WRITING SAMPLES
Useful assessment provides “value for time spent” for students and instructors when it is used as a learning activities and evaluation. Using a blend of both formative and summative assessments throughout a course shapes meaningful learning experiences for students.
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Formative assessments:
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Pinpoint areas for improvement
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Identify course content that may need review
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Guide ongoing learning activities
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Provide data on the progress students are making towards a larger course goal
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Summative assessments:
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Examine the acquisition of knowledge, achievement of a skill, and content mastery at a specific point of the course
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These are typically done as a midterm, final, or submission of a final project
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They can also be in the form of a programmatic assessment such as a license exam
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Both types of assessment can be used for calculating grades and providing feedback and can be combined. Read more of this writing sample on the UF Instructor Guide.
How Can Assessment Benefit Students?
What is Active Learning?
Active learning is “anything that involves students in doing things and thinking about the things they are doing” (Bonwell & Eison, 1991, p. 2). Active and problem-based learning involves and engages students with the resources and activities by requiring them to participate in learning actively, instead of passively sitting and listening or watching.
Overwhelming evidence confirms that students learn more effectively through active learning than in a traditional lecture, or “teacher telling” format. Freeman and colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of more than 225 studies on the impact and efficacy of active learning comparing “constructivist versus exposition-centered designs in STEM courses (Freeman et al., 2014; Prince, 2013) and the results showed that students in traditional lecture courses were 1.5 times more likely to fail than students in active learning courses.
In many cases we can think of quick easy ways to implement short active learning components in a face to face course. But when thinking about an online course, especially a course that quickly transitioned to online, things can seem a little more challenging, daunting even. But it does not have to be. Take watching a video, for example. Pairing a video with guided notes is a simple way to incorporate an active learning strategy that can help students with the lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy such as “remember” and “understand.” Read more of this writing sample on the UF Instructor Guide.
Collaborative Learning
Collaborative learning is two or more students laboring together and sharing the workload equitably as they progress towards intended learning outcomes. In addition, collaborative learning has three key design elements: intentional design, collaborating, and meaningful learning (Elizabeth Barkley).
Collaborative learning can occur in peer to peer settings or in larger groups. It helps students correct misunderstandings and clarify misunderstanding through their joint efforts. Collaborative learning has many benefits which include:
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Developing higher-level thinking, communication skills, and leadership skills
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Promoting interaction
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Actively engaging students in the learning process
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Promoting participation and learning
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Increasing exposure to diverse perspectives
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Providing group members with a shared undertaking
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Increasing student retention, self-esteem, accountability and success
However, collaborative learning presents some challenges. The greatest of which is that students often do not like group or collaborative work based on their previous experiences. If collaborative learning experiences are not planned and designed carefully, then students feel like the bulk of the work is done by a few (including themselves). Students don’t always see the value in the group work and consider it busy work with vague and confusing expectations. Read more of this writing sample on the UF Instructor Guide.