MODULE 3: Can Assessment Be Engaging?

Table of Contents

MODULE 3: Can Assessment Be Engaging? .................................................................................... 1

Welcome to Module 3! .............................................................................................................. 2
Module 3 Reading 1: Formative Assessment and Motivation ................................................... 4
Module 3 Reading 2: Engaging Students in Metacognitive Reflection ...................................... 6
Video 3: Giving Student Feedback .............................................................................................. 8
Module 3 Quiz .......................................................................................................................... 12
Optional Module 3 Discussion .................................................................................................. 13
Module 3 Assessment Activity ................................................................................................. 14
Optional Activity Sharing and Portfolio .................................................................................... 15
Module 3 Check ........................................................................................................................ 17

© 2023 by University of Oregon. FSME MOOC Module 3 Downloadable Packet for the Online
Professional English Network (OPEN), sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding
1
provided by the U.S. government and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License, except where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
WELCOME TO MODULE 3!
This week we'll take a look at a part of teaching and learning than tends to inspire big feelings:
assessment! We'll consider ways that assessment can support student motivation and engagement,
guided by the following questions:
• How does assessment support learning?
• How do we make assessment less stressful for both students and teachers?
• Can assessment be motivating and engaging? Even fun?

"Kids" by MJ555 is licensed under the Pixabay License.

Key Concepts
In each week of this MOOC, we will begin by defining a few key terms. This week, let's look at types of
assessment, and a few other useful concepts.
Summative Assessment: an evaluation of student learning at the end of an instructional unit or class.
Formative Assessment: a way to monitor student learning during an instructional unit or class.
Student Feedback: information given to students about their performance and progress.
Reflection: In education, reflection means thinking about oneself and one's own work, especially
when we link our thoughts about past experiences to our plans for the future.
Metacognition: Thinking about thinking; the awareness and understanding of one's own thoughts or
other cognitive processes.

2
Now reflect on these questions
1. How were you assessed when you were a student? How did assessments affect your
motivation to learn?
2. How do you feel about assessment in your work now? Do you enjoy preparing assessments
and giving learner feedback? Why or why not?
There's no need to turn in your answers. For now, just think about the questions, or write about them in
your journal.

Module 3 Activities
You can download this Module as a PDF Packet for offline use. If possible, please turn in all activities on
Canvas. The following checklist of assignments may be helpful to you.

Module 3 Checklist

Check Assignment Estimated time investment

Read the module introduction and definitions (this page!) and think
15 minutes
about the questions.
Read a text to learn about formative assessment and motivation. 45 minutes
Read a text to learn about metacognitive reflection. 45 minutes
Watch a video to learn about giving student feedback. 15 minutes
Take the quiz to check your learning from the texts and video. 30 minutes
If you wish, participate in an OPTIONAL discussion about
15+ minutes
assessment and reflection.
Develop an assessment or reflection activity for your students. 1 hour
If you wish, share ideas in the OPTIONAL discussion and/or copy
15+ minutes
ideas to your OPTIONAL FSME Activities Portfolio.
Review key ideas from this module and then answer the question in
15 minutes
Module 3 Check.
We recommend completing all activities in this module by November 12, so that you can begin Module 4.

3
Read this text and take notes as needed. We will check your understanding of the information presented
here in the Module 3 Quiz.

MODULE 3 READING 1:
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT AND MOTIVATION
by Beth Sheppard and Char Heitman

Summative Assessment: an evaluation of student learning at the end of an instructional unit or class.
Formative Assessment: a way to monitor student learning during an instructional unit or class.

