4.1 Types of Assessment in Online Learning

The typical types of assessments are diagnostic, formative and summative assessment. Each type of assessment serves a distinct purpose, from gauging initial knowledge and skills to monitoring ongoing progress and evaluating cumulative learning outcomes. Understanding the various forms of these assessments and their applications can help educators tailor their teaching strategies to better meet students' needs, thereby enhancing the overall educational experience.

Diagnostic Assessment

Diagnostic assessment can help identify students’ current knowledge of a subject, their skill sets and capabilities, and to clarify misconceptions before teaching takes place. Knowing students’ strengths and weaknesses can help better plan what to teach and how to teach it. Types of diagnostic assessment are: a) pre-tests (on content and abilities); b) self-assessments (identifying skills and competencies); c) discussion board responses (on content-specific prompts); and interviews (brief, private, 10-minute interview of each student). 

Video 2: Formative and Summative Assessment [Duration 01:06, created by the Module authors]

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment provides feedback and information during the instructional process, while learning is taking place, and while learning is occurring. Formative assessment measures student progress but it can also assess your own progress as an instructor. For example, when implementing a new activity in class, you can, through observation and/or surveying the students, determine whether or not the activity should be used again or modified. A primary focus of formative assessment is to identify areas that may need improvement. These assessments typically are not graded and act as a gauge to students’ learning progress and to determine teaching effectiveness (implementing appropriate methods and activities). Types of formative assessment are: a) observations during in-class activities; students non-verbal feedback during lecture; b) homework exercises as review for exams and class discussions; c) reflections journals that are reviewed periodically during the semester; d) question and answer sessions, both formal - planned and informal – spontaneous; e) meetings between the instructor and student at various points in the semester; f) in-class activities where students informally present their results; and g) student feedback collected by periodically answering specific question about the instruction and their self-evaluation of performance and progress.

Summative Assessment

Summative assessment takes place after the learning has been completed and provides information and feedback that sums up the teaching and learning process. Typically, no more formal learning is taking place at this stage, other than incidental learning which might take place through the completion of projects and assignments.

Rubrics, often developed around a set of standards or expectations, can be used for summative assessment. Rubrics can be given to students before they begin working on a particular project so they know what is expected of them (precisely what they have to do) for each of the criteria. Rubrics also can help you to be more objective when deriving a final, summative grade by following the same criteria students used to complete the project.

Grades are usually an outcome of summative assessment: they indicate whether the student has an acceptable level of knowledge-gain - is the student able to effectively progress to the next part of the class? To the next course in the curriculum? To the next level of academic standing? Types of summative assessment are: a) examinations (major, high-stakes exams); b) final examination (a truly summative assessment); c) term papers (drafts submitted throughout the semester would be a formative assessment); d) projects (project phases submitted at various completion points could be formatively assessed); e) portfolios (could also be assessed during it’s development as a formative assessment); f) performances; g) student evaluation of the course (teaching effectiveness); and h) instructor self-evaluation.

Assessment measures if and how students are learning and if the teaching methods are effectively relaying the intended messages. Hanna and Dettmer (2004) suggest that you should strive to develop a range of assessments strategies that match all aspects of their instructional plans. Instead of trying to differentiate between formative and summative assessments it may be more beneficial to begin planning assessment strategies to match instructional goals and objectives at the beginning of the semester and implement them throughout the entire instructional experience. The selection of appropriate assessments should also match course and program objectives necessary for accreditation requirements.