Efficient testing and feedback
Testing students can take a lot of time. However, it is quite possible to test in a time-efficient and qualitative manner. Are you curious how you can achieve this? The testing experts at the TLC FGw are happy to share their tips.
How do I organise my assessment more efficiently?
Tighten your test regulations
Make sure you don’t test too much. By testing more often you can determine more reliably whether the student has mastered the material, but sometimes teachers go too far in this regard. The minimum is 2 test moments per 6EC (this can also be one formative and one summative) – if your course contains more tests, consider whether it can be done more efficiently.
Testing should not aim to solve didactic problems (e.g. low attendance or motivation among students) but should support students in the learning process and measure what they have learned. If students understand why they are being assessed, it will help them to complete a particular assignment or exam to a higher standard. This also makes checking and giving feedback more pleasant and efficient.
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- Allow compensation within a course (i.e.: the final grade must be sufficient, but not individual partial grades).
- Plan one resit for the entire course, not a resit for each partial test.
- Enter restrictions for participating in the resit (this will prevent you as a teacher from spending time twice on unprepared students).
- Determine whether language is part of the assessment within the course.
- Make a realistic hourly budget for your course, including an item for tests, and stick to your budget.
- Make sure that you do not try to cover all learning objectives of the entire course in your subject. Determine together with colleagues which learning outcomes are tested where.
Tighten the design of your assessment
Provide clear instructions and give students an indication of how the assessment will take place. If the assignment and assessment method are clear in advance, there is a greater chance that students will hand in good work. In addition, ensure that questions are clearly formulated: this will prevent time-consuming problems during checking and inspection. Discuss questions with colleagues.
more tips
- Create a clear answer model or assessment model/rubric to save time during marking. Check exams per question.
- Regularly calibrate how you assess with colleagues, draw up an ‘anchor document’ together with marking instructions and a sample assessment, and share this file with (new) colleagues.
- Consider setting up a question bank.
- Would you like more information about designing tests? Then look here.
What not to delete
Do not affect the quality of your tests: do not try to save time by measuring fewer learning outcomes or covering less course material (validity). Do not reduce the number of questions or the length of the test (reliability).
How do I provide feedback more efficiently and effectively?
Provide efficient feedback
Don’t pay too much attention to giving feedback on language, if that is not a learning outcome of your subject. Focus mainly on topics that align with the learning outcomes, where students have demonstrated difficulty. You can also have students provide each other with peer feedback before submitting a final version. Discuss the way in which students are provided with feedback during the first lecture: explain that this is not always 1-on-1 feedback from the teacher.
more tips
- Use a rubric or checklist to provide students with feedback.
- Provide plenary feedback, for example about common errors.
- Use a self-reflection form. Is there a lack of effort or a lack of knowledge/ability? How long did they spend on the assignment? What areas would they like to receive feedback on? What would they do differently if they had more time?
- Use minimum assessment requirements. Have students rewrite their work if they do not meet these requirements. Don’t reward a lack of effort with extensive feedback.
- ‘Pars pro toto’: provide detailed feedback only on part of the assignment and let students extrapolate your comments to the rest of the text.
- Random sample feedback: determine which students will present their work during the lecture by drawing lots. Let other students reflect on their own work in groups based on the feedback provided.
- Provide verbal rather than written feedback. This can also be done with a short audio fragment via Canvas.
Don’t give too much feedback
It is impossible to provide feedback on everything, or to solve all problems within a text. Therefore, determine in advance which parts you will focus on. Do not provide feedback on other parts. For example, focus on a maximum of three topics per student. If you give too much feedback, it usually doesn’t get through. In addition, first read the entire piece before posting comments: this will prevent you from looking too much at the detailed level and losing sight of the quality of the work as a whole. Distinguish between high priority topics (content, argumentation and structure) and lower priority topics (language, format/layout and references).
more tips
- Determine how much time you can spend grading each paper and use a timer.
- Do not put comments in the document itself, but write your comments in a separate file. This forces you to zoom out so you don’t get lost in details.
- Post comments from the role of reader, not editor. Changes you make in Word with track changes are often accepted blindly by students without learning from them.
- Don’t solve problems for students yourself, but teach them to solve their own problems.
- Leave comments on draft versions, but not on the final version: use only the rubric. Students often learn little from extensive feedback on final assignments.
Feedback during thesis guidance
Consider small group supervision and do not exceed the maximum number of meetings. For example, have students draw up a plan that states what will be done before and after each meeting.
more tips
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- Have students prepare the agenda for the meeting.
- Make it clear how the process is assessed: how independent do you expect the student to be, how do you want them to take feedback, etc.
- Focus initially on ideas and structure; corrections and adjustments at sentence level can be dealt with at a later time, if the content is in order.
- Make it clear to students what role you are taking on. As a supervisor you are available for questions and feedback. As an evaluator, you give students a grade and evaluate their final product.
- Want to know more about assessing theses? Then look here.
Contact
Would you like to explore more options, or get tips on how to test efficiently and effectively within your subject? Please contact the testing experts at FGw via goednoten-fgw@uva.nl.
