Digital Formative Assessment
Digital formative assessments are the ongoing assessments performed using digital platforms to track student learning proficiency and provide instant feedback. This approach is very effective in increasing the quality of education since it gives the teachers a chance to teach according to the students' learning progress with respect to the real-time data.
The implementation of digital formative assessment is advantageous in numerous ways- one among them is the immediate feedback that students receive, which serves as the guide for them to know their strengths and weaknesses. Besides, it gives the teachers ample opportunity to gather and analyze data conveniently which, in turn, paves the path for a timely modification to teaching strategies. For instance, the use of platforms like Google Forms or Kahoot can not only actively engage students but also provide information about their comprehension of the subject matter.
Digital formative assessments, in contrast to the traditional assessments that are administered mostly at the end of learning units, are being used during the whole learning process. Thus, they give continuous feedback and they are aside this a more dynamic learning experience. For example, a paper-based quiz may be the only one that gives a score after completion, however, a digital quiz can immediately showcase questions that are commonly missed, thus, both students and lecturers can immediately clarify misconceptions.
There is a wide range of digital formative assessment tools that are available and some of them are like online quizzes, interactive polls, and educational apps. Examples are platforms like Socrative, Nearpod, and Edpuzzle that are in the list of tools. The uses of these programs include easily creating fun assessments that teachers can use during their lessons. The tools are often embedded with analytics features that enable the teachers to track improvements and tailor their teaching accordingly.
In order to achieve the objectives of digital formative assessments, it is important for educators to start with setting up explicit learning objectives and to choose the proper tools that coincide with these goals. They ought to use multiple types of assessment, for example, quizzes, peer reviews, and self-assessments, so as to have a better understanding of different students' learning styles. Moreover, allowing for consistent and constructive feedback as well as time for reflection can be a means of motivating students to actively participate in their learning voyage which, in turn, would lead to a better educational experience for them.