FEEDBACK & ASSESSMENT

Feedback and revision provide the greatest learning opportunity for students – scaffold summative assessments by incorporating opportunities for feedback and revision. The evidence-based practices below are taken from the Feedback and Assessment domain of the Teaching Effectiveness Framework.

Student assessment exists in two forms: summative and formative.

Summative assessment occurs at the end of a unit or assignment and evaluates students’ learning against a benchmark or standard.
Formative assessments include no-stakes checks for understanding as well as low-stakes assignments that inform instructors and students of how much, and to what extent, content or skills are mastered; formative assessments are frequent and ongoing.

1) START WITH KEY PRACTICES

ALIGN ALL ACTIVITIES AND ASSESSMENTS WITH COURSE OUTCOMES

For summative and formative assessments to be relevant and informative, align them with the course outcomes. Share this alignment with your students.

FLIP THE FOCUS FROM "WHAT AM I TEACHING?" TO "WHAT ARE STUDENTS LEARNING?"

A student-centered, feedback-forward classroom is essential to student learning. Frequent checks for understanding give students more opportunity for practice and feedback that novice learners need. It also gives you an understanding of what students have grasped and what they still need to learn, which might mean reteaching a concept or providing students more practice.

ASSESS EARLY - PROVIDE ABUNDANT FEEDBACK IN THE FIRST FOUR WEEKS

The first four weeks of a semester are directly linked to student success in a course, and in many cases, to retention and graduation. Set the tone in weeks 1-4 so students know what to expect. If you give mid-term exams, administer a mini exam at the same difficulty as larger exams, or allow students to retake the first exam. If you don’t administer exams, give an assignment during the first week; then quickly review the assignment, return it to students and discuss expectations, successes, and show examples of quality work. Then require students to revise and resubmit the assignment.

SET A SUPPORTIVE TONE FOR A FEEDBACK-RICH ENVIRONMENT

The thought of giving feedback to students can be overwhelming. In a student-centered classroom, feedback is a consistent part of every class session and can be done quickly and effectively.

Use positive, asset-based language when talking about feedback and assessment. Share the purpose of activities, assignments, and assessments, including how they align with course outcomes, what they should gain from completing them, what your expectations are, and your belief that they can be successful. Incorporating self-reflection and peer feedback is one way to lessen the feedback load.

IN LARGE COURSES OR TO LESSEN THE FEEDBACK LOAD

Consider some group quizzes or tests with individual reflections.
Keep a bank of feedback responses that can be adjusted to meet individual student needs.
Teach students to engage in self/peer assessment of drafts of their assignment using the rubric and feedback starters.

ASSESS OFTEN - VARY THE TYPES OF ASSESSMENTS

If you only do one thing to make your assessments more meaningful and supportive of student learning, assess often and vary the types of assessments in your course. Frequent assignments, formative assessments, and quizzes give students practice with skills and comprehension.

ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR TEACHING ONLINE

Utilize the online discussion forum at least once in each module for the instructor and students to pose questions and share insights. This allows the instructor to see if students are grasping content in each module and where to provide more information or steer students back on course. It also allows students to receive feedback before moving on.