How do you enhance assessments with technology?

1 Use online tools to create assessments

One way to enhance assessments with technology is to use online tools to create different types of assessments, such as quizzes, surveys, polls, games, simulations, portfolios, and projects. Online tools can help you design assessments that align with your learning objectives, curriculum standards, and students' needs and interests. You can also use online tools to add multimedia elements, such as images, videos, audio, and animations, to make your assessments more interactive and appealing. Some examples of online tools for creating assessments are Google Forms, Kahoot, Quizlet, Edpuzzle, and Seesaw.

2 Deliver assessments through digital platforms

Another way to enhance assessments with technology is to deliver them through digital platforms, such as learning management systems (LMS), websites, apps, or email. Digital platforms can help you distribute your assessments to your students easily and securely, as well as monitor their progress and performance. You can also use digital platforms to provide feedback, support, and guidance to your students during the assessment process. Some examples of digital platforms for delivering assessments are Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, Flipgrid, and Remind.

4 Incorporate formative and summative assessments

A fourth way to enhance assessments with technology is to incorporate both formative and summative assessments in your teaching. Formative assessments are ongoing and informal assessments that check your students' understanding and progress during the learning process. Summative assessments are final and formal assessments that evaluate your students' achievement and mastery at the end of a unit or a course. Technology can help you create and use both formative and summative assessments to monitor your students' learning and provide them with feedback and recognition. Some examples of formative and summative assessments are exit tickets, self-assessments, peer-assessments, rubrics, and tests.

5 Differentiate and personalize assessments

A fifth way to enhance assessments with technology is to differentiate and personalize them according to your students' needs, preferences, and goals. Differentiating and personalizing assessments means offering your students choices and options in how they demonstrate their learning and how they receive feedback and support. Technology can help you differentiate and personalize assessments by allowing you to customize the content, format, difficulty, and duration of your assessments, as well as the resources, tools, and strategies that your students can use. Some examples of differentiated and personalized assessments are choice boards, menus, playlists, and learning paths.

6 Engage students in self-reflection and metacognition

A sixth way to enhance assessments with technology is to engage your students in self-reflection and metacognition. Self-reflection and metacognition are the processes of thinking about one's own learning and thinking, as well as the strategies and skills that one uses to learn and think. Technology can help you engage your students in self-reflection and metacognition by providing them with opportunities and prompts to review their work, assess their performance, identify their strengths and areas for improvement, set goals, and plan their next steps. Some examples of self-reflection and metacognition tools are Google Docs, Padlet, Jamboard, and Flipgrid.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?