Week 7. Why assessment and feedback matter

Assessment is a powerful tool that can be utilized to improve learning experiences. I am a proponent of implementing assessment practices that can provide the students with an opportunity to learn while assessing. Peer-to-peer assessment can be a quick and efficient way to check for understanding at any stage of the instruction. While assessing each other, the students can have a dialogue and debate controversial points of view. Such an experience can create another pathway to access new information later on. The following video gives some great insights into the types of assessment and when and how they should be implemented.

As instructors, we should definitely learn about the types of assessment that exist within the categories of formative and summative assessment. Formative assessment can be authentic, needs-based, goal-oriented, performance-based, confirmative, and norm-referenced. Learning more about each type can help structure a lesson better and create better routines for practicing new material.

According to Dirksen (2016), it is also important to take into account several variables that influence how and how often the learners should practice the new aerial. For example, if there is more than one way to solve a certain problem, the instructor should allow more time and opportunities for revising previously acquired material. Knowing how low the mistake rate should be has a great impact on establishing practice routines. Dirksen (2016) offers an example of flight attendants when a every mistake affects people's lives. If a high level automaticity is required, the instructor should allocate more time to practice activities as well. Knowing how fast the learners' response to a situation should be also determines the amount of time dedicated to practicing.

Julie Dirksen offers multiple solutions to the problems related to how people learn. "Design for how people learn" is a great manual for instructional designers in any sphere.

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There are so many wonderful things that this has brought into my life. First and foremost, I am grateful that even being far away from my family, I still have wonderful people by my side with whom I was able to celebrate the International Women's Day the way I used to do it at home. I am also happy that I have one more doll in my collection - Lara Croft this time. Isn't it gorgeous? I am also grateful for the opportunity to attend some very interesting events at Lehigh this week including the annual Women in Business Conference which was incredibly inspiring for me.