Draw inspiration from the college experience to change its evaluation and feedback practices

The purpose of the evaluation is to promote the progression of learning by informing the learner and the teacher about the achievements and the elements to be improved. The new means at our disposal, especially digital tools, allow us to provide more precise and dynamic feedback. Here are some ideas inspired by what is done at college. 

College pedagogues had to react quickly when quarantine occurred. They were asked to change their practices in order to continue distance education. It is a chance for the students who did not have to lengthen their course at CÉGEP. These teachers, who had already tried other ways to assess, are valuable resources for the whole community. Let us be inspired by their practices!

The online questionnaire to teach and assess 

A teacher, assisted by an educational advisor from CÉGEP Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu created evaluation questionnaires using Google Forms. The answers to the questions asked are automatically imported into a table (Google Sheet). The teacher can thus visualize all the answers of her students in the same place. It is quick and easy for him to establish statistics in order to readjust his teaching. She appreciates the saving of time and the flexibility that this method gives her. In order to give constructive and in-depth feedback, truly in line with the objectives of the work requested, she created a sheet which presents the students with the evaluation of each criterion with a color code. This visually clearer sheet allows students to understand where they need to invest more energy and where they demonstrate good skills. To know more, read the article here. By Stéphanie Granger (teacher) and Jules Massé (educational advisor) CÉGEP Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu

The individual interview as an evaluation method 

In the chemistry department of CÉGEP André-Laurendeau, we opted for the individual interview. This rigorous method is beneficial for the students because the teacher proceeds by checking specifically if the latter understands correctly: the teacher can reformulate a question or ask to clarify the answer. The student, for his part, can check if he understands the question well and answer by elaborating on the subject, probably much more than in writing. By organizing a face-to-face meeting, the teacher also perceives the confidence of his student. Of course, this method is long and requires great availability. But it is undeniable that it makes it possible to better adjust the support for learners and that the latter receive very precise feedback on what they need to improve.

Ideas to support an inclusive approach

The Profweb team looked at other resources with the aim of differentiate teaching. Its members have found very interesting ways to use the sharing functions of different platforms like Microsoft O365 or Google Drive. According to the evaluation criteria chosen beforehand, the teacher creates a bank of comments that will be used for feedback. To save time, he writes code when doing the evaluation. This code can be replaced or substituted by a comment from his bank before finishing. For example, he can write "3" and then substitute it with a clearer comment like this: "Your use of punctuation is relevant and gives rhythm to your text". Proceeding with codes saves time while being more precise than a "Bravo!" ". For texts written on Google Document, it is also possible to make suggestions for modifications to students. And, of course, on other platforms, you can write comments directly annotated to the right of the text. Great ways to give feedback.

Which digital assessment tool to choose?

This is the question many are asking! There is a decision tree and one comparative table created by two educational advisers who allow you to choose the best digital tool for the type of assessment you want to do. Whether it is formative or summative evaluation, there is a tool more conducive to making the experience rewarding. They are presented in this article. 

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Assessment is part of the learning process, and feedback suggests the path to focus energy in the right places. Evaluation and feedback are not an end or just a mark to be given. Together, they are a process to go further. It is therefore really relevant to adapt this process to the learner and invest time in it. Whether in the classroom or remotely, the tools are there to create the right assessment. In addition, the tools are simple, available and, in general, already known. So, let's take advantage of this moment when we are reinventing the school to try dynamic and innovative evaluation practices.

And you, what changes have you made that are proving to be beneficial in the current context? We hope to read you!