Formative assessment in online spaces University Course Design Alan Cliff, CILT, UCT alan.cliff@uct.ac.za

Why do we assess? To check how much/what students know To grade performance; certificate To assess our teaching To facilitate learning To differentiate/separate/classify students To promote/model thinking To reflect on our purposes/aims/goals (Newton 2007)

Formative and summative assessment It is not about when assessment occurs It is about the purposes of assessment Assessment for learning as opposed to assessment of learning A ‘snapshot’ view vs a development view

Theoretical framing Learning potential assessment (Vygotsky; Sternberg and Grigorenko; Poehner) Social constructivism and constructive alignment (Biggs; Rust) Assessment of qualitative differences / taxonomic approaches (Marton; Bloom; Krathwohl) Adult learning theory, particularly critical reflection (Brookfield)

What is mediation? An intentional, sequenced, guided, co-constructed learning activity the aim of which is to enable quantitative and qualitative change The mediator is the skilled, aware ‘expert’ whose move and succeeding moves are based on learning environment ‘signals’ Feedback to both learner and teacher

Three focuses Turning course objectives into learning focuses (from lecturer focus to student focus) Thinking about assessment in terms of levels of cognitive/affective/behavioural ‘demand’ Analysing the extent to which student response on assessment is evidence that learning focus has been achieved

Alignment between learning and assessment Recall Applica-tion Understanding Transformation/re-working Review/critique/evaluation Content Concept Process Argument Theory Compari-son Scenario

Assessment: design questions What do we want to assess? How do the assessment activities align with course objectives/content/learning? What ‘signals’ do assessments provide about the course and to students (values/learning)? What form/s of assessment (e.g. selected response; case-study; essay) best suit what we are assessing?

What are we talking about? Forums Chat rooms Blogs Electronic ‘spaces’ Other?

Myths and misconceptions Online assessment is more difficult than conventional assessment Online assessment is easier than conventional assessment! Oral assessment is more subjective than written assessment Formative learning cannot or should not be assessed

Why online learning? A continuum from very informal spaces to guided reflective moments (cf. Brookfield) to highly intentional, structured learning moments A continuum from student-directed and led to lecturer-directed and led A space for dialogue and meaning-making A practice / try-out space Knowledge-building A space for challenge A learning community space

Design issues as impact Lecturer as participant or not The learning purpose: Knowledge-making Knowledge-production Degrees of student autonomy Critiques / evaluation Cognitive / affective /social issues Lecturer as ‘voyeur’ / discussant Learning analytics issues Ethics

Focuses of assessment Content focuses: what participants interact about Concept focuses: conceptions and misconceptions Change / formative focuses: the object is in what ways and by how much a student or group changes ‘Flipped’ opportunities: pre-lecture focuses; other-than-lecture focuses; augmented focuses Assignment focuses: students share their work with one another

Assessment choices Discussion with students / external participants To ‘count’ or not to ‘count’? (Should the learning event be for marks) What counts: the content; the concept; the grappling; the reflective quality; the extent of change? Intentional, guided activity Rubric or feedback guide to participants Formative or summative?