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A S S E S S M E N T Teaching within the hybrid model in 2020-2021 , I found myself rethinking how I gave assessments . Until that point , my quizzes and tests were administered in-person , often reserving a class period for their completion . In 2020 , my in-person class time was limited to two classes per week . If I gave an assessment in class , I felt that I was giving up valuable time working directly with my students .
I decided to give assessments using Formative . This led to several positive results :
Decreased test anxiety before and during testing : because students were completing their assessments digitally , they no longer felt pressured for time upon seeing a peer stand up to turn in their work . Students also did not know how long their peers spent on each assessment , and therefore did not compare their own work speed to others .
Increased accessibility : offering assessments through Formative allowed students to complete their work at their own pace . Students with testing accommodations more frequently utilized their extended testing time and could work in a comfortable testing environment of their choosing .
Flexibility in responses : Students were able to submit responses in writing , audio , video , or photo . This offered students more flexibility in how they expressed their understanding of the material .
A C A D E M I C I N T E G R I T Y Administering digital assessments can cause concern over academic integrity . After several years using Formative as my primary means of digital assessment , I have established some habits to deter academic dishonesty in my classes .
Violations of academic integrity can exist in any learning environment .
I make sure to include short-answer and writing questions in order to see the different responses among students .
Teachers can give assessments using Formative during class time . I have administered a test during class and monitored student iPad screens using Apple Classroom .
Formative shows an alert when a student response has been copypasted . It also displays exactly what text has been pasted into the answer . My experience has most often been that students copy-paste letters with macrons .
Perhaps the best deterrent to academic dishonesty in my classes has been allowing students to correct their work after I examine initial scores . Upon viewing and providing feedback , I open the test again and encourage students to reflect upon their work and correct errors .
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