Formative Assessment System Research Articles

A Study on the Future Direction of the Online Formative Assessment System for Learning Korean Language Arts

A Study on the Future Direction of the Online Formative Assessment System for Learning Korean Language Arts

Large-scale implementation of formative assessment practices in an examination-oriented culture

Singapore’s education system has often been characterised as exam-oriented. This paper describes efforts (‘windmills’) made by the Government to constructively respond to the ‘winds of change’ in the education system. A committee called the Primary Education Review and Implementation (PERI) Committee was appointed to study and recommend the priorities, programmes and resources needed to revise primary education in Singapore. The Committee recommended that a balanced school-based assessment system that provides constructive feedback, enabling more meaningful learning in support of both academic and non-academic aspects of a pupil’s development, be carried out under the label of ‘Holistic Assessment’. This paper is an attempt at surfacing the challenges (‘walls’) in implementing ‘Holistic Assessment’ on a large scale, highlighting in particular, the tensions perceived by stakeholders concerning the interaction between formative assessment and accountability systems. It documents how stakeholders, namely teachers and parents, perceive and typify the concept of ‘Holistic Assessment’. The findings provide insights into the consequent realities of a nationwide shift in assessment purpose and discourse on teachers and parents.

Feedback on students’ performance: A possible way of reducing the negative effect of math anxiety in higher education

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a formative assessment system in improving students’ learning. This system involved giving feedback to students regarding the errors they made in a series of assignments performed during a course. Participants were 166 students enrolled in a core course of the degree in psychology offered by the University of Barcelona. Attendance at feedback classes was found to be positively correlated with students’ grades, whereas the correlation between math anxiety scores and final exam grades was not significant. Exam grades were only predicted by the ‘perceived usefulness of feedback’ factor, suggesting that feedback may have helped to reduce the negative impact of math anxiety on students’ academic achievement.

Conducting Web-based Formative Assessment Reform for ODL Students: A Case Study

Modern open and distance education is characterized by web-based instruction, web-based assessment and research. The significance and necessity on formative assessment have been well acknowledged in the educational field. This paper firstly introduces the formative assessment innovation project conducted by China Central Radio & Television University (CCRTVU). Based on the “web-based formative assessment for English II (1)”, a required course for the non-English majors following B. A. programmes at Yunnan Radio and TV University (YNTVU, now renamed Yunnan Open University), it will mainly discuss whether it is feasible and effective to put the formative assessment online from the following three aspects: a thorough data analysis of the pilot project results; the strengths of web-based formative assessment compared with the paper-based formative assessment and finally the constraints on implementing web-based formative assessment system in the remote areas like Yunnan province, China. In the study, semi-structured in-depth interviews were employed to collect the participants’ feedback. The study found that web-based formative assessment, when carefully designed, organized and managed, is a very useful way of stimulating and facilitating student learning, it will promote students’ learning autonomy, ensure students’ learning process and help students develop their overall language competence as well.

The relationship between formative assessment systems, academic performance and teacher and student workloads in higher education / Relación entre sistemas de evaluación formativa, rendimiento académico y carga de trabajo del profesor y del alumno en la docencia universitaria

The purpose of this study was to analyse the extent to which the implementation of formative assessment systems in higher education influences students’ academic performance; student and teacher workloads; and student satisfaction with such processes. Data come from 39 cases that apply formative assessment systems in higher education, which correspond to 15 Spanish universities and cover a total of 30 different tutors and 3625 students. Descriptive statistics and ANOVAS have been applied. The results suggest that the development of formative assessment systems: (a) produces a significant improvement in the academic performance of students; (b) is a workload that can be managed within the academic work set, both for students and teachers; and (c) that students show high levels of satisfaction with the formative assessment systems in which they participate and consider that they learn better with these as opposed to more traditional models.

