COMPREHENSION ASSESSMENT
Theoretical introduction
Students have their own ways and pace of acquiring new information, so it is extremely important to make sure that all students in the group have understood the teaching content and there are no misunderstandings concerning crucial elements of the class/lecture before moving on to another segment of the course. Sometimes it is enough to ask a few simple questions, but sometimes more complex exercises are necessary. There might be different reasons why some students or the whole group have failed to understand the teaching content: presentation style has turned out to be too sophisticated or not adapted to the perceptual skills of students, lack of practical exercises preventing students from putting theory into practice, or lack of students’ attention. Sometimes, it might also be a result of a lack of understanding of the context or poor theoretical foundations (which are taken for granted by the teacher). During online classes, there are even more distracting factors than during face-to-face ones as some technical problems may occur. Students’ home situation may also interfere with a lesson or even demand some urgent actions, for instance, staying away from the computer for some time. Therefore, it is essential to check the understanding of the teaching content before moving on to the next segment – to make sure that all students can follow the lesson. If the whole group has failed to understand the teaching content, it is necessary to repeat it – preferably using different teaching methods and didactic aids. If there are few students who have problems with understanding, some additional exercises should be prepared for them, so they can reconsider problematic issues (peer-tutoring can be used here, so that students who have no problems with understanding the teaching content can support their classmates and explain difficult issues to them; well-arranged group work can also be helpful: students who have understood all issues are offered some extra exercises consolidating their knowledge, while other students work again on the problematic issues with teacher’s support).
Exercise I: BRAINSTORM
Padlet
Sum-up part of the class; might be used during the whole semester
Online, blended
Synchronous / asynchronous
To assess the comprehension of the teaching content; to use the knowledge gained to solve a particular problem.
This exercise can also be planned as an asynchronous one – students may decide when they want to do it, as long as they respect the deadline. The exercise must be verified before the following class.
STEP I
The teacher asks a question/assigns a task that can be answered/solved based on the knowledge gained during the class. However, to answer the question correctly or solve the task, it is not enough to reproduce the information given by the teacher during the class. The question should be open and have more than one correct answer. Each answer is accepted if the argumentation/examples used by a student prove his/her understanding of the problem.
Exemplary questions:
- History of literature: after presenting Rococo aesthetics, a teacher can ask students to explain what it means that rococo has a feminine character?
- Intercultural communicatio: after explaining the differences between high and low-context cultures, the teacher can ask students to give an example of a cross-cultural misunderstanding that a person representing high-context culture may encounter while visiting a low-context culture (or the other way round).
STEP II
Students get a link to Padlet where they can find this question/task.
STEP III
Students work individually to answer the question or solve the task. They share the results of their work on the Padlet wall. Each student introduces his/her name and then types in his/her answer.
STEP IV
The teacher monitors students’ answers. If he/she sees any mis takes proving that a student has problems with understanding the teaching content, he/she intervenes and explains problematic issues.
STEP V
Students are encouraged to comment on their classmates’ answers/solutions on the Padlet wall: e.g., they are asked to choose the explanation they like most or an example they find most inspiring, and explain why.
- The teacher gets instant feedback and knows who understands the content of the class and who doesn’t
- Students are allowed to use the new knowledge to solve a certain problem or answer a complex question.
- Students work individually, which guarantees that teachers will have reliable information concerning the understanding of the teaching content. In the last phase of the exercise students can cooperate and learn from their classmates’ answers or solutions.
– This kind of exercise may not assess the understanding of all issues presented during the class, as it may not be possible to think of a question/problem which is complex enough to activate all knowledge gained during the class.
+ Several different Padlet walls can be shared with students – each Padlet containing a different question referring to a different part of the teaching content. Students are free to choose which question/problem they want to answer/solve. If any Padlet is left with no answers it might be additional information to the teacher that a certain part of the teaching content is not entirely clear to students.
+ It might be helpful to provide students with an evaluation grid of the content explained by the teacher – to understand which parts need to be clarified.
Exercise II: CHECKLIST
Mentimeter
In the main body of each class; during the whole semester
Online, blended, face-to-face
Synchronous
To check if the content of a lesson is clear to the students and teacher can move on to the next issue.
It can also be used to stimulate class discussion on the topics covered during the class and to clarify more complex segments.
This exercise can be effectively used during lectures when students are generally less active, and the teacher has very few occasions to check the understanding of the teaching content.
STEP I
The teacher divides the teaching content into several parts, which is reflected by the very structure of the class.