When people hear the word “assessment,” they most likely think
about tests, quizzes, papers and other assignments which students
turn in and teachers grade. While it is true that these examples are
forms of assessment, they are not the only forms. In fact,
assessment activities can also include presentations, projects,
observation of daily tasks, exit tickets, dialogues, discussions,
surveys, graphic organizers, reflections, and many more. The ways
that these activities are “graded” can be different for summative
assessments and formative assessments.
• Summative assessments judge how well a student mastered
materials and skills compared to a standard. Summative
assessments tend to be given at the end of a unit or the end
of a course. Scores for these assessments are given by the
teacher or an outside body, and they are usually stated in
the form of a numerical or letter grade.
• Formative assessments, on the other hand, occur during the
process of learning. The purpose of formative assessment is "Untitled" by Varun Gaba is licensed
to give students an opportunity to make improvements in under the Unsplash License.
their work. While these assessments might sometimes
involve numerical or letter grades, they more often are given
as comments by peers or the teacher and can even include
student self-assessment.
Summative assessment is part of education in most institutions today. It is often required by local or
national policies. Summative assessment can also represent a powerful external motivator, especially
high stakes assessments that can have a deciding effect on students’ future possibilities. Of course most
students will work hard for such important assessments. However formative assessment can often have
a more positive effect on students’ motivation and engagement because it can help support students’
feelings of competence, autonomy, and relatedness. Formative assessment is related to these
components of motivation in the following ways.

4
 • Competence: A well-designed formative assessment can show students what
they are already doing right on an assignment, as well as indicating areas for
improvement. This can build feelings of competence as students are
recognized for what they are doing well, while the suggestions help students
understand how to meet expectations and show a clear path forward for
improving their work.
• Autonomy: Formative assessment can support students’ feeling of agency
because it engages them in their learning and sharpens their ability to assess
their own work in relation to a standard. A low score on a summative
assessment can be disempowering; but formative assessments, on the other
hand, involve and empower students, challenging them to fulfill their potential
and giving guidance for how to do so. The student gets to decide how to make
changes in response to the assessment.
• Relatedness: Formative assessments can strengthen relationships. When
teachers give constructive feedback, they show themselves to be on the
same team as their students. Rather than the student trying to win a grade
from the teacher, the teacher and student together are working towards a
certain standard. When we assign peer review, we build community by
giving everyone in the class the opportunity to share their insights and help
each other improve. This gives students a voice and recognizes their
contributions as valuable.
Another phrase sometimes used to describe formative assessment is “assessment for learning.” The
purpose of formative assessment isn’t to rate students’ current skills, but to help them improve. This is
why formative assessment often doesn’t include a grade or score. In fact, research has shown that
students may pay less attention to feedback if a grade is present (Butler, 1988; also see Lowden, 2017).
Sometimes if we think carefully, we will find that there is no need to rate students’ current level of
success. If we focus on students’ future success by offering feedback and guidance, assessment becomes
truly part of the learning process.

References
(This content is copyrighted, and cannot be adapted in any way, or distributed after the end of this course. It is not
Public Domain or Creative Commons-licensed, and therefore not for public use.)
• Butler, R. (1988). Enhancing and undermining intrinsic motivation: The effects of task-involving and ego-
involving evaluation on interest and performance. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 58(1), 1-14.
• Lowden, K. (2017). Delaying the grade: How to get students to read feedback. Cult of Pedagogy.
https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/delayed-grade/

Image Credits
“Competence Icon” by the University of Oregon is an adaptation of “Arm Exercise Fist royalty-free vector graphic” by OpenClipart-Vectors,
licensed under the Pixabay license. This adaptation is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the University of Oregon.
“Autonomy Icon” by the University of Oregon is an adaptation of “Feel Free Silhouette Joy royalty-free vector graphic” by Mohammad Hassan,
licensed under the Pixabay license. This adaptation is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the University of Oregon.
"Relatedness Icon” by the University of Oregon is an adaptation of “Frame Heart Children royalty-free vector graphic” by GDJ, licensed under
the Pixabay license. This adaptation is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the University of Oregon.

5
Read this text and take notes as needed. We will check your understanding of the information presented
here in the Module 3 Quiz.

MODULE 3 READING 2:
ENGAGING STUDENTS IN METACOGNITIVE REFLECTION
by Beth Sheppard

Reflection: In education, reflection means thinking about oneself and one's own work, especially when
we link our thoughts about past experiences to our plans for the future.
Metacognition: Thinking about thinking; the awareness and understanding of one's own thoughts or
other cognitive processes.

