This page provides examples for assessment methods for various example Open Andragogy assignments. Each example is identified as a combination of qualitative, quantitative, formative, and summative. Many assessment methods that you would use for other assignments can be applied to open, renewable assignments.
There are several questions to be considered when choosing an assessment and they aren't different from other types of assignments:
- What are you trying to measure?
- Could anything about the students or methods affect the results?
- How will this assessment support student learning?
- What challenges will students have in completing this assignment and will that affect the assessment?
- Are there ways for students to circumvent completing the assignment honestly?
Example 1 - Students contribute artist biographies for a student zine.
- Challenge: Preventing students from copying existing web biographies.
- Solution: Students are required to provide source citations.
- Formative Assessment Idea: (Qualitative) Have students submit sources for the biography as a step of the project.
- Summative Assessment Idea: (Qualitative and/or Quantitative) Use a rubric to grade the final biography project.
Example 2 - Students translate course readings into a different language or paraphrase into their own words.
- Challenge: Preventing students from using Google translate, AI, or similar tools.
- Solution: Pair with formative assessment methods such as discussions; where students address the challenges of translating the course readings and/or identify one area that was less clear to them.
- Formative Assessment Idea: (Qualitative) Pair students for a Think-Pair-Share activity related to their translation. Have them explain their portion to each other, get feedback, and report that feedback.
- Summative Assessment Idea: (Qualitative) Have each student complete a survey reviewing the effectiveness of the assignment.
Example 3 - Students provide annotations of early American literature.
- Challenge: Ensuring students have technical proficiency with tools used for annotation.
- Solution: Choose an available tool and provide training and support resources in class.
- Formative Assessment Idea: (Qualitative) Peer-review of student annotations.
- Summative Assessment Idea: (Quantitative and/or Qualitative) Exam based on the readings to be annotated.
Example 4 - Students create video presentations explaining course topics.
- Challenge: Ensuring students have technical proficiency with tools used for video recording.
- Solution: Choose an available tool and provide training and support resources in class. Provide best practices for recording instructional videos.
- Formative Assessment Idea: (Qualitative) Have students draw a concept map of the topics for the presentation.
- Summative Assessment Idea: (Quantitative and/or Qualitative) Use a rubric to grade the final video presentation.
Example 5 - Students review an open course textbook to identify outdated or confusing content.
- Challenge: Assignment could potentially be very time consuming.
- Solution: Break the assignment into parts as a part of weekly reading/unit activities, or assign different sections to different students and/or groups.
- Formative Assessment Idea: (Quantitative) Use low-stakes weekly quizzes.
- Summative Assessment Idea: (Qualitative) Write a short essay examining the positive and negative aspects of each textbook and how it covers the course topics.
Example 6 - Students compare OER textbooks to identify areas or attributes of each that they prefer.
- Challenge: Assignment could potentially be very time consuming.
- Solution: Assign different sections to different students and/or groups.
- Formative Assessment Idea: (Qualitative) Have the students find articles or other sources that enhance their understanding of topics covered in their reading.
- Summative Assessment Idea: (Qualitative) Conduct a survey of students to assess their experience with the project and each textbook.
