Using Student Created Blogs as a Progressive Formative Assessment in an Online STEM Course

Description The utility of writing assignments to enhance learning biology is well documented (e.g. Mynlieff et al., 2014; Couch et al., 2015). Such assignments can provide the basis for assessing higher-order and critical-thinking skills (Kelly et al, n.d.). Furthermore, when students are able to react to instructors’ feedback by re-drafting or adjusting their written work, …

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Assess Individual Learning from Group Projects

Description While many instructors across instructional venues integrate collaborative activities that emulate professional realities, collaboration assessments often disenfranchise some contributors. When evaluation hinges on groups producing a cohesive, homogenized artifact, the outcome favors compromise. Homogenized perspectives don’t generally reflect the complementary visions of individuals. This can foreclose on participant satisfaction if the outcome silences or …

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Use a Guided Approach to Support Critical Thinking in Online Discussions

Description Supporting college students to develop critical thinking skills is an overarching goal in higher education. Students with developed critical thinking skills have the ability to evaluate their own arguments as well as others, resolve conflicts, and generate well-reasoned resolutions to complex problems (Behar-Horenstein & Niu, 2011). Given that there is an exponential increase in …

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Use Word Clouds to Enhance Critical Thinking

Description One of the major goals of higher education is to cultivate students’ critical thinking skills (Roth, 2010). In order to be prepared for the workplace and to be an informed citizen, students need to be able to base judgments, make decisions, and solve problems based on the careful critique of available evidence. Engagement, defined …

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Use Video Self-Modeling Software to Strengthen Reading and Speaking Fluency

Description Video self-modeling (VSM) is an effective and engaging method for strengthening a student’s reading and speaking fluency; it has been a popular tool used for decades to effectively improve individuals’ behaviors and skills (Prater, Carter, Hitchcock, & Dowrick, 2012). This activity provides students with an opportunity to watch and listen as they model a …

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Use Minute Paper to Evaluate Student Participation

Description The minute paper is a formative assessment strategy whereby students are asked to take one minute (or more) to answer two questions: what was the most important thing they learned in class today; and what still remains unclear to them. The goal is for the instructor to get a feel for whether students captured …

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Incorporate a Syllabus Quiz to Orient Students

Description In the online environment, it is important to provide clear expectations, policies, and grading expectations and to ensure that students are familiar with these policies and expectations (California State University, Chico, 2014). You may have a very detailed syllabus. However, students may not carefully read all of these details. By creating a syllabus quiz …

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Assess Authentic Learning with Student-Generated Social Videos

Description Instructor: Jim Hobart, Advertising/Public Relations, Nicholson School of Communication, UCF Course Title: ADV3008 Principles of Advertising Student generated video; have students create their own videos to illustrate course concepts or ideas. Share not only with other fellow students, but also with family and friends. Benefits: student-centered learning; motivation; anchored instruction Copyright concerns: Increase students’ …

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Use Self Tests to Guide and Motivate Students’ Learning

Description Self‐assessment can play a central role in learning, revisions and review (Andreade & Du, 2007; Weimer, 2010). The self‐assessment process involves a complex process of internalization and self‐regulation, and with implications for research and practice. “Researchers see criteria‐referenced self‐assessment as a key component of self‐regulation with the potential to scaffold other components, including goal‐setting, …

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Provide Formative Feedback for Student Success in Interactive Assessments

Description Research suggest that faculty interacting with and providing constructive feedback to students were significantly and positively related to students’ learning gains in professional skills (Bjorklund, Parente, & Sathianathan, 2004). If students work on an assignment which does not exemplify the best they can do to meet the assignment criteria, they are allowed to revise …

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