Most teachers tend to reflect a lot. We think about what happened

in class each day, and use our reflections to decide what worked
and what needs to be changed, apply theoretical knowledge to real-
world situations, and plan for future actions. When we do this, it
can bolster our own feelings of competence and autonomy,
because it allows us to recognize our strengths and feel like we can
take independent action to improve. When we share our reflections
with others it strengthens feeling of relatedness because we see
the ways that we face similar challenges and appreciate the
opportunity to give and receive help. Reflection helps us maintain
our own motivation and engagement as teachers.
Now look at the definition of metacognition above. Thinking about thinking is certainly related to
reflection, but it’s more specific. It means paying attention to how we think, monitoring our attitude,
and tracking our learning progress (Veenman, Van Hout Wolters, & Afflerbach, 2006). It means noticing
what we know and what we don’t know. These metacognitive actions are an important difference
between more effective learners and less effective learners. You may have heard of Richard Schmidt’s
famous noticing hypothesis (1990). He proposed that language learners make large steps forward in
proficiency when they consciously notice a feature of the language. After that they seem to see it
everywhere, and quickly begin to use it more and more correctly. In other words, when students pay
attention to what they are learning and notice that there is something they need but don’t yet know, it
helps them learn much more quickly. In addition, reflection and metacognition can help students think
critically about factors like culture, and it can help support students’ motivation in the same ways we
described for teachers above.
How can we teach students to practice metacognitive reflection? The answer depends on the age and
level of the students, but in general we should think of it as a scaffolded process. In education,
scaffolding means that teachers offer support throughout the learning process. The amount of support
starts out high. As students develop their skills, teachers gradually reduce the support so that it’s always
just enough for students to learn successfully. Scaffolding for metacognitive reflection often means
requiring students to share their reflections, and providing questions or other prompts that guide
students to reflect usefully. These steps are meant to help students build the habit of thinking about
their learning even when it is not assigned and guided by the teacher.

6
Sample activities for metacognitive reflection can include:
• A learning journal in which students regularly write about
their process and the teacher gives brief responses.
• Beginning each lesson with a pre-test or a graphic organizer
such as a KWL chart or a small group discussion to identify
what students already know and what they need to learn.
• “Exit tickets,” or brief assignments at the end of each
lesson or unit or course in which students explain what
they understand well and what they don’t yet understand
well, and propose what their next steps will be.
(day/uni/course).
• Student self-assessment of assignments using checklists or
rubrics that guide students to consider each feature of
success on the assignment.
• Student responses to teacher feedback, either in writing or
in one-on-one conferences. Students can be required to
"Book" by Sasin Tipchai is licensed
prepare observations and questions for these responses. under the Pixabay License.
• Mistake analysis in which special activities are designed to
elicit language errors and then students “mine” these
activities for mistake “treasures,” and then describe what
they notice about their language progress (Sheppard, 2022).
• Discussions of learning strategy in which students can learn from each other’s best practices.
Through these and other practices, teachers can train students to plan, monitor and evaluate their
learning in all parts of the class: lessons, assignments, tests, and other activities. This can help students
become aware of their strengths and weaknesses, and develop independence as they set and
accomplish learning goals. These practices increase the chances of students developing into
autonomous, lifelong, successful and accomplished learners.

References
(This content is copyrighted, and cannot be adapted in any way, or distributed after the end of this course. It is not
Public Domain or Creative Commons-licensed, and therefore not for public use.)
• Schmidt, R. (1990). The role of consciousness in second language learning. Applied Linguistics 11(2), 129–158.
• Sheppard, B. (2022). Learning from mistakes in listening. In: Jones, T & Reed, M. (Eds.), Listening in the
Language Classroom, 171-186. TESOL Press.
• Veenman, M. V. J., Van Hout Wolters, B.H.A.M., & Afflerbach, P. (2006). Metacognition and learning:
conceptual and methodological considerations. Metacognition and Learning, 1(1), 3-14.

