Everything must be kept at age and grade level, but most importantly content appropriate. If the learner is classified as having a mild disability, i.e., ADHD, epilepsy, etc. then further measures must be taken for that student to be assessed, e.i., they must understand a learning goal, how to aim for it, and how to stay on course — Where am I going? Where am I now? What do I need to do next? Today we have interactive video that accelerates learning by improving retention. @PlayPostIt gives instructors data to do more. #technology #TechEd #Formative #Assessments #gamification
For example, this case allows ESL instructors to gauge the learners ability to articulate using video.
"Use case: Success in foreign language courses can be greatly impacted by a learner's ability to practice conversational skills so that corrections can be made and pronunciation can improve. PlayPosit allows for the conversation to continue when instructors upload a video of themselves asking questions and making statements in the language that the learner is practicing. When responding to a free response question or even a discussion forum, the learner can record and directly upload their video response. The instructor is then able to listen and provide real-time feedback. The learners can also interact with their peers through video responses, ensuring that the learner’s language skills continue to improve." (Daniela, 2020)
There are hundreds of online high tech formative assessment tools available depending on what approach would work best in your teaching context. If just starting out, start small choose a course for which you would like to improve the quality of your assessment then select a technology tool. It's that simple! Curriculum instructors are not a dime a dozen! I love my job.
Before anything else we must plan how to establish and improve the effectiveness or quality of the instruction; to engage and measure the students’ work with their learning ability. It is not about the age or grade levels we assess, but the learning curve and the content in itself. As educators we ask ourselves:
Why are we asking our students to take an assessment?
What will it tell us that we don't know already?
How will you we use the information the results give us?
Therefore we are asked to gauge the students knowledge from guidelines given in advanced with simple language that can be measured. The main goal here (formative) is to support the individual student. Period!
Yet I disagree that formative or summative test are simply goal oriented; only to check the level of achievement, gaps and insecurities. So these simple rubrics operate solely on the problem of learning rather the positive of what can be learned.
Therefore, TechEd ways to assess students, i.e. gamificaiton etc.., when applied correctly are goal-oriented learning, instead of purely content-oriented learning can be achieved. in this case gamification online assessment is not objective but rather a pathway to understanding.
The value that gamification brings is summarized by Wikipedia perfectly:
"Gamification techniques are intended to leverage people’s natural desires for socializing, learning, mastery, competition, achievement, status, self-expression, altruism or closure. Gamification strategies use rewards for players who accomplish desired tasks or competition to engage players. Types of rewards include points, achievement badges or levels, the filling of a progress bar or providing the user with virtual currency. Making the rewards for accomplishing tasks visible to other players or providing leaderboards are ways of encouraging players to compete." (Wikipedia, 2020)
So we know two facts about gamification assessments
80% of learners are more productive in game-oriented assessments
67% of students reported that a gamified course was more motivating than a traditional course
Also in recent studies, "gamification for learning offers a more engaging and immersive learning experience, this would translate to higher completion rates. The gain would also be reflected in better recall or retention."
Finally a teacher can evaluate the same work differently at different times, yet the assessment will not be not reliable. No matter which subject the evaluation held differently at different points in time is stated reliable is not valid. Gamification allow for different outcomes and scenarios depending on the learners ability
Daniela. (2020, April 7). Quick & Easy Tips: Leverage PlayPosit's in-designer recording, hosting and streaming solution. Retrieved from https://blog.playposit.com/2020/04/quick-easy-tips-leverage-playposits-in.html
Schneider, S., Nebel, S., Beege, M., & Rey, G. D. (2018). The autonomy-enhancing effects of choice on cognitive load, motivation and learning with digital media. Learning and Instruction, 58, 161–172. doi: 10.1016/j.learninstruc.2018.06.006
Wikipedia. (2020, April 16). Gamification of learning. Retrieved May 24, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamification_of_learning