Summative Assessment in Distance Learning

Whether schools are using regular grades or not,

teachers need to accurately assess learning while
their students are at home. These are some helpful
ideas to consider.
All of us are challenged with trying to implement effective
teaching in this distance learning environment, and
assessment is certainly part of that. Many schools are
wrestling with grading practices, with some choosing
pass/fail structures and others are sticking with traditional
grading practices. And of course, there are others who are
somewhere in between. But all of us will need summative
assessments of student learning, whether we report them as
a grade or pass/fail.

It’s important that we not rely solely on tried-and-true

summative assessment practices and strategies during this
time—we should reflect on those practices and strategies
and approach assessment differently. Some of our practices
may shift. Here are some points to consider as you reflect on
the shifts needed to arrive at effective summative
assessments of your students’ learning.

IMPLEMENTING SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT IN DISTANCE

LEARNING
Stop assessing everything: By everything, I mean every
single content standard. In order to make a “guaranteed and
viable curriculum,” we need to make strategic decisions
about what is “need to know” and what is “nice to know.”
This is an idea we should apply in both in-person and
distance learning. However, with distance learning, this is a
further call to distill our curriculum to essential learning and
target specific standards and outcomes. All of us in the
distance learning world know it will take much longer to
move through our curriculum, so there is not enough time to
cover what we intended when we had being in the classroom
in mind.

Take this time to work with teams to further clarify which

standards are priorities to ensure that you’re assessing the
essentials. Consider using the R.E.A.L. criteria—Readiness,
Endurance, Assessed, and Leverage—to help you make
those decisions. These criteria were developed by Larry
Ainsworth, an expert in curriculum design and power
standards.

Assigning performance tasks and performance items: This

isn’t a new practice for assessment, but in these times of
distance learning, it’s important that the assessments we
design for students demand that they apply their knowledge
to new and novel situations. Performance tasks  do that, and
they create engaging multistep opportunities  for students to
show what they know. Performance items are similar,
appearing in many traditional exams. Both require students
to perform by applying their thinking; performance items are
more limited in scope and often assess a single standard or
skill.

When teachers express concerns around cheating or

academic honesty, I recommend that they change
their assessments to be more performance-based. Teachers
can also consider long-term PBL projects  that also leverage
performance tasks.

Moving from one big event to a series of smaller

events: Performance tasks are a research-based practice to
assess student learning. However, the tasks we give
students may be too much for them during this time of
uncertainty and anxiety. If students are required to complete
multiple performance tasks, across multiple disciplines or
classes, that can create stress that is detrimental to student
wellness.

Depending on what is being assessed, teachers may be able

to take these tasks and split them into shorter tasks or
performance items to be completed over a longer term rather
than in one sitting. As a performance task often assesses
multiple standards, it can be broken apart into discrete mini-
tasks that each assess an individual standard or learning
target.

Using conversations and oral defense: Anthony Poullard, an

associate principal at Korea International School, said that
“students must always be prepared to explain their thinking
or learning with their teacher, and they know that a teacher
may ask for an explanation of assessment answers one on
one.” In an article on formative assessment in distance
learning , I discussed conversations as one of the best ways
to check for understanding, and this holds true for
summative tasks as well. Students can do presentations or
engage in an oral explanation or defense of their final
product. This provides further evidence of student learning.
Leveraging technology tools: I want to first acknowledge the
inequities here. We know that many students do not have
access to technology, so these strategies may not apply.
However, there are ways to use technology to support
summative assessment practices. You can have students
take the assessment at the same time, during a synchronous
virtual session. This is similar to timed in-class writing.
Schoology, for example, allows you to time quizzes and
tests. Tools like Draft Back , a Google Chrome extension, can
show patterns in work submitted and play back the process.
And student-created videos are great tools for students to
share what they know.

Teaching academic honesty and trust students: We need to

acknowledge there is no foolproof way to ensure academic
honesty, and that is OK. Education consultant Ken O'Connor
explained in a recent webinar  that we need to educate
students about academic honesty, adding that if there is a
problem in this area, we may not have intentionally educated
students on it.

Instead of a deficit-based approach to assessment—

expecting that students will cheat—we need to have an
asset-based approach where we trust them to do the right
thing and engage them in teachable moments around
academic honesty. Teacher expectations matter.

Using professional judgement: Ultimately, teachers need to

use their professional judgement when summatively
assessing students and determining scores. Teachers can
decide that a summative assessment should instead be
formative and then reteach and support students in learning
before attempting another summative assessment. And if a
teacher wonders about a student’s academic honesty on a
summative, they can meet with that student to make an
informed judgement. We need to trust not only students but
also our teachers.