Image Credits
“Competence Icon” by the University of Oregon is an adaptation of “Arm Exercise Fist royalty-free vector graphic” by OpenClipart-Vectors,
licensed under the Pixabay license. This adaptation is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the University of Oregon.
“Autonomy Icon” by the University of Oregon is an adaptation of “Feel Free Silhouette Joy royalty-free vector graphic” by Mohammad Hassan,
licensed under the Pixabay license. This adaptation is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the University of Oregon.
"Relatedness Icon” by the University of Oregon is an adaptation of “Frame Heart Children royalty-free vector graphic” by GDJ, licensed under
the Pixabay license. This adaptation is licensed under CC BY 4.0 by the University of Oregon.

7
VIDEO 3: GIVING STUDENT FEEDBACK
In the introduction to this module, we defined student feedback as "information given to students about
their performance and progress." In the readings, you have seen that student feedback can be a
powerful tool for both motivation and learning. In this video we give a little more detail on when and
how to give student feedback.
Please watch the video on Canvas and take some notes. Or read the script and look at the slides below.

Module 3 Video Script and slides

Some teachers believe that feedback means error correction. They believe teachers should correct every
student error. This is not only difficult and time consuming, but it is not very effective. Too many
corrections can be overwhelming to students. They may not be able to pay attention to all of them. Too
many corrections can also be demotivating, giving students the feeling that they are not competent learners.

8
In order to have the most positive impact on learning, teachers need to consider when to give feedback,
what feedback to share, and how to share it.

It’s important to give feedback soon after the student performance. If teachers wait too long, it
becomes more difficult for students to connect the feedback to the work that they did.
On the other hand, there are some times when a small delay can be helpful. For example, if students are
giving a spoken presentation, it wouldn’t be a good idea to interrupt them with grammar corrections. In
fact, many teachers save their comments about student presentations until after all students have
presented. Then they offer some general comments about frequent mistakes. The timing of feedback
will depend on what kind of work teachers want to comment on. Teachers should try to balance the
need to give timely feedback that students can use with the need to avoid interrupting or de-motivating
their students.

What information teachers choose to share when giving feedback also depends on the situation. The
most important thing to remember is to focus on the purpose of the activity.

9
If students are doing grammar exercises, for example, teachers can offer explicit corrections or requests
for self-correction on the grammar focus of the activity. It would probably be best to ignore most
mistakes that are not related to the current grammar focus.
If students are having a discussion or writing a journal, teacher feedback can consist of responses to
student ideas or requests for clarification.
If students have written a first draft of a paragraph or essay, teachers can make suggestions about
organization and word choice.
If students are writing sentences with new vocabulary words, teachers can focus only on the use of
those words when giving feedback.

Limiting your feedback to the focus of the activity helps teachers avoid giving too much feedback, and
that helps both students AND teachers avoid becoming overwhelmed and demotivated.

There are many different ways to give feedback.

Teachers can give explicit correction, for example, by re-writing a
sentence for a student, or by reminding students of a grammar rule.

Teachers can also help the student correct themselves, for

example, by just making a gesture, or by underlining a mistake,
possibly with a symbol that indicates the error type. This is called
implicit correction.

10
 Don’t forget that praise is also a form of feedback.
Compliments should be as specific as possible, commenting
on a student’s excellent use of a specific structure or word, or
a specific idea that was well-expressed.

Finally, when sharing comments at the end of a written

text or spoken activity, it is often best to give a “feedback
sandwich.” This means starting with a specific compliment,
then giving a correction or suggestion, and ending with
something positive.
These supportive comments help the student feel competent in their language learning and close to
their teacher, both factors that support motivation and engagement.
For extended assignments such as essays or projects, teachers often choose to use a checklist or rubric
for formative and summative feedback.

Checklists show the steps, skills, and/or materials students need to successfully fulfill an assignment.
Both teachers and students can use the checklist for formative assessment to note what is complete and
what still needs work.
Rubrics describe the teacher’s expectations for student work, and indicate what scores would be given
to different levels of work. They are often used for summative assessments, but they are also useful for
formative assessments to indicate progress.

