Assessment/Evaluation.

Hello everybody,
I wish you all good health!

Today's topic is about the assessment/evaluation.
First of all, I would like to mention that the assessment focuses on the process, while evaluation focuses on the product (grades).
We all need feedback for what we do.

I personally want not only good comments and compliments ( of course, everybody loves them), but I also want suggestions and good critics. I say good critics, because I think everybody's learning is personal and we can't say it is wrong or not, but we may give recommendations.
I have previously said that assessment is an ongoing process. It has to do with the gathering of information about students' progress and achievements. Through it, we may understand what students know or lack, which are their needs and interests, but we can also improve ourselves as teachers.
The most important types of assessment are:
•Diagnostic assessment - it helps the teacher to 'diagnose' what students already know or what they don't know. It is done at the very beginning. This helps teachers to change what is wrong.
•Formative assessment it happens all the time. Teachers monitor students' learning. It can be done through quizzes, discussions, continuous projects and so on. Through them, we understand what a student is learning throughout the course.
•Summative assessment this is more a kind of evaluation, because it happens only at the end. It can be in the form of midterm exams, final projects or portfolios etc. Through it, we understand what a student has learned throughout the course.
•Self-assessment in which students give feedback about themselves.
•Peer assessment in which students assess each other.
We have practised both, self and peer-assessment in university.
During the first semester in 'Psycholinguistics',  we were divided into 4 groups and the 'Evaluation Group' had to give feedback for other students.
While assessing others we should make sure the feedback is in the sandwich form.

1st, we start with something positive.
2nd, what we would suggest.
3rd, something good.
We should not be rude or unethical.
Our professor used Mentimeter to create a poll and we assessed our peers in anonymous way. Kahoot can be used as well.
Below, you can find a short video about top 10 technology assessment tools.

During this semester after delivering the presentation we gave feedback for ourselves. Even here we should be fair and objective.
Assessment is really important, because it provides teachers with the right information about what students understand or not and how to improve their way of teaching. It also provides feedback to the students. It informs students of their progress and enhances their motivation. When students deliver self or peer-assessment, they are more:
•engaged
•objective
•critical thinkers.

Nowadays, it is widely used the E-assessment, which has to do with the use of technology to deliver the assessment.
It can be done through different forms.
•We can submit an assignment or essay virtually, via email or via 'Classroom' platform.
•Online quizzes are a good way of doing this. Since now we are attending classes online, even the assessment is done in this way. In a subject, our teacher shares every week an online quiz with us. We fill it and we submit it.
•E-portfolio, which is owned by the students. It is student-centred.


How does E-assessment help us?
•We get rid of papers since now we can submit our assignments in virtual platforms such as Dropbox.
We are doing this way of sharing tasks, and our teacher also comments on our work.
•So, the other advantage is instant feedback can be provided.
•Work is safely stored. We don't have to think if we took our paperwork with us or not.
•It costs less. Since nowadays most of us have internet on their phone we can use it even for our assignments, so we don't have to print them.
•When we share our tasks online, we can prove to our teacher that we have already submitted the task. Because there may be cases when an assignment or exam can be lost and your teacher may somehow accuse you of not having done it.
•Diverse activities such as online quizzes(multiple-choice exercise), fill in the gaps, crosswords, creative activities such as creating our own exercises.

To sum up, the assessment should be done continuously. Students need feedback, but not an offensive one. They need to know if they are doing right or not. And teachers are one of the most important persons to provide it.

Feel free to give your comments. I would like to hear your suggestions as well. :)
Thank you!