Principles in Designing Authentic Online Assessment

Principles in Designing Authentic Online Assessment

ANI ROSA ALMARIO, PhD and REAGAN AUSTRIA

8 Principles in Designing Authentic Online Assessment ALMARIO | AUSTRIA 01

Now that most schools have already decided that the only way for learning to continue is through online means, the next challenge for educators is to figure out how to do assessment in this new learning environment. Assessment can be considered one of the most challenging aspects of learning, mostly because it’s misunderstood. Many teachers mistakenly equate assessment with grading when in fact, assessment is much, much more than grades. Assessment—depending on its conduct and purpose—allows teachers to determine student progress and figure out how their teaching can contribute even more to a student’s growth in learning.

The only assessment that should ever matter in our world right now is authentic assessment. Authentic assessment necessitates that students apply their learning to real-world problems. Wiggins (1998) asserted that an activity is authentic if it is realistic; requires judgment and innovation; asks the student to “do” the subject; replicates or simulates the contexts in which adults are “tested” in the workplace or in civic or personal life; assesses the student’s ability to efficiently and effectively use a repertoire of knowledge and skills to negotiate a complex task; and, allows appropriate opportunities to rehearse, practice, consult resources, and get feedback on and refine performances and products.

Introduction

8 Principles in Designing Authentic Online Assessment ALMARIO | AUSTRIA02

If your idea of assessment is pen-and-paper tests and quizzes, then you will be consumed with the idea that students who aren’t physically in the same room with you can easily cheat on the tests that you give. Another assumption related to pen-and-paper tests is that this is the only way you can test for comprehension and retention of concepts taught. In an online learning environment, educators have to go back to the purpose of their assessment. Are you assessing your students’ ability to synthesize information? Are you trying to find out if they understood the character’s motives in a short story? Do you want to know if they can apply their knowledge of chemical reactions to cooking? Going back to your purpose for assessment will help you determine the best way of doing it.

FORGET ABOUT PREVIOUSLY HELD ASSUMPTIONS RELATED TO PEN-AND-PAPER TESTS

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Formative assessment remains more important than summative assessment in an online learning environment. The most compelling reason is that by doing assessment while learning is underway, teachers can adjust instruction to improve student learning while students can benefit from feedback. Conducting formative assessment activities means that teachers gather data from their teaching and learning activities to help improve instruction; inform their students about their progress and areas of success and improvement; and, adjust the pace and/or direction of learning.

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT

Educators may be guided by these 8 principles when they design authentic assessment for an online learning environment.

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Marzano (2010) identifies three types of classroom assessments: obtrusive, unobtrusive, and student-generated assessments. He defines obtrusive assessments as those that disrupt the normal flow of classroom activities like quizzes, demonstrations, and performances. Unobtrusive assessments are those that don’t interrupt classroom activity as these consist of teachers observing their students’ progress in learning. Student-generated assessments, according to Marzano, are the most underutilized of assessments. This last type refers to assessments that are designed with the help of students. Students give their teachers suggestions about how they think their learning could be best assessed. By encouraging student participation and choice, student-generated assessments are authentic and motivating for students.

Even if teachers design the best assessments and give them out regularly, they will not improve student learning if there is no clear way of providing feedback to students. Assessment, whether formative or summative in nature, must come with a feedback mechanism. This mechanism should allow teachers to inform students of their areas of progress and areas of improvement across content areas. Feedback should include the teacher’s recommendations for the students in these areas for improvement. What is often not done during these feedback sessions is to do a student-teacher conference, where the student is given a complete picture of his progress in a subject, is apprised of the things that seem to often challenge him, and then asked how he thinks he can improve with the help of his teacher.

It will also be worth a teacher’s time to stop and think about this: what does it mean to a student to receive a grade of 90 on a paper as compared to this type of feedback after a test: “Your ideas are clearly identified. You have written a captivating beginning, a well-explained middle, and an ending that challenge the audience to reflect on the topic.” Surely, the latter is the type of feedback that clearly tells a student what she’s good at.

ASSESSMENT IS NEVER COMPLETE WITHOUT FEEDBACK

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As Bruner (1966) put it, “the will to learn is an intrinsic motive, one that finds both its source and reward in its own exercise.” We are born with this intrinsic motive to learn and discover, and yet somehow, schools have managed to quash this natural inclination at some point in a child’s education. It is definitely worth an educator’s time to look into what makes a learning activity including assessment, intrinsically motivating and maybe even fun for a student. According to Lepper and Malone (1987), there are two parts to intrinsic motivation: individual motivation and interpersonal motivation. Individual motivation is driven by four things: challenge, curiosity, control, and fantasy. Interpersonal activities are intrinsically motivating when there is cooperation, competition, and recognition.

