I believe that for an online class, formative assessment is very important. Because the teacher is more of a coach and doesn't have the ability to be right there in person to give feedback, it is important to do a formative assessment to see if the students are on track. Formative assessment is a type of assessment that is done along the way throughout the learning. Rather than just a summative assessment at the end of the course to see what information the students have retained, the formative assessment can gather this information while the students are learning and makes it easier for the instructor to make adjustments to the curriculum as needed.
Formative assessments also steer the students in the right direction. If the students get off-track one way or another, a formative assessment can recognize this so a correction can be made. Having the ability to guide students through virtual courses is very important because there is already an additional amount of responsibility placed on them to stay with the course. By providing the formative assessments and results to the students, they will recognize that they are being monitored and that they have support to complete the course successfully.
I think your comment about formative assessment aiding the assurance that students are on the right track is a great point. In process evaluation - seeing how the students apply the information is very telling of how much the student understands and how comfortable they are applying. In an online setting, it is very important to periodically measure student progress.
ReplyDeleteFormative assessment allow the learner to gain a deeper understanding of the material. Not only can you help steer them as they are doing it and check for understanding, you are able learn more rather than just a one time assessment such as a quiz or test.
ReplyDelete