I want to emphasize that these are strategies, not

necessarily solutions. As O'Connor says , the “order of
operations” in teaching should be: first, student relationships
and wellness; second, learning; and third, assessment.
When we approach assessment practices, we should not
lose sight of our priorities.

Formative Assessment in Distance Learning

Schools are closed but schooling goes on, and it
remains crucial that teachers find ways to see what
students are learning.
Whether we use synchronous or asynchronous online
sessions, whether we call it distance or virtual learning,
we’re all challenged to provide meaningful education
experiences at a distance as the education world grapples
with the impact of Covid-19. This type of learning is nothing
new, but it is new to many of us and has caused us to
quickly shift our practices.

Formative assessment at a distance is challenging but

possible, and we still need to check for understanding and
provide meaningful feedback. The practices we use will look
and sound different than they do in the classroom. Here are
some ideas to consider.
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT AT A DISTANCE
Know your purpose: There are so many tools  to use to check
for understanding . As it is important to have routines and still
have variety, select two to four tools that work well for you
and your students. Focusing on just a few allows students to
experience tools they’re used to, while also ensuring that
checking for learning doesn’t get boring.

Make sure the tools you use fit your purpose. If you need to
see students’ process, select a tool that can capture that,
such as Animoto or Flipgrid. If you need to check their
content knowledge, try Kahoot or Quizlet.

Collect data over time: Formative assessment is a process,

and it’s important to collect evidence of learning over time.
While you may teach and dictate which digital tools students
can use, work with students to have them document their
learning along the way. Give them guides or checkpoints to
let them know what they need to submit and when they need
to do so.

You might ask students to submit reflection videos in

Seesaw or send photos of their progress. Screenshots and
scanning tools also work well. You can partner with parents
to take those videos or photos, especially for students in the
younger years.

Focus on feedback: When checking for understanding, it’s

important to communicate the feedback that comes from it.
As a teacher, you can provide written and/or oral feedback
through videos or sound recordings. If you’re doing
synchronous sessions, you can put students in breakout
groups to provide feedback to one another—if you do this,
you’ll need to give them clear feedback rules .
Asynchronously, students can post work and provide
feedback over a longer timeframe.

Check for understanding in synchronous sessions: Those in-

the-moment checks for understanding that we did in the
classroom were valuable, allowing us to adjust instruction
and meet students where they were. That kind of check-in is
still important. Some synchronous tools have built-in
formative assessment capabilities, such as Yes and No
buttons, and some have private chat features that can allow
you to know, in real time, what students know and don’t
know. You can supplement a tool like Zoom with Peardeck to
assess along the way if those functions are not available.

These check-ins help you provide just-in-time feedback, and

can guide your thinking about who might need further
support later through resources, intervention, or small-group
instruction through breakout groups in a synchronous
session.

Leverage personal conversations: Conversing with students

remains the most powerful and meaningful way to check for
understanding , in my opinion. In our distance learning
environment, we run the risk of being further isolated. By
scheduled individual sessions with students, we can assess
their learning and provide feedback with a real human
connection. In fact, we should be focusing more on these
types of assessments in the distance learning environment,
Video tools like Marco Polo and Flipgrid can bring a human
element to the assessment process.
Check in on SEL: In addition to checking in on academic
learning, be sure to check in on students’ well-being and
their overall distance learning experience. Simple questions
can prompt students to share their feedback:

 What’s working?

 What’s not working well?

 What would you recommend?

This is crucial because this way of learning is newer for
almost all of us and thus requires ongoing reflection and
feedback. We recently asked these questions at my school in
the high school and found out that students were struggling
with extended synchronous sessions. We modified the
sessions to be shorter, and provided more breaks too.

Similarly, at an elementary school in China where a friend of

mine works, students kept saying they missed seeing their
teachers. The teachers knew they couldn’t replicate the
powerful in-person experience, but they decided to record
weekly personal videos for their students to share feedback
and more importantly, connect with students on a human
level. Use formative assessment to adjust instruction and
stay true to social and emotional learning.

Make it useful: Data is useless unless it is used. When we

collect and examine formative assessments, we need to use
what we learn from them to inform instruction. We might find
out that a synchronous session didn’t go so well, and thus a
reteach needs to be offered in a different way, or that
specific students need further support and resources, or that
only a small group of students stay for the last part of a
synchronous session while the rest sign off. All of those data
points tell us something we can use to provide timely
feedback, adjust instruction, and plan ahead.

