Module 6
In Module 6, I learned how to sort and utilize different types of assessments. It's not that I don't use different types of assessments, but Module 6 helped me organize how to think about them and improve my instructional design. I am also considering revising some parts of the assignment weighting system that I employ.
For example, for the online courses (which is pretty much what I teach now), I utilize weekly discussions with a stiff rubric as a formative assessment (that I now know to call it). The discussion requires an initial post mid-week answering the Discussion questions. There are typically three or four questions. the last questions requires the student to give their opinion about the issues in the discussion. To complete the assignment, the student must make a second post, responding to another student's ideas. these are formative assessments in that they are giving the student practice in reading and analyzing the material, then additional practice in writing their ideas about it, and finally practice in communicating those ideas to their peers.
In American II, one such discussion requires students to describe three of the big safety net programs of the Great Depression: Social Security, FDIC, and Unemployment benefits. Then, they post which program would have the most impact on their family or lifestyle if it were to fail. Judging by the level of enthusiasm displayed, this is one of the most popular assessments.
These discussions are very clearly formative. While I do use exams and quizzes throughout, there is one seriously Summative Assessment for each course: the Final Essay. Design is based on my experience rating the Document Based Question (DBQ) for AP US History. The student picks a topic from a list of topics, each of which has required resources such as newspaper articles or videos. The student then writes an essay about that topic using those resources. The Final Essay is due in the LMS by midnight on the very last night of the course. I grade this fast and furious. Even though the skill sets are remarkably similar to the ones in the weekly Discussions, this is a Final Exam, i.e. Summative Assessment. If you can't do this after 16 weeks, you have a big problem, one that will be reflected in your essay grade.
My problem is weighting the assignments. I have not come to a final decision about that and, frankly, Module 6 didn't go that far.
