Different types of assessment abound in existing literature. The focus of this blog is on Assessment for Learning which is formative in nature and can be strategised in different ways to enhance the student learning experience.
Whilst different strategies for conducting assessment for learning exist, the one at the nexus of this blog is ‘engineering effective classroom discussions, questions… that elicit evidence of learning’ (Williams, 2009). Such an assessment strategy can engender student engagement and readiness for learning. In certain circumstances, academics have used the audience response system known as clickers (Caldwell, 2007; DeBourgh, 2007; Martyn, 2007) to conduct formative assessment and engage learners. These clickers are user friendly handheld transmitter or technology used to foster active learning (Caldwell, 2007; Martyn, 2007). They provide opportunities for the presenter to poll responses from the audience on a variety of subjects or lines of enquiry.
In a lecture setting, audience responses can be collected within the framework of assessment for learning and this can form the basis for discussion, introduction of new concepts and elicitation of collective engagement within a learning process. Recently, the use of clickers during lectures can be comfortably replaced with learners’ mobile devices, in which case, Mentimeter, an audience response system using smartphones can be used.
In an age of digital natives, the use of Mentimeter and Smartphones to enhance the learning experience of students may be considered worthwhile. Nonetheless, there is need to consider the pedagogical implications of this intervention.
The rest of this blog which resulted from a presentation can be accessed here!
Dr Marcellus Mbah 