the student's learning. With regards to this type of assessment, I feel it is equally revealing in my role as an effective instructor and their role as students.
Summative assessments should tie in to the expected outcomes for a lesson or unit. It is important to test what students are expected to know or be able to do after a learning unit. Students should know up front the expectations and be tested only on that. Assessments should be part of the initial development process.
Results on summative assessments not only show individual progress but can show class learning gaps if students overall do not do well on a particular part of the lesson. This shows a need for more content development, tutorials, practice and attention / time spent for this particular part of the course or lesson. Lyn Hoffmann
When conducting summative assessments, it is important:
1) For the instructor to understand what were the learning objectives for this course, or this part of the course;
2) Use an appropriate to tool conduct the summative assessment.
What do you think? Do these work for your courses, too?
Sincerely,
Marjorie Thrall Moller
When conducting a summative assessment the assessment must be designed to measure the course objectives and skills required by the course. The second most important thing is to be relevant to the student requirements and instructor requirements. rubrics and evaluation criteria should be carefully designed to enhance the understanding of the material, not just assign a grade.
Kelly,
When conducting summative assessments, I believe the two most important things to consider are:
1. Making sure that I use a variety of assessment tools. Depending on a student’s style, they may perform better with a certain type of tool. Thus, using only one type of tool may not provide a complete assessment.
2. Use an assessment tool that can provide the instructor with feedback that can be used to improve the course learning. It is important to ensure that the learning methodologies in the course are constantly evaluated for effectiveness.
Sincerely
Jim
Nicole,
You bring up an excellent point. The ultimate goal of the summative assessment is to assess the course objectives. Although is may sound strange, some assessment tools may not be able to accurately assess the course objectives.
Excellent Post!
Jim
First, I think a diagnostic assessment should be done prior to the course to assist the instructor in building the course, activities, or projects in sequential manner. Secondly, I think that formative assessments should be done ongoing to provide insight into whether or not the students are grasping the current materials being taught. I think these two assessments need to be considered prior to the summative assessments to ensure the students' success.
