In much of education today, summative assessment is the primary focus; certainly in Texas, where I have taught for the past twelve years, schools have applied much of their efforts to the TAAS, TAKS, and now STAAR. Given, however, that these tests occur on a single day once a year per assessment, the focus placed on them is quite out of proportion; once they are done, the opportunity for students to improve has passed. Instead, assessment that takes into account a variety of performances, that gives educators a better idea of the student’s strengths and weaknesses, and that is a fundamental part of the learning process is needed. In Scenario1, the final grade for the course consists of multiple-choice quizzes, a final exam, and class participation,
…show more content…
First, the class participation component is fairly voluntary. As only ten percent of the final grade and note embedded with the other two grade requirements, a student could conceivably not participate at all with his or her peers and make a ninety in the course by focusing his or her attention on the quizzes and final exam. (Although this may only be a benefit for a certain type of student.) Second, the most of the course requirements are not fuzzy; the quizzes and final exam questions most likely have only one right answer, so the score is not subjective. On the other hand, such a system is likely to have several disadvantages. First, the dependence on quizzes and exams without feedback will likely lead to many instances of cheating. In Cheating Lessons, James M. Lang (2013) identifies “the four features of learning … that may pressure individuals into cheating: 1. An emphasis on performance; 2. high stakes riding on the outcome; 3. an extrinsic motivation for success; [and] 4. a low expectation of success” (p. 38), and in Scenario 1 at least the first two of these are present. This is especially true of the final exam, where the weight of sixty percent makes it a high-stakes test performance. Second, for students not intrinsically motivated by the content of the course, the lack of instructor feedback throughout the course may demotivate some students, leaving the primary motivation to be the extrinsic …show more content…
In Scenario 1, the teacher is almost non-existent as far as the assessments are concerned; he or she simply stands are the deliverer of a final grade, while the student is simply a receptacle for knowledge. In an in-person class, this fact might be mitigated by a dynamic personality who interacts with his or her students in ways not directly represented by the summative assessments; the teacher could be taking informal and formative assessment of his or her students through conversation and discussion. Just as easily, however, the teacher could not be, and in an online situation this would be more likely as the lack of direct, day-to-day contact means those connections must be more deliberate and explicit. Scenario 2 does this by explicitly calling for instructor feedback as part of the assessment process, and in this way the instructor and the student become partners in a dialogue. Certainly from the instructor’s perspective such a course would require more work, but that work would likely correspond to an increase in student
First, the class participation component is fairly voluntary. As only ten percent of the final grade and note embedded with the other two grade requirements, a student could conceivably not participate at all with his or her peers and make a ninety in the course by focusing his or her attention on the quizzes and final exam. (Although this may only be a benefit for a certain type of student.) Second, the most of the course requirements are not fuzzy; the quizzes and final exam questions most likely have only one right answer, so the score is not subjective. On the other hand, such a system is likely to have several disadvantages. First, the dependence on quizzes and exams without feedback will likely lead to many instances of cheating. In Cheating Lessons, James M. Lang (2013) identifies “the four features of learning … that may pressure individuals into cheating: 1. An emphasis on performance; 2. high stakes riding on the outcome; 3. an extrinsic motivation for success; [and] 4. a low expectation of success” (p. 38), and in Scenario 1 at least the first two of these are present. This is especially true of the final exam, where the weight of sixty percent makes it a high-stakes test performance. Second, for students not intrinsically motivated by the content of the course, the lack of instructor feedback throughout the course may demotivate some students, leaving the primary motivation to be the extrinsic …show more content…
In Scenario 1, the teacher is almost non-existent as far as the assessments are concerned; he or she simply stands are the deliverer of a final grade, while the student is simply a receptacle for knowledge. In an in-person class, this fact might be mitigated by a dynamic personality who interacts with his or her students in ways not directly represented by the summative assessments; the teacher could be taking informal and formative assessment of his or her students through conversation and discussion. Just as easily, however, the teacher could not be, and in an online situation this would be more likely as the lack of direct, day-to-day contact means those connections must be more deliberate and explicit. Scenario 2 does this by explicitly calling for instructor feedback as part of the assessment process, and in this way the instructor and the student become partners in a dialogue. Certainly from the instructor’s perspective such a course would require more work, but that work would likely correspond to an increase in student