From what you have seen in the course so far and in the course outline, which of the assessment strategies in your reading this week are being used in this course?

I would say the majority of this course falls under formative assessment. Formative assessment is a strategy that accounts for the incorporation of feedback into future work. Conrad and Openo (2018), describe formative assessment as ungraded with the purpose of improving the learners understanding of material. Drafts are one way to receive feedback and this relates to assignment 2 in this course where we must submit our interactive learning resource draft for peer review. Another assigned learning pod composed of some of our classmates will provide peer feedback on the draft so we are able to improve the design before submission, this way they act as beta testers and we can figure out what works and what does not work. As mentioned in the feedback reading, our peers allow us to benefit from simpler explanations of concepts as well as exposure to a variety of cognitive skills.

However, we are met with summative assessment as after the project is completed there is a final assessment where we will be assigned a grade. There is also an aspect of self-assessment within this course as we select our own blog submission for summative assessment along with comments we have made on our peers’ blogs. 

Which are not being used?

Summative assessment is not heavily applied in the course as this would look like no opportunity to incorporate feedback into our work but rather only a final assessment of our performance. This would require the removal of the blueprint draft for peer review and the selected blog post/comments. 

What learning theories (from week 1) do these connect to?

These assessment strategies connect to cognitivist and constructivist learning theories from week 1. From my understanding, cognitivists focus more on promoting mental processing and feedback is a significant tool used to alter the way learners are coding and storing the acquired information. It helps to weed out what is irrelevant and supports accurate mental connections by helping them relate new information to their existing knowledge. 

On the other hand, constructivism refers to how the learner creates meaning from their own experiences. Through involvement in tasks (being actively involved in the learning process), the learner builds personal interpretations. I believe this relates to assignment 2, where we will work through another learning pods’ interactive learning resource. By doing the aforementioned, we can take our experience, i.e. how we felt about the strategies used, how the information was presented, as well as the interaction we had with the material and apply it to our own learning resource.

How does it compare to other courses you’ve taken in your studies?

The majority of the courses I have taken strictly incorporate summative assessment. In my experience, the courses required for my degree rarely present the opportunity for drafts or feedback as the assessments primarily rely on quizzes, midterms, and final exams. However, I have taken one course where we received feedback every Thursday on our term project and the processes we were using to create it. Not only did this help my group receive close to 100% but it allowed me as an individual to solidify my understanding of the concepts and course material so I was better prepared for the final exam. Overall, a mix of both assessment strategies appears to provide the best outcome. I value formative assessment so I can receive feedback on my work to know I am on the right track and clarify my knowledge of material with classmates before receiving summative assessment.