STEP II
Each part is concluded by one or few questions (no more than 3) that refer to the essential element/s of the presented content.
STEP III
After each part of the class, the teacher asks appropriate questions to check the comprehension. Students answer the question by going to www.menti.com. The results are presented to the group.
STEP IV
The teacher can correct minor mistakes if they appear. If most answers are wrong, the whole part of the class should be repeated, preferably with the implementation of different teaching methods.
- The teacher is sure that students follow his/her presentation.
- This exercise can also be used to start debates on a certain topic.
- If problems occur, the teacher can intervene by immediately repeating the problematic part of his presentation.
- Students can participate in a class more effectively.
– If the case of large groups, it might be difficult for the teacher to go through the answers quickly to find out whether there are any problems with understanding of his/her presentation.
+ In the case of large groups, it might be easier to stick to a multiple-choice test and present the results in the form of a bar graph. It would facilitate the analysis.
Exercise III: ASK! DON’T STRAY
Each tool that offers shared documents
Sum-up part of the class; might be used during the whole semester
Online/Blended
Synchronous (with an asynchronous component)
To assess the comprehension of the teaching content; to encourage students to reflect upon the presented material; to select elements that are difficult or problematic for individual students.
STEP I
The teacher prepares a table with two columns: the first one is dedicated to questions, the second one to answers.
STEP II
The table is shared with students at the end of the class. Each student is asked to write his/her own question in the first column. The questions should concern this element of the teaching content that students find difficult or not clear. Questions are not asked anonymously; students are asked to write down their names next to their questions.
STEP III
Students work synchronously, typing in their questions in the first column of the table. The teacher monitors the process: asking a question may sometimes reveal some problems with understanding the teaching content and might require immediate reaction.
STEP IV
Students are asked to read their classmates’ questions. Students are asked to choose questions they feel they know the answers to and type them (answers) down in the second column. All answers are signed by students. More than one answer can be given to each question. It might be time-consuming, therefore the teacher may plan this element of the exercise as students’ homework.
STEP V
The teacher monitors the answers. If there are minor mistakes, he/she intervenes and offers additional explanation. If questions and answers reveal deeper problems with understanding of the teaching content, the whole lesson (or some parts of it) should be repeated.
- The teacher gets instant feedback and knows who understands the content of the class and who doesn’t; if there are some problems he/she can react according to his/her students’ needs.
- Students are encouraged to analyze individually the content to actively monitor the process of learning.
- This exercise can be a form of effective peer-tutoring: students who have gained certain knowledge can share it with their peers.
- This kind of exercise enhances classmates’ cooperation, creates a habit of asking other students’ questions concerning the teaching content – it enhances group integrity, cooperation, and the ability to solve problems as a group.
– Some questions may be left without answers.
+ If there are few questions left with no answer, the teacher can simply answer them. If there are many questions (or most of them) with no answers, the teacher must analyze the possible reasons why no answers have been provided. Students may not be able to answer the questions (because they don’t understand the teaching content) or they might not feel like doing it, they might not find it important (because there are some problems with interpersonal relationships within the group or between the group and the teacher) or students might be afraid of giving wrong answers (which may be caused either by problematic student-student or students-teacher relationship or because of some general problems with verifying the learning outcomes), etc. The teacher is usually able to identify the problem correctly and to choose the right actions to eliminate it.
– There may be only 2-3 questions asked.
+ If students cannot think of any question, it may result from difficulties with identifying the problem areas or the students are too shy to admit that they have problems with understanding the content of the lesson. In the first case it may be useful to add an outline of the lesson to the question column, so that students have an overview of the issues covered. If students are too shy to ask questions the teacher may encourage them by explaining that asking questions is a natural element of the learning process.
Exercise IV: ASSESSMENT OF GROUP WORK RESULTS
MS Teams
Might to be used during the whole semester
Online/blended
Synchronous or asynchronous
To assess the comprehension of the issues introduced and discussed during group work
STEP I
Students are divided into groups. Each group works on a different issue using materials provided by the teacher.
STEP II
The teacher divides students into new groups. Each new group comprises one representative from each group from STEP 1 so that each person in a new group is an expert in a different issue and he/she must instruct other members of the group on the topic.
When STEP 1 and 2 are completed, each student should gain knowledge about all issues discussed in the class.
STEP III
The teacher assigns a task to all students (using the Assignments option in MS Teams). It contains questions about crucial information that students are supposed to gain during the class. By verifying students’ answers the teacher can find out if all necessary information is well understood and memorized.
