Assessment
Assessment in any subject area is important, but none so much as mathematics. Students want to know, “Am I doing this right?” or “Where did I go wrong?” Feedback is so immediate in math because students can check their answers and know immediately if they are on the right track. This assessment assignment in Moodle is completely in line with what I would like to eventually do in my classes and was an activity that I found very worthwhile and valuable.
Gibbs and Simpson (2005) suggest ten conditions where assessment will support the learning of students. To my relief, I found that I am already practicing a number of these condidtions. Through trial and error and many years of experience teaching high school math, I have found many of the conditions posed hold true for my classroom. Having assessment activities available through a Learning Management System (LMS) will only help students as they can receive immediate and timely feedback and support them through their learning. Below is a summary of these conditions, and how I can visualize them supporting students working in a blended classroom.
|
Condition |
How I have already set this up in my classroom |
How using an online assessment tool can enhance this condition |
| Sufficient assessed tasks are provided for students to capture sufficient study time. | Homework marked for completionDaily homework quizzes that are graded and returned that class | Assessment online could decrease my marking time and allow me to give more personal detailed feedback to students in need. |
| These tasks are engaged with by students, orienting them to allocate appropriate amounts of time and effort to the most important aspects of the course. | Homework marked for completionDaily homework quizzes that are graded and returned that class. | Time released assessment activities (quizzes) that are only open for a certain time to make students more accountable with their time. |
| Sufficient feedback is provided, both often enough and in enough detail. | I mark daily quizzes with feedback on every incorrect question. | Create assessment activities that have common mistakes in process identified, and reflected in feedback given. |
| The feedback focuses on students’ performance, on their learning and on actions under the students’ control, rather than on the students themselves and on their characteristics. | I speak to the entire class about common mistakes students are making so they don’t think it’s “just them”. I use an online grading site where students have access only to their own marks – do not know how other students are doing (unless they ask each other). |
Having assessment activities on a LMS allows students to practice in a private manner, possibly as many times necessary to gain understanding. They don’t need to worry about judgment from the teacher or other students. |
| The feedback is timely in that it is received by students while it still matters to them and in time for them to pay attention to further learning or receive further assistance. | Marking the daily quizzes with feedback gives them correction or reinforcement before the chapter tests or Unit Exam. | Assessment activities on a LMS can provide instant feedback for students as they practice the skills necessary to do well in the course. |
| Feedback is received and attended to. | In the past I have allowed quiz or test corrections for an improved mark, or test rewrites. | Don’t allow students to move along in their modules until they have received a certain level of mastery (eg. 80%). In order to gain mastery they will have to consider and use feedback given. |
Student access to assessment activities would provide students with opportunities to improve their understanding of their course material. It would allow them to practice necessary skills as many times as necessary without fear of judgment from their peers or instructor. It would give them a chance to used embedded feedback (if they so choose) to improve their skills. It could free up a teacher from their marking responsibilities to be able to help students on a more personalized level. Instructors could identify common problems or mistakes and create activities for assessment that could provide feedback to students to allow them to help themselves.
In completing this activity, I found that it made me question what type of assessment I was already doing in my classroom, and how I could improve or enhance my current practices. I had to evaluate questions that I could provide students that could also allow me to provide useful feedback. I can envision how this could be immediately incorporated into my current teaching practice and how I could provide another opportunity for students to enhance their understanding of mathematics through online assessment in a Moodle environment.
References
Gibbs, G. and Simpson, C. (2005). “Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning.” Learning and Teaching in Higher Education