Theran,
I could not agree more with you. We are there to support the learning process, but in the end it is really up to the student to decide if he/she wants to learn
The assessments should be tied to the objectives of the course. Second I look for patterns. For example if a lot of students are not answering question 3 correctly, then perhaps that question needs to be looked at and reworded.
Colleen,
True, I also think you have to determine how you are going to use the results, as well as the consideration of the results actually telling you something.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I think the two most important things to consider when conductive summative assessment are:
1) what are the intended learning outcomes and course objectives?
2) whether a variety of methods have been used to gauge student performance, so that different learning styles are accounted for.
Linda,
Nice post. I agree with you. You want to tie the learning to real world and the assessment should help you "assess" that !
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Thomas,
You make a great point. You do have to think about your workload! Grading and feedback has to be considered.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
True, you don't want students to have surprises of content on the exam. The assessment has to fit the content.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Christine,
Yes, make sure you connect everything to the objectives. We have to review assessments to ensure they are measuring what we intend them to measure.
Thanks.
Although not limited to two, I do believe one needs to consider whether the test is COHERENT or not. Often, questions can be confusing and need to be made not leading and not ambiguous. Second, that the material which was required be included, rather than "new" material never discussed; and that the material is actually testing what you are looking to test, rather than material or concepts which don't have true practical use or emphasis.
I try to keep in mind where the student is coming from and the effort that is being made. I don't want to discourage a student who is really trying to improve. I try to balance this with academic criteria.
The other thing I would want to remember is that any assessment is only a tool and may have blind spots in the instrument itself and/or blindspots in my evaluative judgment. (I find this quite believable after hours of correcting term papers ... I feel I can easily get "sloppy" in my efforts out of fatigue or lack of concentration.)
I feel that the two most important things to consider when conducting summative assessments would be to make sure summative evaluations include a range of knowledge areas and done in a way to accommodate various learning styles of students and to connect the material to real world learning so as to make it more meaningful.
Matthew,
Love your post! You are so right about the no surprises rule! You may have to make some adjustments but you don't want to lose the integrity of the assessment.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
A summative assessment must be connected to the learning objectives. Students shouldn't be surprised to find new information in the assessment. The need to feel that everything they've learned up to the point of the assessment has been preparing them for it. Additionally, the summative assessment must engage students' ability levels and learning styles, specifically if their are generational differences amongst the students. At our school we have adult students of all ages and some do very well with online assessments, while others prefere to do things on paper. I find that I have to adjust my assessment techniques in order to the meet the students at their level.
Ted,
Great point! It should reflect knowledge/skill attainment. It should be multiple measures of a concept.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Marcia,
You are right. summative assessments do give you a great scan of knowledge attainment before moving on.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The summative assessments should measure measure student understanding of the course material. Also, the summative assessments should be reliable so that a high score reflects actual knowledge, not luck.
If you want to know if the student is getting the basics down before you move on to the next subject matter, in-class quizzes and tests are appropriate. Tests and other assessments should be learning experiences as well as evaluation devices. Learning is certainly more important than grading.
Dr. Marcia L. Brown
LE,
True! It must go back to the objectives. You want the assessment to measure the appropriate action or knowledge.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Kathleen,
Great post. All assessment should go back to objectives or outcomes.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The things that I believe are important when designing Summative assessments are:
1) What were the Terminal Objectives for this section or course. What should the student have learned.
2) Is the tool I am using really giving the student a chance to demonstrate the knowledge or skill.