If these factors that are useful for game design were taken into consideration in designing online assessments, they would definitely be more authentic, and therefore more motivating. As with every educational activity, a higher level of motivation leads to a better performance on assessment.

Students show a deeper interest in assessment tasks that are relevant to themselves and their immediate surroundings. For example, using your students’ present context—i.e., what they see, say, hear, think, feel, or do during this community quarantine situation—can help you design assessments that are currently relevant to them and most likely to pursue.

CONSIDER INTRINSIC MOTIVATION4

In this very extraordinary time, some students may feel they have no agency over many things in their lives. It will therefore be more meaningful for them to be given agency over aspects of their learning including assessment. Agency over learning is a motivating factor for students because it gives them a sense of autonomy. In his book Drive, Pink (2009) cites autonomy as a factor that improves a person’s performance.

GIVE YOUR STUDENTS AGENCY AND AWARENESS OF THEIR OWN LEARNING

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Autonomy, according to Pink, involves giving a person control over things, meaningful feedback, and encouragement.

Students can be part of their teachers’ decisions on which types of assessments will be done for a class, and which evidences of assessment are most significant to them. Assessments also lead to more improved student performance if teachers effectively communicate how students can grow, and how much support their teachers are willing to give them. They should be more aware of their space for growth and be given a real sense of their progress.

Many teachers have been employing performance tasks as alternative assessment. However, it is noteworthy to re-examine how teachers design and evaluate performance tasks vis-a-vis their learning objectives and rubrics. Are you focusing solely on the students’ completed performance or product as defined in the GRASPS model (Wiggins and McTighe, 2005)? Do you consider, as part of your learning objectives and rubrics, what students think and feel during each stage of completing the task? How is your practice of using performance tasks different from the traditional way of testing students after teaching?

Chun (2010) relates that in a traditional classroom, the test is given at the end of the lesson to check whether students have learned the content or not. But performance tasks should not be treated the same way. Instead, teachers are encouraged to look at these tasks as a complete process that facilitates learning while students are completing the task. He emphasized that assessments, including performance tasks, should happen at the same time that we teach and while students learn. Looking at the process means looking at important things like students’ ability to collaborate, their work ethic, and their ability to synthesize what they’ve learned. Allowing students to reflect on their learning process as well as the process of creating a product or completing a project, provides students insights on self-improvement.

PROCESS OVER PRODUCT6

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The digital learning space enables teachers to design assessments that allow students to choose how they can demonstrate understanding of content and skills learned in class: from case studies to performance tasks, from portfolios to journals, from investigative projects to demonstrations and exhibitions.

Teachers may design real world assessments around the present situation, assigning assessment activities that allow the students to explore their homes and neighborhoods deeply, using resources and sources of information that are easily within reach during this community quarantine situation. Teachers may also use the current crisis as fodder for assessment. For example, students may be asked to participate in problem-based learning around the COVID 19 epidemic: gather and analyze data emanating from both local and national crisis response teams, figure out ways to open up certain barangays without increasing the health risk, or dissect the many layers of government response to the crisis.

EMPLOY A VARIETY OF ASSESSMENTS7

Here’s an example of how you can think of assessing student learning on fractions.

PurposeYou want your students to learn about fractions: addition and subtraction

ImagineWhat do they have at home that can help them study fractions?

ModelShare learning resources that make use of objects found at home. For example, create an explainer video using your mobile phone’s camera to show how to add and subtract fractions using bread or any food you have at home.

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ChallengeCreate a situational problem and let your students explain their answers in various ways.

Assessment OptionsDo they want to explain adding and subtracting fractions through writing? Do they want to demonstrate it through a video? Do they want to show understanding through photos and illustrations?

DynamicsCan this activity be done as a whole class, in groups, individually? How can this activity foster meaningful interaction among your students?

PresentEncourage your students to explore tools to respond to your challenge. For example, they can create an infographic, tutorial video, or a slide deck.

ReflectInvite your students to review their experience and communicate each step they went through while responding to the challenge

For the teacherWhile looking at your students’ works, ask yourself: How else can my students master these skills? How else can I challenge them to explore the subject further?

FeedbackWere your students able to find a solution to the problem? If not, what do you suggest for them to re-examine and redo? How did your students find the experience? What are their own suggestions for self-improvement?


All classroom activities employ communication skills such as reading, writing, speaking, listening, and viewing. As described by Sadiku (2015), teaching methods that are task-based, functional, and based on real life situations are implemented according to these language skills. The same skills, which may also include illustrating, are utilized across the rest of the curriculum to demonstrate understanding of content and skills: Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, and Values Education. Using these communication skills, designing assessments that will help achieve lesson objectives in class becomes much easier.

