Exploring Undergraduate Students’ Abilities to Collect and Interpret Formative Assessment Data

Abstract

Formative assessment has been proven to be highly effective in improving student understanding. Nevertheless, many instructors struggle to engage in this practice, particularly when working in large-enrollment classrooms. To facilitate and foster the implementation of formative assessment in chemistry courses, undergraduate students at our institution have been trained to gather and analyze formative assessment data in real time in different classrooms. These “Learning Researchers” generate written reports that instructors use to inform their practice. In this article, we characterize what learning researchers involved in this project tended to notice in their observations and the nature of the interpretations that they built. The findings of our qualitative study provide insights into the affordances and potential constraints of using undergraduate students to collect and interpret formative assessment data to inform instructional practices in large-classroom environments.

Thinking and Learning in Nested Systems: The Classroom Level

“…In large STEM college classes, formative feedback may be commonly provided by learning assistants (LAs) who support collaborative work. Although LAs’ pedagogical knowledge about formative assessment seems to develop slowly, existing results indicate that they can pay attention to the substance of student thinking, build reasonable interpretations, and implement actions that advance student understanding. , However, LA’s professional development could be strengthened by helping them recognize the affordances and limitations of different stances in noticing, interpreting, and acting on student thinking.…”

Saving the Earth: Mini Online Escape Game

“…This type of assessment has a strong, positive, and long-term effect on student learning. Consequently, students are intrinsically motivated to learn because they receive immediate feedback and actively participate in the evaluation process. − Exit Tickets allow teachers to gather feedback from students at the end of the lesson and encourages self-reflection. This process provides the teacher with ideas for organizing the next lesson.…”

Motivation, Laboratory Activities, and Self Regulated Learning: How Are They Related

“…Higher education is required to equip students with various skills to answer future challenges [1,2]. Data literacy skills, critical thinking, independence and mastery of technology are demands that need to be mastered by students, including chemistry education students [3,4].…”