How do I assess student learning online?

Online Assessment

Assessing student learning is an essential component of effective teaching and learning in the online
environment. The following resource will provide you with information on how to effectively use
online assessments.

Assessment Tools in OWL

The OWL assessment tools allow for both formative and summative assessment of student learning.
Formative assessment tracks student understanding and areas of weakness during the learning
process and allows for the instructor to adjust teaching accordingly. Summative assessments are a
test of learning, typically conducted at the end of the learning process (i.e. midterm or final exam).

Check out the Assessments page in Western’s eLearning Toolkit for an evaluation of the different
assessment tools that can be incorporated into your OWL course.
Authentically Assessing Student Learning Online
It is important to create authentic assessment activities in the online environment. As always, it is
critical for your courses to start with a set of clearly defined learning outcomes (See this article for
help with writing learning outcomes). Assessments can promote active learning and build a sense of
community among students and faculty, if designed appropriately.
The following are examples of assessments that have been shown to be effective in the online
learning environment, along with links to tools in Western’s eLearning Toolkit that can help facilitate
student learning.
1. Written Assignments: short essays, research papers, case study responses.
 Students submit written work electronically.

 Can assign students to small groups to provide peer feedback and build community.
  Assignments Tool

 Turnitin
2. Online Discussion: Asynchronous discussion activities (i.e. discussion board, blog
or wiki).

 Instructor can initiate class discussions with set of questions.

 Opportunity for community building through student moderation.

 Discussions

 Forums Tool

 Wiki Tool
3. Concept Maps:
 Provide visual representation of connections between concepts students have learned. Labeled

links show relationships between concepts.

 Good tool for formative assessment to evaluate student’s knowledge at certain checkpoints in

the course.

 Brainstorming/Mindmapping

 Coggle

 Lucidchart
4. Presentations:

Student presentations can be modified to the online learning environment

 Students create presentations (i.e. slide deck or poster) to present to instructor and classmates

online and receive instructor and peer feedback.

 Synchronous web-conferencing tools can be used to facilitate these presentations or they can

be recorded and presented asynchronously.

 Blackboard Collaborate
5. Test/quiz/exam:
 Traditional multiple choice, short or long answer questions can be delivered via OWL.

 Unproctored tests can be taken using OWL. These are generally low stakes, formative

assessments to test student understanding of course material.

 Face-to-face proctored tests can also be incorporated for higher stakes exams.

 Tests and Quizzes

Tips for Evaluating Student Learning Online

 If assignments are complex and multi-part, it is more effective to break these down into smaller

components such that the instructor can assess students at several points in the learning process and

provide feedback.

 Provide students with explicit and detailed rubrics to accurately communicate expectations for student

performance.

 If course material is highly technical, consider using ungraded, self-check quizzes as a formative

assessment to check student learning and determine whether teaching strategies should be altered.

 Use synchronous technologies when appropriate (i.e. Blackboard Collaborate) to communicate with

students in real time. As online students have very different schedules, it is suggested that

synchronous meetings be recorded such that students that cannot attend live can watch at a later time.

 Self and peer assessments can be used to reduce instructor workload, improve student learning

experiences and build community.

 Look for opportunities to provide feedback to the entire class – i.e. an announcement or e-mail

summarizing patterns observed in student assignments.

 Q & A discussion boards can also be useful to field common student questions.

 Using a variety of assessment techniques in an online course is recommended.

Resources and References
Transforming Assessment Series
This research group was group created to discuss how assessment tasks can be set and graded in
the online classroom. The webinar series are both live and recorded sessions which show examples
of new and upcoming e-assessments as well as a discussion of theories and practices related to
assessment in online learning.

Pallof and Prat: Assessing the online Learner

Kearns LR: Student Assessment in Online Learning: Challenges and Effective Practices
Faculty Focus: Assessing Online Learning: Strategies, Challenges and Opportunities
“Icon made by Becris from www.flaticon.com licensed by CC 3.0 BY

9 Ways to Assess Student

Learning Online
Student assessment has changed in the new millennium.
Though there’s something to be said for old-fashioned
paper and pencil methods, new technologies are evolving
daily to assist teachers with this task.
In this article, we’ll look at different ways to assess student learning
using technology. Here are nine methods of online assessment that
are sure to support training, engage your audience, and provide
teachers with insight into their students’ learning process. But first,
let’s understand the assessment process.