Practice of formative assessment system in regional anatomy course and its reflection

It is extremely necessary and important for colleges or universities to transform the education concepts that barricade students＇ initiative and creativity, especially the one that takes fi- nal examinations as sole standard to evaluate teaching and learning effects. In order to display and cultivate students＇ study ability more comprehensively, we manage to establish a set of formative eval- uation system for regional anatomy course, which involves tests and examinations and evaluations throughout the whole teaching and learning process. It solves the long-lasting problem that examina- tions are final purposes of teaching and learning, and thus, teaching values not only results but also learning process, which directs students＇ attention to conventional studies and helps develop good study habits, greatly reducing the randomness of final academic performances. The diverse assessment methods, along with accumulated assessment results, can improve students＇ learning effects through- out the whole semester. The fundamental purpose of this system is to inspire students＇ passion for study and creativity and monitor the teaching process. Key words: Human anatomy; Regional anatomy; Formative assessment system

A Formative Assessment System for Writing Improvement

The authors assert that the time that teachers spend providing feedback could better be used to focus on formative assessment systems.

The development and implementation of a web-based formative peer assessment system for enhancing students’ metacognitive awareness and performance in ill-structured tasks

An assessment was conducted of a web-based formative peer assessment system (WFPAS) emphasizing learners’ metacognitive awareness for their performance in ill-structured tasks. Results indicate that the WFPAS group achieved significantly higher scores for metacognitive awareness and performance in ill-structured tasks than the traditional peer assessment group and that a traditional peer assessment group achieved higher scores for metacognitive awareness than a self-assessment group. In addition, the WFPAS group showed significantly higher scores in motivation than the traditional peer assessment group. Results are explained from the perspective of peer interaction and scaffolding. The potential challenges and implications of the WFPAS are discussed.

Development of a Formative and Summative Assessment System for AuD Education

This article provides an overview of a comprehensive assessment system that documents that students have obtained the skills and knowledge necessary to obtain a Doctor of Audiology (AuD) degree. The individual components of the assessment system; rationale for development of each assessment; and grading criteria, outcomes measures, faculty commentary, missteps, and successes of the system are discussed. Carefully planned and dynamic assessments can be integrated successfully into the AuD students’ program of study with generally reasonable expectations for faculty workload. It is crucial for program directors to continually assess the system used to document student learning and to make modifications based on formal and informal feedback from students, faculty, alumni, evidence based clinical practice, and clinical preceptors.

The Analysis of Summative Assessment and Formative Assessment and Their Roles in College English Assessment System

Taking English teaching summative assessment and formative assessment system as the entry point, the essay illustrates the effect of the assessments on College English teaching and its great influence on English learning by combing it with practical teaching experience deeply and broadly. It also points out that students’ real English level can not only rely on a single evaluation mode. Summative assessment and formative assessment have different form and different function. They should be combined together during the teaching and learning process. Then the students’ English level will be effectively evaluated, and it will better guide the foreign language teaching.

Advancing Research Infrastructure Using OpenStack

Cloud computing, which evolved from grid computing, virtualisation and automation, has a potential to deliver a variety of services to the end user via the Internet. Using the Web to deliver Infrastructure, Software and Platform as a Service (SaaS/PaaS) has benefits of reducing the cost of investment in internal resources of an organisation. It also provides greater flexibility and scalability in the utilisation of the resources. There are different cloud deployment models - public, private, community and hybrid clouds. This paper presents the results of research and development work in deploying a private cloud using OpenStack at the University of Huddersfield, UK, integrated into the University campus Grid QGG. The aim of our research is to use a private cloud to improve the High Performance Computing (HPC) research infrastructure. This will lead to a flexible and scalable resource for research, teaching and assessment. As a result of our work we have deployed private QGG-cloud and devised a decision matrix and mechanisms required to expand HPC clusters into the cloud maximising the resource utilisation efficiency of the cloud. As part of teaching and assessment of computing courses an Automated Formative Assessment (AFA) system was implemented in the QGG-Cloud. The system utilises the cloud’s flexibility and scalability to assign and reconfigure required resources for different tasks in the AFA. Furthermore, the throughput characteristics of assessment workflows were investigated and analysed so that the requirements for cloud-based provisioning can be adequately made.

