6.2 Formative Assessments

There are a variety of assessments in the course that allow for ungraded, formative feedback.

Points: 2 (Very Important)

QM Alignment: 3.4

Overview

Formative Assessments help students and instructors gain information about learning progress and performance. Different methods are used to identify and address student learning gaps. An analogy for formative assessment might be a compass, helping orient students on the right learning path.

What methods can you use in a typical lesson plan?

Examples

• Diagnostic or Knowledge Pre-Survey​
• Homework​
• Practice Quiz​
• Observation​
• Concept Map​
• Checklist​
• Just-in-time Tutorials​
• Lesson Exit Survey​
• Exam wrappers

Other examples

• ungraded discussion forums for student reflections,
• ungraded drafts of assignments that are submitted to the instructor for initial feedback,
• checklists for students to use to track their progress while completing a major assignment, and
• one-on-one meetings with students to discuss general course performance and strategies for improvement.

Resources

• Articles
  • Assessment: Lower Stakes, Raise Retention
  • Frequent Low-Stakes Assignments
  • Using Drawings for Formative Assessment
• Research
  • Formative assessment and feedback for learning in higher education: A systematic review
  • We agree on what we see: Teacher and student perceptions of formative assessment practice
  • Mind the gap! Students’ use of exemplars and detailed rubrics as formative assessment
  • How are undergraduate STEM instructors leveraging student thinking?
  • Empirical Evidence that Formative Assessments Improve Final Exams
• Authentic Assessment
  • Guide to Authentic Assessment
  • 50 Authentic Assessment Activities
  • 40 ideas for designing assessments for an AI-enabled world