Formative Assessment

1. Formative Assessment Applications & Pitfalls

2. Outline • General Ideas • Application • Benefit & Limitation • Pitfalls

3. Definition • Formative Assessment… is concerned with how judgments about the quality of student responses (performances, pieces of works) can be used to shape and improve the student’s competence by short-circuiting the randomness and inefficiency or trial-and-error learning.

4. General Ideas • Formative = forming, molding • Feedback is a key element in formative assessment • Feedback is information about the gap between the actual level and the reference level of a system parameter, which is used to alter the gap in some way • Feedback VS self-monitoring

5. General Ideas • Feedback from assessment can • motivate students and redirect their learning towards areas of deficiency, • help teachers improve their coursework and instructional methods.

6. General Ideas • Summative = mandatory, formal and given at the end of a prescribed period of instruction • Summative = extrinsic rewards • Formative = intrinsic rewards • Summative = How did I do? • Formative = How am I doing?

7. Application • FA includes both feedback and self-monitoring • Feedback => self-monitoring • An assessment that ‘does not count’ is more likely to achieve this aim than one that carries penalty • FA is not limited by the nature of the test or instrument, since any test can serve as formative function

8. Application • FA instrument should be identical to, or closely resemble, the summative instrument • FA should broadly sample the understanding, knowledge, and skills that will be tested at summative assessment • The required performance standards should be made clear and be readily available to students

9. Application • FA should not be compulsory • FA opportunities should be provided as frequently as appropriate • FA environment should be open, supportive, and non-judgmental • Feedback should be as complete and as rapid as possible

10. Application • Where appropriate involve student discussion with their peers and teachers • Remediation should be available for students once deficiencies have been defined

11. Application • Previous summative exam provided on the web as formative assessment, with model answer available • FA : formal & informal • Informal FA ~ no written record of the information gathered • FA : planned & unplanned (incidental) • Unplanned FA arose from student’s response

12. Application • Plan for the planned and then prepare for the unplanned FA • Activities used: • Journal, Qnaire, Student feedback form • Port folio, conference • Classroom observation, observe communicative activities & group discussion • Test • Peer & self assessment

13. Application • FA in Newcastle Med Sch Case Hx: • Written instrument; understanding and knowledge of basic and clinical science • “Test & Teach” questions [FA?] • Pool of formative items => fail • More formal FA: MEQ, SA, OSCE [non-compulsory but 92% participation] • Access to previous papers in library for the next 3 yrs

14. Application • FA in Newcastle Med Sch Case Hx: • Group function; clinical reasoning and SDL • Checklist • FA same as summative • VIVA • Interactional and counseling skill • 8 videotapes of role plays

15. Benefits of FA • Assist student to evaluate their knowledge and understanding • Assist student to practise their skills and consolidate their learning • Assist student to define the expectation of their teachers, and the level of competences required • Assist students to identify individual strengths and weakness without incurring academic penalty

16. Benefits of FA • Provide opportunities for rapid feedback and action to remedy students deficiencies • Assist teachers to evaluate and modify their coursework and teaching • Assist teacher to recognize student progress and achievement • Encourage interaction between staff and students • FA help lower achiever student

17. Limitation • Demands on staff • Demand constructive feedbacking skill • Got less attention • Misunderstanding: time-wasting and inefficiency

18. Pitfalls • Grade & test score are sufficient forms of feedback • Not enough • Teacher should emphasize the summative measures • process of learning also • Teacher is the key person • It’s a collaborative process

19. Pitfalls • Teacher tend to overemphasize giving mark and underemphasize giving advice • No score, no participation • Not true • Too judgmental, too threatening • Too much memorizing • continuous SA is enough • Continuous SA = weak FA

20. Summary • General Ideas • Application • Benefit & Limitation • Pitfalls