A Framework for Analyzing Feedback in a Formative Assessment System for Mathematical Modeling Problems

BackgroundProviding formative feedback on student responses to complex, open‐ended problems is challenging as solutions vary in content and quality. Instructors need to interpret student work and give feedback with high potential to guide students to close the gap between actual and reference level performance. To understand instructor feedback and its impact, a framework for analyzing instructor feedback is necessary.Purpose (Hypothesis)The purposes of this study were to develop a framework to analyze instructor feedback on team responses to open‐ended mathematical modeling problems and to demonstrate the use of the framework in investigating formative assessment systems.Design/MethodTo develop the framework, formative feedback from graduate teaching assistants on first‐year engineering student team responses to the Just‐In Time Manufacturing Model‐Eliciting Activity (MEA) was analyzed. The framework in conjunction with a four dimensional MEA Rubric was then used to identify patterns in feedback.ResultsFeedback has both form and substance. Four forms of feedback were identified: comments not intended to prompt change; and questions, open suggestions, and direct suggestions intended to prompt change. The substance was tied to the criteria used to evaluate MEA responses. Results of applying the framework yielded two claims: (1) the rubric criteria influence the form and intent of feedback, and (2) the perceived quality of student work also impacts the form and intent of feedback.ConclusionThe framework that emerged from this work is a useful tool for investigating instructor feedback in this context. Further, the framework is believed to be extendable to other learning contexts.

Adoption of Computer-Based Formative Assessment in a High School Mathematics Classroom

This case follows a high school mathematics teacher who is new to the classroom and is looking to adopt computer-based formative assessment as a part of his curriculum. Working within the confines of the school environment, this requires navigating a shrinking budget, colleagues that do not share his value of technology, restricted time, student issues, and limited resources. He must examine all aspects of the available computer-based formative assessment systems and weigh the pros and cons to insure the best academic outcomes for his students.

Best practices in academic assessment in higher education: A case in formative and shared assessment

The aim of this article is three-fold: (a) to present an example of best practices in formative assessment in university instruction, offering three different methods of learning and assessment to pass a subject; (b) to analyze differences in academic performance depending on method of learning and assessment chosen; (c) to consider professorsand studentsevaluation of these assessment methods, as well as analyze the workload these methods suppose for both students and professors. The design is based on a single case study. The study analyzes the results obtained in a third- year course at the University of Valladolid (Spain) that participated in an ECTS pilot program. Data was collected during academic year 2009-10. Total number of registered students was 77. This paper describes the procedure to develop a formative assessment system and collect data, as well as the main techniques to obtain and analyze data. Findings indicate that there are important differences in student academic performance depending on the learning and assessment method employed in an academic course. Courses are using formative and on going assessment result in significantly higher student academic performance than courses using other learning and assessment methods. Lastly, empirical data suggest that the workload is in line with the ECTS European Credit Transfer System, and is no excessive for the professor. However, studentssubjective perception is that this method involves a heavier workload. These findings may be important, given the current process of convergence towards the new Degrees and ECTS credit system, and the need to adapt these degrees and credits to students' real workload.

BEST PRACTICES IN ACADEMIC ASSESSMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION:

800x600 Normal 0 21 false false false CA X-NONE X-NONE The aim of this article is three-fold: (a) to present an example of best practices in formative assessment in university instruction, offering three different methods of learning and assessment to pass a subject; (b) to analyze differences in academic performance depending on method of learning and assessment chosen; (c) to consider professors´ and students´ evaluation of these assessment methods, as well as analyze the workload these methods suppose for both students and professors. The design is based on a single case study. The study analyzes the results obtained in a third- year course at the University of Valladolid (Spain) that participated in an ECTS pilot program. Data was collected during academic year 2009-10. Total number of registered students was 77. This paper describes the procedure to develop a formative assessment system and collect data, as well as the main techniques to obtain and analyze data. Findings indicate that there are important differences in student academic performance depending on the learning and assessment method employed in an academic course. Courses are using formative and on going assessment result in significantly higher student academic performance than courses using other learning and assessment methods. Lastly, empirical data suggest that the workload is in line with the ECTS European Credit Transfer System , and is no excessive for the professor. However, students´ subjective perception is that this method involves a heavier workload. These findings may be important, given the current process of convergence towards the new Degrees and ECTS credit system, and the need to adapt these degrees and credits to students’ real workload.