What Is Assessment?
Assessment is simply the process of gathering information on what
students know based on their educational experience. Assessment
results are typically used to identify areas for improvement and
ensure that course content meets learning needs.
There are two basic types of assessments:
  Formative assessments occur
within a online course or lesson and
are used to determine how well a
student is learning the material.
They’re best when they are ongoing,
consistent, and provide critical
feedback to learners.
 Summative assessments are
sometimes referred to as a final
exam and measure what the student
has learned after completing a
course. They can validate how well
your content supports the course’s
overall learning goals.
Obviously, assessments are about more than just grades. When
meaningful and well-constructed, they help students gear up for
success by challenging them to reflect, interact, and apply their
knowledge to answer questions, solve problems, and communicate
information.

There are a number of practices you can use to evaluate students

mindfully. The best method will vary based on learning needs and
objectives. For example, an online quiz will be your perfect match if
your goal is to measure knowledge gains quickly. But if you want to
test your students’ interview skills, you’re better off using a dialog
simulation.

Let’s see how we can use nine of the most common assessment
methods to support student learning.

 1. Online Quizzes

Quizzes are a traditional assessment tool. Plus, when paired with
technology, they are an excellent way to engage student learning. Quiz
questions can take a number of forms, such as multiple-choice, fill-in-
the-blanks, and hotspots. One benefit of quizzes is that they are short
and easy to assess. Another is that question order and options can be
randomized, so each student’s quiz is unique.

Online quizzes are ideal for measuring learning results across a wide
audience. Since each student takes the same test, you can compare
and contrast results across different classes, schools, or communities.

A non-graded online quiz can be given prior to the start of a lesson to

gain a baseline measurement of a student’s existing knowledge. You
can also embed a knowledge check test into a module to reinforce
concepts taught in the lesson, or make a final graded test at the end of
the course to evaluate students’ overall performance.

How can I create an online quiz?

Online quizzes can be easily created using an eLearning authoring
toolkit such as iSpring Suite. iSpring Suite includes a quiz maker
tool that offers 14 question types. You simply need to choose the
appropriate templates to put together a quiz for your students quickly
and easily. You can enhance your test by providing detailed answer
feedback, adding info slides, and creating individual learning paths,
depending on how well each employee is performing on the quiz.

2. Open-Ended/Essay Questions
Open-ended or essay-type questions are one of the most popular
qualitative assessment methods. They prompt learners to explore
their thoughts, feelings, and opinions, while testing their overall
comprehension of a topic. This type of question encourages critical
thinking and is best suited for evaluating higher-level learning. Essay
questions require a longer time for students to think, organize, and
compose their answers. 
How can I create an open-ended assessment?
Open-ended assessments are one of the question types available in
iSpring Suite. Unlike many other questions types, they cannot be
auto-scored in online courses, so instructors will have to take the time
to review them one by one.

3. Drag-And-Drop Activities
Drag-and-drops are a type of assessment that show a learner’s ability
to link information and apply knowledge to solve a practical problem.
You can incorporate both images and text in a drag-and-drop activity,
giving it a real-world feel that is both challenging and engaging.

It’s essential to use this assessment type when you want learners to be
able to apply knowledge in a real-life situation. 

How can I create a drag-and-drop activity?

iSpring Suite provides a drag-and-drop template that allows you to
move text boxes, images, and shapes to a specific place on the page.
To create an assessment, you need to upload the images into a
question template and then simply identify the drop target. 

4. Online Interviews
You can incorporate a video conference within your online teaching to
give learning a more personal touch. During brief online interviews,
students can demonstrate their proficiency in language, music,
nursing, and other courses, for example, where mastery of specific
skills is an important requirement. Sometimes it may be beneficial to
conduct group interviews – for team project reports, for example. 
Interviews can also include a mentoring component enabling students
to get immediate feedback from instructors and help them feel more
responsible about their studies.

How can I create an online interview?

You can share online interviews with the help of web conferencing
tools like Zoom. For best results, take the time to plan out your
interview before it begins. Prepare your questions in advance and
schedule a time for the meeting to occur. Allow your online learners a
way to provide feedback or interact with the interviews.

Zoom Boom: How to Bring Training to “Live” →

5. Dialog Simulations
 A dialog simulation is a way to train learners for real-life
conversations with customers, colleagues, and others. When creating
a conversation activity based on a situation that a student may face on
the job, let them know what to expect and provide a safe place to
practice their reactions and responses. 

For example, with dialog simulations, you can help your students
master sales and customer service skills or test how well they are
prepared for a job interview. These activities can also be a good
learning support tool for experienced workers who want to refresh
skills they haven’t used in a while.

