formative assessment

Don’t wait for formal evaluations to find out what your students are thinking and how they feel. A recent study by Jonas Flodén (2017) notes that “Student feedback pushes teaching choices … toward more student-teacher interaction” (Discussion section, para. 3). Findings like this illustrate the demand for more connection.

Microlearning is an educational strategy wherein an educator “breaks down” complex tasks and behaviors into meaningful pieces that become powerful building blocks for learning. For instance, Darby notes in Small Teaching Online (Darby & Lang, 2019) that “successful coaches worked (with athletes) on small, fundamental skills that had powerful effects” on their learning. This intentional focus can be supported with an educator’s attention to delivery mode and timing.

Engaging students in class discussions and activities is always a challenging endeavor for instructors because there is no one-size-fits-all approach that will work to draw in everyone. Students will have varying degrees of interest in the topic, and not everyone will be able to find the same degree of relevance in the concepts presented.

Interactive videos are an excellent choice for providing an active learning experience for students. Instead of a video that positions the learner as a passive listener, interactive videos engage the viewer and demand certain forms of interaction. In fact, students have reported that interactive videos can be fun and allow them to learn the content better compared to videos without any forms of interaction (Kim, Glassman, Monroy-Hernandez, & Morris, 2015; Neo, Neo, & Yap, 2008).

Assessment is a key characteristic of any course. However, how assessment is used and what forms of assessment are adopted (i.e. exams, papers, projects) can greatly affect students and their learning experience. Shifting assessment from a means of measurement to a form of inquiry can enable students to work actively and construct knowledge together (Hargreaves, 2007).

Metacognition (thinking about your own learning) is a self-regulated behavior that students can use to gain control over their own learning. Self-regulated behaviors, like managing time effectively or asking for help, begin with monitoring, which helps us reflect upon or evaluate the information we’re trying to learn (I’m getting the answers wrong. Am I making simple mistakes, or don’t I understand the concept?).

Rubrics frequently supplement forms of assessment and are used to evaluate student work and learning. They can be used for projects, presentations, discussions, and writing assignments. Learners can view the criteria on which they are being assessed and can work towards meeting the stated expectations. For instance, it is common to include a rubric for online discussion forums so that learners have a clear idea of the criteria that will be used for grading (i.e.