Due to the availability of digital tools, technology has enabled both teachers and students to communicate and facilitate learning in a variety of ways. Hence, when designing assessments, teachers consider that some activities such as reading, which is an input process, may also be facilitated through viewing and listening. The same principle is also applied to writing, an output process, which can also be expressed through speaking and illustrating. While recognizing that each macro communication skill has its own set of sub skills, grouping them into input and output learning processes can assist teachers in selecting and infusing the most appropriate technological tools in every task.

LEVERAGE MACRO SKILLS IN COMMUNICATION IN DESIGNING ASSESSMENTS

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Aside from these 8 principles, let’s not forget that this new online learning environment has given us a host of apps that could help us with assessment.

Depending on the intention of the teacher and/or learner, one app can be used in a variety of ways.

CATEGORY FUNCTION TOOL USAGE

PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS

word processing Word, Pages, Docs

• can be used offline• online collaboration via

Microsoft 365, iCloud collaboration, Google Drive

• can also produce pdf and epub files when exported (e.g., Pages can create e-books on EPUB format)

presentation Powerpoint, Keynote, Slides



• can also produce pdf, image, and movie files on selected devices (e.g., Keynote can be exported to movie format to include audio, video, and animation features)

spreadsheet Excel, Numbers, Sheets



Writing tasks may be done using any word processing, presentation, and spreadsheet tools.

Suggested Apps


CREATIVITY TOOLS

photos camera • Photos produced using any camera can be used to demonstrate imagery and making connections

• Sets of photos can be used to show procedures and processes

• Annotated photos create poster and memes

Canva • online app that combines photos, images, and text

• produce digital posters in different formats that can be published in social media

• create slide presentations and animated media

Skitch, Meme Generator, Mematic, PicCollage, Photo Grid

• apps that combine photos, images, and text

• make photo collage and posters

• may be used to demonstrate imagery, making connections, process flows, events sequences, and procedures

Photoshop Express, Adobe Lightroom, Snapseed, *Photos

• crop, filter, adjust photo settings

• *The Photos app on smartphones and tablets is also capable of editing pictures


videos MovieMaker, iMovie, Clips, Adobe Spark, *Screen Recording

• create slideshows, explainer videos, instructional videos, trailers/teasers, infomercials, full length movies

• Simple audiovisual presentations can also be created using Photos app and Camera

• *screen recording in selected devices (smartphones and tablets) can be used as an instructional video

StopMotion, iMotion

• create animation using real objects (e.g., use clay to produce a claymation video)

audio Voice Recorder Lite, Audacity, Voice Memos, GarageBand

• produce audio recordings to present, explain, and enhance visual aids

• exported music and voice recordings may be integrated into slide presentations, interactive worksheets, and voice over in video projects

• a series of audio recordings focusing on a range of topics can be published as podcasts

Anchor, Podbean

• used for recording and publishing podcasts

• can be done individually or as a group, to create talk shows, radio programs, and conferences


ILLUSTRATION drawing *Notes, Autodesk Sketchbook, Tayasui Sketches

• free hand drawing using hands or a stylus (depending on the device)

• *Notes app on the iPad enables the user to draw on a blank sketch note

concept map Popplet Lite, Mindly, SimpleMind, Padlet, Jamboard, Keynote/Powerpoint/Slides

• illustrate connections among concepts using words, images, web links and video clips

• Keynote/Powerpoint/Slides are also capable of creating concept maps and other graphic organizers

collaborative board

Padlet, Jamboard, Slides, Docs, Sheets, Collaboration Keynote, Pages and Numbers

• create a shared wall for teachers and students, both for synchronous and asynchronous classes

• Productivity tools with online collaboration features can be used as a collaborative board for groups and whole class

photo mark up Skitch, Meme Generator, Mematic, PicCollage, Photo Grid, *Photos

• Mark up or annotation tools in selected devices and apps enable the user to draw and illustrate

• *The Photos app on selected smartphones and tablets has mark up features capable of annotation


PORTFOLIO BUILDER

self playing and interactive presentations

*Keynote, Slides, Powerpoint



• can also produce pdf, image, and movie files on selected devices (e.g., Keynote can be exported to movie format to include audio, video and animation features)

• Using hyperlinks within and outside the slides makes a portfolio interactive

• *Keynote allows drawing using hands or a stylus to show handwriting and animated drawings

multitouch books

Pages, Word, Docs



• can also produce pdf and epub files when exported (e.g., Pages can create e-books on EPUB format)

• When exported to EPUB format, media elements can be integrated into a document such as photo gallery, audio files, video clips, and animations


Book Creator, *iBooks Author

• apps that allow integration of audio files, video files, drawing, text, images, and photos

