In a case study, the authors examined the final grades of students in the "Signals and Systems" course at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, using two assessment methods: a final exam and continuous formative assessment.
During the (2007/2008) academic year, 210 students were evaluated by both methods. Results showed that over 70 per cent of students had consistent pass/fail outcomes with both methods. However, 15 per cent failed the continuous assessment but passed the final exam and another 15 per cent passed the continuous assessment but failed the final exam.
Simulations combining both assessment methods with different weightings indicated that even with the final exam accounting for only 25 per cent of the grade, pass/fail rates remained similar to those observed when the final exam had a higher weight.
Thus, continuous assessment and final exams yield comparable pass/fail rates (Sande, Encinas, penavente-peces & Fraile, 2008).
Formative assessment has emerged as a crucial component of modern educational practices, contrasting sharply with traditional final examinations.
According to Hattie & Timperley, feedback is conceptualised as information an agent provides (eg, teacher, peer, book, parent, self, experience) regarding one's performance or understanding. A teacher or parent can provide corrective information, a peer can suggest an alternative strategy, a book can provide information to clarify ideas, a parent can encourage and a learner can look up the answer to evaluate the correctness of a response. Feedback, therefore, serves as the 'consequence' of 'performance' and is utilised to facilitate an understanding of the purpose, effects and types of feedback within a continuum of instruction and feedback. At one end of the continuum, there is a clear distinction between providing instruction and feedback.
However, when feedback is combined with a more correctional review, the feedback and instruction become intertwined until "the process itself takes on the forms of new instruction, rather than informing the student solely about the correctness.”
On the other hand, HummelIn (2024) points out that formative assessments let students show that they’re learning and summative assessments let them show what they’ve learned. It’s rare to find the same emphasis on formative quizzes and assessments. That’s because formative assessments act like milestones, while summative assessments show the bottom line.
Nonetheless, when implemented effectively, formative and summative assessments complement each other seamlessly. This raises a critical question: In what ways do these assessments contribute to ensuring achievement within the curriculum? Hattie and Timperley (2007) indicated that the most effective feedback forms were those providing cues or reinforcement to learners, often through video, audio, or computer-assisted instructional feedback and related to specific goals.
Conversely, programmed instruction, praise, punishment and extrinsic rewards were less effective in enhancing achievement. The analysis highlighted those extrinsic rewards, such as stickers and awards, are not truly feedback as they lack substantive task information.
Moreover, these rewards were found to undermine intrinsic motivation, particularly for interesting tasks and had a negative correlation with task performance. When feedback was delivered in a controlled manner, the adverse effects were even more pronounced. Thus, extrinsic rewards typically diminish individuals' motivation and self-regulation.
In summary, formative assessment offers a transformative approach to evaluating student learning by prioritising continuous evaluation over traditional final exams. This method fosters a supportive and effective learning environment, enhancing student engagement, comprehension and educational outcomes.
Despite challenges in implementation, the potential benefits are substantial. Therefore, educational institutions should prioritise formative assessment practices to cultivate a culture of continuous learning and improvement.
BLURB
Formative assessment offers a transformative approach to evaluating student learning by prioritising continuous evaluation over traditional final exams. This method fosters a supportive and effective learning environment, enhancing student engagement, comprehension and educational outcomes.
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