Blended Learning: Feedback and Assessment

FEEDBACK AND ASSESSMENT

WHAT IS FEEDBACK?

What it is not…Comments after the fact, such as advice,

praise, and / or evaluation.

FEEDBACK IS INFORMATION

…about how we are doing in our effort to reach a goal.

SEVEN KEYS TO EFFECTIVE FEEDBACK

Feedback is…Goal-oriented Effective feedback requires that a person has

a goal, takes action to achieve the goal, and receives goal-related information about his or her actions.

TANGIBLE AND TRANSPARENT

We have to know what success looks like so that we may recognize it when we see it by providing examples (good and bad). Let students try it out and see for themselves.

ACTIONABLE

Carefully observe and comment on the observations. “I though you made some good points in your speech, but I had a difficulty hearing you when you looked at your notes at the end of each slide”.

Feedback lets us to do something to improve our performance.

USER-FRIENDLY

Goals are clear and unambiguous. Avoid highly technical feedback. Too much feedback can be counter productive.

TIMELY

Timeliness is key and technology can help. Online quizzes can provide immediate feedback as well as resources for further study.

ONGOING

“What makes any assessment in education formative is not merely that it precedes summative assessments, if results are less than optimal, to reshape the performance to better achieve the goal.”

- Wiggins

CONSISTENT

Feedback needs to be stable, accurate and trustworthy. Rubrics can help to provide an objective means of measuring quality.

I’VE DECIDED TO TRY STANDUP COMEDY

http://www.polleverywhere.com/

CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT

“Classroom assessment is a formative approach (not summative) because its purpose is to improve the quality of student learning, not to provide evidence for evaluating or grading students”

(Angelo and Cross, 1993; Stiggins, 2002; Taylor and Marienau, 1997)

CLASSROOM ASSESSMENT TECHNIQUES (CATS) FOR ONLINE INSTRUCTION

Misconception / Preconception CheckAssess the learner’s prior knowledge and

understanding of the topic by asking open-ended questions about the topic or listing common misconceptions for students to respond to.

Helps the instructor to identify the level of student understanding for the topic/subject.

MUDDIEST POINT

Following a lecture or reading assignment have students post what they find least clear or most confusing about a lesson.

This could be done using essay questions with the quiz tool or as a discussion thread with students replying to one-another’s posts.

PEER GUIDE QUESTIONING

Students develop their own questions based on the material.

They post their questions to the discussion board and respond to two or three of their peers’ questions.

PROS & CONS

Assess skills in analysis and critical thinking by use of a “T” chart with pros concerning an issue on one side and cons on the other. Can be used for ethical decision-making.

Instructor gives an example. Student select four or five ideas for each

side. This is a good group project. Can be done

using chat feature with whiteboard.

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY

Individual or group activity, students summarize a topic, posting to discussion board, quiz essay question , twitter, Poll Everywhere, et, al.

DOCUMENT PROBLEM SOLUTIONS

Used with case-study or scenario Three or four students work though a

problem and describe not only their solution but how they arrived at their conclusion.

Use chat, discussion, Google docs, wiki, etc.

DIRECT PARAPHRASING

Students select a theory, concept, or argument and paraphrase for two different audiences: e.g. health care professionals, patients…

Provide an example Use quiz essay questions, journal, blog, or

discussion postings.

ASSESSING LEARNERS SELF-AWARENESS

Students are give the opportunity to share level of confidence (none, low, medium, high) in skills, knowledge, aptitude (e.g. math competencies.

Helps them to know they are not alone and identify areas they may want to focus on. Can be used to create study groups – learning communities.

Can also be used to identify learning styles.

SMALL GROUP INSTRUCTIONAL DIAGNOSIS (SGID)

Open-ended feedback process in which students are asked to identify issues that are most important for their learning in a course. Finding consensus…

1)What do you like best about the course?2)What would you change that may

improve the course, and your learning?3)What could you do to make the course

better?4)How much have you learned in this

course thus far?

RESOURCES

Comedy Central, http://www.jokes.com/ Seven Keys to Effective Feedback, Grant

Wiggins, ASCD.org Small Group Instructional Diagnosis (SGID),

Center for Instructional Development and Research, University of Washington

Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATS) for Online Instruction, Wendy Flint, College of the Desert,