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Faculty of Health Sciences

Learning Technologies Lab

Assessment

There are so many ways to assess learning and teaching. Meaningful and authentic assessments can promote the effective use of learning resources and environments on evaluating student learning progress while reducing the use of high-stakes exams where appropriate.

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Assessment is designed for measuring whether students are meeting certain standards, providing information for accreditation, comparing students’ performance with a given population, and checking the student’s length and depth of learning achievement.

Conduct a closed-book assessment within a short time frame. The assessment can be designed in a selected-response format, e.g. Midterm/final written exam, proctored via Zoom and Respondus, randomized problem statements, quizzes, timed problem questions, lab practical, etc.

Formative assessment is designed for learning outcomes that measure how well students can use the information at their disposal to solve problems or carry out task within a short period of time (e.g. half a day to several days).

Students participate in the task within a short period of time (e.g. half a day to two days) and access to resources and explore solutions. The assessment can be designed as take home test, essay type home quiz, Micro teaching, debate, interview (oral exam verbal response to questions) on the LMS, group/individual presentation via ZOOM, discussion group (for oral assessment), etc.

Well-designed criteria allow student comparison of lesson objectives to what is assessed. You can assign breakout group discussion for self-/peer-assessment with clear instruction, i.e., worksheet, rubric, or guiding questions, for students to define good performance. You can also encourage students to utilize a self-developed rubric to evaluate their own or a peer’s work and share what kinds of feedback they find most valuable.

  • Create a blog post using Google Docs or OneNote. Educators can create and share Google Docs with learners, and the learners can use them to draft their first post for a given topic. Faculty members may then use version history to assess individual contributions (if desired).
  • Assess learning as you go. Whether you are doing synchronous or asynchronous education, progress testing that does not contribute to “final grades” can be included throughout the learner experience.

Attributes of useful feedback

  • actionable and tangible
  • timely
  • convenient to access
  • specific to the role
  • shows trends and clusters
  • data has been interpreted or reflected upon

Attributes of useless feedback

  • Too general
  • Repetitive
  • Delayed
  • Does not feel natural
  • No insight on what to do better

Source of content: Faculty Feedback workshop

R2C2 is an evidence-based reflective model for providing feedback and coaching through an interactive conversation. It comprises 4 iterative phases: Relationship, Reaction, Content and Coaching.

Further information about the R2C2 model can be found at R2C2 Feedback And Coaching Resources 

Adapted from: Sargeant et al., Academic Medicine, 2015, 2018; Armson et al., Medical
Education, 2019.

The integrated conceptual framework for a blended approach to debriefing is to integrate three common educational strategies used during debriefing: namely, (1) learner self-assessment, (2) facilitating focused discussion, and (3) providing information in the form of directive feedback and or teaching.

Please refer to the journal paper to learn more about the PEARLS framework.

The PEARLS-related Resources from the Debrief2Learn.org site are available at Debrief 2 Learn.

  1. Personal Reflection: Prompt students to reflect on their experiences, observations, and connections. AI is limited to providing personal insights.
  2. Meta Commentary: Require students to provide a comprehensive account of their writing process, including drafts and outlines.
  3. Reference in-class activities: Design assignments that focus on in-class debates and discussions.
  4. Assessments: Integrate invigilated writing sessions and short quizzes into synchronous learning sessions to assess students’ understanding of the subject matter.
  5. Diverse Media: Encourage students to present their knowledge using different modes such as videos or presentations. However, ensure that the emphasis is on their own understanding rather than scripted AI-generated content.

Reference: Exploring ChatGPT: a workshop for educators on its potential and limitations in assessment design by MacPherson Institute, McMaster University

Resource Listing

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Articulate

Articulate 360 is a holistic suite of interconnected apps for all your e-learning needs—from authoring (Storyline, Studio, Rise 360, Replay, and Peek 360) to sourcing assets (Content Library 360) to collaborating (Review 360) to training (Articulate 360 Training).

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H5P

H5P helps create and share tich HTML5 content and applications that are mobile-friendly and relatively simple to use.

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Kahoot!

Kahoot! is an interactive presentation platform that delivers engaging learning to learners.

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Padlet

Padlet is a digital tool that can help teachers and students in class and beyond by offering a single place for a notice board.

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PebblePad

PebblePad’s platform provides the space and tools to record, store and structure a collection of evidence to demonstrate learning achievements and abilities.

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Pressbooks

Pressbooks’ three products—Directory, Create, and Results for LMS—are designed by and for educators. Together, they form the infrastructure for open publishing.

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Respondus

Respondus can refer to two different online proctoring tools: Respondus Lockdown Browser and Respondus Monitor. These tools are often used together during a remote assessment, but Lockdown Browser can also be used individually.

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Rubrics @ Avenue To Learn

Avenue to Learn is a web-based course management system. It is designed to create a rich online learning environment for learners.

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Zoom

This video conferencing software app allows for easy communication and presentations to others through video, audio, or both.