Should we be giving students more tests? Well, yes, and no. In order for assessments of learning to be effective, they must be “frequent, early, and formative” (Tinto, 2012).

Offering opportunities for students to practice and receive critical feedback right from the start helps to guide their learning. Because early, low-stakes assignments can favorably influence future performance, using them can help us understand where our students are before and during their learning.

Benefits for Students

• Motivates students and increases class attendance
• Increases engagement, specifically for those who might be at risk for failure or withdrawal
• Opportunity for active and reflective evaluation, and increased control of their own learning (Nicol & Macfarlane-Dick, 2006)
• Opportunity to connect prior knowledge and experiences to course topics (Kift, 2009)
• Builds skills and confidence with specific, timely, feedback that empowers students to make adjustments (Kuh et al., 2010)
• Increases opportunity for practice, recall, and retention of information
• Increases self-efficacy
• Opens communication with the instructor, which can lead to more meaningful conversations and connections
• Fosters deep learning (Bain, 2014; Nilsen, 2010)

Benefits for Faculty

• Personalizes the learning experience by modifying instruction based on students’ learning
• Opens communication with your students that can lead to more meaningful conversations and connections
• Connects to bigger course concepts to help student scaffold their learning
• Identifies students who may need additional support, e.g., students on academic probation, students not attending class, students who would benefit from other support such as writing, etc.
• Can make referral for additional support using SSC’s early alert system
• Directs students to additional resources if needed
• Contributes towards helping students succeed in their courses and make significant progress toward their degrees

Examples of Low-stakes Assignments

• Drafts
• Peer review
• Group work
• Quiz
• Discussion
• Self-assessment
• Quick Write
• Muddiest Point
• Journal/reflection

References:

• Bain, K. (2004). What the best college teachers do. Cambridge: Harvard UP.
• Kift, S., (2009), First year curriculum principles: Program coordinator checklist, Articulating a transition pedagogy. http://www.csu.edu.au/student/transition/deliverables/5.htm
• Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J.S., and Whitt, E.J. (2010). Student success in college: Creating conditions that matter. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
• Nicol, David J., & Macfarlane‐Dick, D. (2006). Formative assessment and self‐regulated learning: a model and seven principles of good feedback practice. Studies in Higher Education, 31(2).
• Nilson, L. B. (2010). Teaching at its best: A research-based resource for college instructors. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Tinto, V. (2012). Completing college: Rethinking institutional action. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

To follow up on any of these ideas, please contact me at fglazer@nyit.edu. This Weekly Teaching Note was adapted from a contribution to the Teaching and Learning Writing Consortium hosted at Western Kentucky University.

Contributor:
Kim Vincent-Layton
Center for Teaching and Learning
Humboldt State University
https://ctl.humboldt.edu