How can I create a dialog simulation?

You can create activities similar to dialog simulations manually, using
simple slides, but it will take you a lot of time and effort to create this
kind of branching scenario in PowerPoint. There are some specific
tools like iSpring TalkMaster (a part of the iSpring Suite eLearning
toolkit) that allow you to design a conversation sim quickly and easily.
Start by mapping out the scenario you want to create. Think over the
scenario and script, choose a suitable character and location from the
built-in library or upload your own, and create a dialog with iSpring
by offering learners a choice of responses and giving feedback. As with
a typical quiz, learners will get points for correct answers and lose
points for inaccurate ones.

6. Online Polls
Polls allow you to capture feedback directly from your audience about
their learning experience. They can be used to measure anything from
learning satisfaction (Kirkpatrick Level One feedback) to why a
student made a particular choice during a lesson. Online surveys are
highly engaging for learners because they allow them to share their
opinions, make themselves heard, and are quick to complete. 

You can also use poll questions when you want to quickly grab and
focus your learners’ attention on something important or break the ice
during an online group interview session. For the latter, you can
simply carry out a mood survey. 

How can I create an online poll question?

If you host webinars via web conferencing solutions, you can use
built-in tools for conducting polls. There are also some specialized
online platforms like SurveyMonkey that allow you to create, send,
and analyze surveys. 
You can also build a survey with eLearning authoring tools like
iSpring Suite. All you have to do is to choose a ready-made question
template supported by the iSpring QuizMaker tool, write the question
and answer choices, or a text field for open-ended responses.
7. Game-Type Activities
Game-type activities turn a series of test questions into a game. For
example, a trivia game might ask learners to answer a certain number
of questions within a period of time and award points based on the
number of correct answers.

Game-based assessments are considered fun, and not “tests”, so they

are generally a good indicator of true skills and knowledge. Besides,
they have been shown to enhance learning by promoting the
development of non-cognitive skills, such as discipline, risk-taking,
collaboration, and problem solving. 
Add game-type activities when you want to engage and challenge your
students in a non-traditional way. Organizations have found that
game-type activities work well in employee training,
while schools have found that high-achieving students enjoy
competing with their peers in learning games.

How can I create game-type activities?

Quizlet and Kahoot are two popular applications that teachers can use
to create fast-paced interactive learning games. Quizlet allows you to
create a study set of online flashcards for learning terms and
definitions, while with Kahoot, you can build engaging quizzes and let
your students score points by answering quickly and correctly.
There are also many other apps, such as GimKit, Formative, and
Plickers, that can add a game-show experience to the classroom.

8. Peer Evaluation and Review

Peer evaluation turns the tables to put learners into the instructor’s
seat and allow students to review and edit each other’s work. Such
activities give each participant a chance to reflect on their knowledge
and then communicate their feedback in a consistent and structured
way.
How can I create a peer evaluation assessment?
Third-party platforms, such as TurnItIn’s Feedback Studio, enable
students to read, review, and evaluate one or more papers submitted
by their classmates using rubrics or prescribed assessment questions.
Teachers are able to log in and track individual participation in the
activity and monitor comments or peer evaluation feedback.
As a best practice, the instructor should map out and clearly explain
the steps of a peer review and evaluation process prior to launch. Be
sure to provide a rubric or set of guidelines for each participant to
follow to ensure that evaluations are conducted in a consistent
manner.

9. Forum Posts
A forum is an online discussion board organized around a topic.
Asking students to contribute to a forum post is an excellent way to
gauge their understanding, pique their interest, and support their
learning. In this activity, students are given a critical thinking
question based on a lesson or a reading, and are asked to reflect on
both. Their answers are posted to a forum and their peers are given
the chance to respond. 

Use this method when you want learners to interact, communicate,

and collaborate as part of the learning process, while checking their
comprehension of the topic. 

How can I create a forum post assessment activity?

Start by creating an online message board exclusively for your class in
your LMS or some external platform like ActiveBoard. Identify
common topics or themes that you can align messages to. Set
participation goals and guidelines that explain acceptable standards
for posting (be respectful of others, avoid foul language or personal
criticism, etc.).
The facilitator should review postings on a regular basis and provide
constructive feedback or guidance to participants.

Final Thoughts
Online assessments are a critical part of eLearning and should be
undertaken with the same level of care and rigor that you put into
creating your learning content. The good news is that you don’t have
to be a programming genius to build online assessments. There are
many software tools that allow you to generate engaging tasks. Choose
your way to assess student learning and a related tool to align your
needs and the results you want to achieve.