ATTENTION:
- It is worth preparing a detailed plan of this group activity with a clear structure of groups in STEP 1 and 2 so that everybody knows who is working with whom and when. Such a document should be easily accessible for everybody (in MS Teams Files). It is necessary if the teacher is not using the Breakout rooms option and students are simply asked to start separate meetings using different channels for each group and must join the right group on their own.
- If students are divided into groups by the teacher who is using the Breakout rooms option, he can arrange groups according to his previous plan. However, having a document that presents the structure of the whole exercise on display helps students understand the operating mode of this exercise.
- Students learn from each other; they gain knowledge in an active and creative way.
- The final assignment must be fulfilled individually, which allows the teacher to check the understanding of the teaching content by each student.
- Students must actively participate in classes
- Assignments option allows teacher to introduce comments, so all mistakes can be corrected immediately
– This exercise is very time-consuming.
+ To save time, the teacher may decide to assign a task to be completed after the class (asynchronous mode). Exercises of this type are unavoidably time-consuming, but benefits that result from the active attitude of students who learn on their own and support their peers with gaining knowledge are worth risking some time-management problems.
Exercise V: QUIZ
Quizzizz, Socrative
Sum-up part of the class; might be used during the whole semester
Online/Blended
Partly synchronous/ partly asynchronous
To assess the comprehension of the teaching content
This exercise can also be used in face-to-face mode –with the use of the same tools (it might be best to ask students to prepare a Quizziz or Socrative quiz at home and then present it during the class). A quiz can also be made in a traditional form: students can write their questions down on a piece of paper and read them to their classmates who can answer them orally.
STEP I (synchronous)
In the sum-up part of a class, each student is asked to create a short quiz basing on the information introduced during the class. The number and type of questions should be determined by the teacher. Because of the time limits, it is best if the quiz contains no more than three questions. If necessary, teacher should determine that each question must refer to different aspect discussed during the class. Students prepare questions and correct answers (Quizizz, Socrative).
STEP II (asynchronous)
The teacher verifies questions and answers learning how well each student has understood the teaching content.
STEP III (asynchronous)
The students exchange the verified quizzes so that everybody takes somebody else’s quiz.
- Creating a quiz (preparing questions and answers) is an effective method of checking the understanding of the teaching content.
- Type and quality of questions and answers give valuable feedback to the teacher on how the teaching content has been absorbed by students.
- Gamification makes the assessment process attractive for students and stimulates their creativity.
– In the case of a large group, the process of verifying all the quizzes can be time-consuming and quizzes exchange complicated.
+ Students can be divided into pairs or groups of three and work together on their quizzes. This should facilitate the course of the exercise and allow students to create quizzes which have more than three questions.
– If there are single or multiple-choice questions only, some students may try to answer relying on their luck.
+ It is the teacher who determines the types of questions used in each quiz. He/She may require at least one open ended question. This exercise it is not only about answering questions but above all creating them, which tests the understanding of the teaching content.
Exercise VI: EDUCATIONAL SPEED DATING
MS Teams/ZOOM
Might be used during the whole semester
Online
Synchronous
Shaping the ability to synthesize, process, and share knowledge as well as consolidate it while teaching others; exercising the role of an educator; being able to switch between the roles of a sender and a recipient of the content.
STEP I
The teacher prepares 2 or 3 issues connected with a certain topic that is taught and assigns an equal or similar number of students to each issue. A list of students and issues assigned is on display.
STEP II
Each student learns about the assigned issue individually. He/She can use all possible didactic aids and materials –provided by the teacher and chosen on his/her own.
STEP III
The teacher combines students into pairs – each pair consists of students that have worked on different issues. The students share the knowledge they have gained with each other.
STEP IV
In the next round the students are paired with different peers who have worked on another issue. The activity continues till everybody in a group gains knowledge about all the issues. Time for pair work should be determined by the teacher. Since it is a “speed-date” exercise, it should not be too long, however the time should be adjusted adjusted to the type of issue that students are asked to discuss.
- By educating other peers students can easily and effectively remember the teaching content.
- Students can freely discuss the issues they work on.
- Students can practice how to share knowledge effectively and how to switch between the roles of teacher and student in the educational process.
– This exercise requires perfect planning so that students in the Speed Dating phase do not talk to the people who have worked on the same issues.
+ The detailed work schedule can be prepared in advance (based on the list of participants) so that the exercise can be implemented successfully.
– It could be problematic to monitor students pair work when there is a high number of students in a group.
+ To avoid this risk, students can be asked to write a short report in which they summarize the topics covered during pair discussions.