Construction and evaluation of formative assessment system for functional experiment

How to test and assess is related to the teaching objectives,teaching ideas,teaching effectiveness and development.And it's also the key factor of experiment teaching reform.Formative evalution system was researched and practiced in the functional experiment.It was tested through questionnaire survey and analysis of paper. Key words: Functional experiment; Formative assessment system; Exam evaluation

Using collaborative annotating and data mining on formative assessments to enhance learning efficiency

ABSTRACTThis research applies the techniques of collaborative annotating and data mining into formative assessments and further develops an annotation‐sharing and intelligent formative assessment (ASIFA) system as an auxiliary Web learning tool. The collaborative annotating technique is based on collaborative annotations made by peers while the data mining technique is used to identify the learning bottlenecks suffered by most students on a formative assessment. The ASIFA system combines these two techniques, deemed as scaffolding learning, to furnish students with adequate annotations to clarify their confused concepts on formative assessments and to further improve their learning achievements on summative assessments. Finally, some experiments are conducted in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed system and investigate the effects of the students' behaviors of inputting and reviewing annotations on learning achievements. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 22:364–374, 2014; View this article online at wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cae; DOI 10.1002/cae.20561

Development of a GSP Integrated Formative Assessment System on Geometric Creativity

A GSP integrated learning and assessment system (LAS-GSP) is developed to provide students an interactive exploration environment and on-line feedbacks on geometric problem solving. Three tasks of maximal segmentation are developed to investigate the applicability and intervention effect of the system. There are four scoring elements for students’ on line assignments: (1) systematic approaches, (2) correct solutions, (3) originality of representation, and (4) function derived. The characteristics of students’ learning progress are discussed by the scoring rubrics applied. The results suggest abstract geometric concepts can be visualized, internalized, and enhanced at an earlier age, if mind-tool can be effectively implemented.

Formative assessment systems: evaluating the fit between school districts’ needs and assessment systems’ characteristics

Recent legislative and local school accountability efforts have placed a premium on the collection, analysis, and use of student assessment data for educational improvement. As a result, schools have sought assessments that will provide additional information about student performance. In response, a burgeoning boon industry formed—formative educational assessment systems. In this study we describe how districts search for and acquire formative assessment systems to meet their needs. We focus on three school districts that adopted three different formative assessment systems. Our findings suggest the fit between a system’s characteristics and a school district’s intended use is the most important consideration in instituting a successful formative assessment system that will have a positive impact on teacher education and student learning.

Using S-P Chart and Bloom Taxonomy to Develop Intelligent Formative Assessment Tool

E-learning provides a convenient and efficient way for learning. Formative assessment not only guides student in instruction and learning, diagnose skill or knowledge gaps, but also measures progress and evaluation. An efficient and convenient e-learning formative assessment system is the key character for e-learning. However, most e-learning systems didn’t provide methods for assessing learners’ abilities but true-score mode. In this article, Sato’s Student-Problem Chart (SP Chart) is applied to integrate with our proposed on-line assessment system. Teachers are able to analyze each learner easily and efficiently. In addition, the Bloom Taxonomy of Educational Objective supports each item in our assessment management system during the authoring time. In our proposed system, it provides groups of function for student, teacher, and system administrator. According to the SP Chart analysis and Bloom taxonomy of items, we can divide all items into four types, and students into six types. With these types of diagnosis analysis chart, teacher can modify or delete the items which are not proper. With diagnosis analysis chart of students, teachers can realize learners’ learning situation easily and efficiently.