• *iBooks Author, in addition to the abovementioned elements, also has widgets to create games, quizzes, and other interactive features within the book

website builders Wordpress, Google Sites, Wix, Weebly

• free, simple, and easy to use tools to construct websites (no programming skills needed)

• integrates different types of multimedia and incorporates links to social media

CLASSROOM RESPONSE SYSTEMS

real time presentation tools

Nearpod, Peardeck for Google Slides

• function is similar to using Keynote/Powerpoint/Slides but these apps allow delivering live slide presentations and self paced sessions

• Nearpod integrates interactive activities in between slides such as drawing, quizzes, polls, and free text input to facilitate engagement among the students

gamified quizzes

Kahoot!, Mentimeter, Polleverywhere, Socrative, Quizlet

• a good augmentation to objective type exercises (multiple choice, fill in the blank, matching type)

• real time and self paced• individual and group sessions


• infuses elements of gamification which includes points system, stages, and rewards

• Mentimeter and Polleverywhere offer several question types such as poll, word cloud, multiple choice, image choice, and open ended.

DIGITAL FLASHCARDS

Quizlet, Slides/Keynote/Powerpoint

• create review cards to be familiar with terminologies and definitions

• Quizlet integrates gamification during the assessment stage of studying the cards. It has self paced and live sessions (individual and groups)

• Slides/Keynote/Powerpoint are optional tools that can also be used as flashcards

LISTENING TOOLS

Spotify, Apple Music, Youtube Music, Apple Podcast

• subscription-based music streaming applications

• podcasts on Spotify and Apple Podcast include Filipino-created productions

• student-created audio recordings can be published to Spotify and Apple Podcast using Anchor and Podbean

WATCHING TOOLS

Youtube • publicly available online video-sharing platform

• allows user to upload, watch, share, and comment on videos

• allows users to subscribe to channels


Edpuzzle • upload teacher-created (or student-created) videos or materials from Youtube, Khan Academy and National Geographic

• create interactive video lessons by assigning questions in different parts of the video for students to answer

• allows integration in Google Classroom and major learning management systems.

READING AND RESEARCH TOOLS

online libraries Project Gutenberg, Public Domain Books, World Digital Library, Philippine E-Lib

• free online libraries offering access to literature and academic texts in various disciplines

search engines Google Scholar, Kiddle, Kid’s Search, Fact Monster

• Google Scholar is perfect for students looking for a more refined search results including access to full text articles of scholarly books and journals

• Kiddle, Kid’s Search, and Fact Monster are kid-friendly search engines that provide safe and peer-reviewed search results

open access journal databases

Directory of Open Access Journals

• index to open access and peer reviewed journals in different disciplines

Chan Robles Virtual Library

• an electronic library of resources on Philippine laws

Philippine E-Journals

• a database of academic publications of different colleges and universities, including professional organizations in the Philippines


Bruner, J.S. (1966) Toward a Theory of Instruction. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. p.115

Chu, M. (2010). Taking Teaching to (Performance) Task: Linking Pedagogical and Assessment Practices. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning 42(2), March/April. Retrieved from https://jaymctighe.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Taking-Teaching-To-Task-by-Mark-Chun.pdf

De La Salle University Libraries (2017). Free Full Text Databases. Retrieved from https://www.dlsu.edu.ph/library/resources/free-databases/ Malone, T. W., and Lepper, M. R. (1987). Making learning fun: A taxonomy of intrinsic motivations for learning. Aptitude, learning, and instruction, 3, 223‐253. Marzano, R. (2010). Formative Assessment and Standards-Based Grading. Bloomington: Marzano Research.

Pink 2009. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. New York: Riverhead Books.

Sadiku, L.M. (2015). The Importance of Four Skills Reading, Speaking, Writing, Listening in a Lesson Hour. European Journal of Language and Literature Studies 1(1), April. Retrieved from http://journals.euser.org/files/articles/ejls_jan_apr_15/Lorena_Manaj.pdf

Wiggins, Grant (1988). Ensuring authentic performance. Chapter 2 in Educative Assessment: Designing Assessments to Inform and Improve Student Performance. SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass, pp. 21-42. Wiggins, G. P., and McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. Print.

References

Ani Rosa Almario, PhD is the School Director and Co-Founder of The Raya School (www.raya.edu.ph). She has a masters degree in Learning, Design and Technology from Stanford University and a doctorate in Curriculum Studies from UP Diliman.

Reagan Austria is an education technology specialist at Senco Link Technologies, and a certified Apple Professional Learning Provider. He is a registered librarian and a licensed teacher who presently works with school administrators and teachers in transforming learning environments with Apple.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

© ANI ROSA ALMARIO AND REAGAN AUSTRIA, 2020

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Principles in Designing Authentic Online Assessment