Prompting student learning with formative assessments

[Elizabet]

The best assessment is one that both gauges learning and engages students in learning. The first edition of Assessment in the College Science Classroom discusses two types of assessments: formative and summative.

Formative assessment facilitates learning in many ways, not the least because it is iterative and provides ongoing feedback. Engaging students is challenging enough, but many effective strategies employ questioning. There are many types of formative assessments that can help engage students by requiring them to recall information from memory and apply that knowledge. See the table below for some examples of small-scale formative assessments discussed in Assessment in the College Science Classroom.

	Example	Intended Learning Outcome
Brainstorming	Students list everything they know on a given topic or in response to a question	Students retrieve prior knowledge
Concept Maps	Students create graphical illustration with connecting arrows indicating relationships	Students synthesize their understanding of complex processes or systems
Immediate Response Systems (“Clickers”)	Class polling systems allow anonymous responses and immediate feedback	Students retrieve information, apply new understanding and correct misconceptions
Quizzes	Quizzing at the beginning of class or online prior/after class	Students retrieve information and apply prior knowledge to answer questions

Do you use assessments to encourage student learning? 

Learn more about the different types of assessments and their potential benefits in Dirks, Wenderoth and Withers’ Assessment in the College Science Classroom.