11
Regardless of the instrument or method teachers choose to give feedback, the important thing is to
match the feedback to the learning objectives. Be mindful of the quantity and timing of feedback, and
be sure to balance the positive comments with corrections. How teachers choose to give feedback can
definitely impact students’ motivation and engagement.

MODULE 3 QUIZ
Purpose
This quiz will help you review the vocabulary and main ideas from the Module 3 reading and video. Feel
free to refer to your notes when you are working on the quiz.
Assignment
Take the quiz as many times as necessary to pass with at least 7 out of 10 (70%) of the answers correct.
You must take this quiz on Canvas.

12
OPTIONAL MODULE 3 DISCUSSION
This discussion is not required, but we encourage you to read these questions and think about them,
even if you don't post your answers. If you do post your answers, be sure to also read and reply to some
answers from your course colleagues.
The purpose of these optional discussions is to help you make connections between your life experiences
and the ideas in your course readings and videos. The more you can connect your new learning with your
existing ideas, the more likely it is that you will remember and apply what you have learned.

"Coffee Gathering" by Helena Lopez is licensed under the Unsplash license.

Discussion Questions
You can feel free to answer one or more of the following questions. You don't have to answer all of them!
You can also share other thoughts in response to the assigned reading and video. Please don't post off
topic in this discussion: your posts should be closely connected to the topic of the week.
Please also reply to several of your course colleagues in this discussion. Refer to the Discussion
Guidelines page if you'd like to review our suggestions for effective online discussion.
1. What roles do summative assessment and formative assessment play in your curriculum? How
can you increase the focus on formative assessment to foster student motivation and
engagement?
2. What are some ways that you practice metacognition and reflection in your own life and
work? How do these practices affect your own motivation and engagement?
3. Do you assign metacognition and/or reflection activities to your students? Why or why not?
How have students responded to these activities?

Remember, this task is OPTIONAL. It doesn't count towards your final grade in the MOOC. It's an extra
opportunity to express your thoughts about the topic of the week and learn from interaction with your
course colleagues and facilitators. If you choose to participate, you can assess your own participation
using the checklist below:

13
Discussion Self-Assessment Checklist
□ I answered one or more of the discussion questions on this page, or shared my response to the
readings and video in this module. I did not post off topic.
□ My answers were based on my own thoughts and ideas and written in my own words.
□ I read the answers of several course colleagues, and replied to at least one of them.

MODULE 3 ASSESSMENT ACTIVITY

In this task you will revise or create an assessment that better supports student motivation and
engagement. The more specifically and thoroughly you plan, the more useful it will be for you.
What to do
1. Think of a way that you formally assess your students. It could
be an exam, test, quiz, essay, project, presentation, or any other
assessment, big or small. If you don't have an assessment to
revise, you can create a new formative assessment.
2. Now think about ways that you could adjust this assessment to
better support students' motivation and engagement.
o Can you make it more formative, with room for on-going
improvement? (Remember the definition and the
importance of a growth mindset from Module 1.)
o Can you reduce the emphasis on judging or grading, and
bring more emphasis to supportive comments for each
student?
o Can you add steps to the assessment that will scaffold “Self development” by Artem Maltsev is
licensed under the Unsplash License.
students' metacognitive reflection as they complete the
task?
3. Make a plan to update your assessment for improved student motivation and engagement. Be
as specific as possible. This might mean revising your rubric or drafting a handout with directions
for the metacognitive activity or writing some new questions for your quiz.
4. Finally, complete this assignment by answering the questions. You must answer the questions
on Canvas.

14
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY SHARING AND PORTFOLIO
Instructions
In this discussion you will share and gather ideas for your Activities Portfolio. For a reminder about the
portfolio, you can refer back to OPTIONAL Activity Sharing and Portfolio from Module 1.
Please share an activity or idea for formative assessment and/or reflection in the classroom. Describe
each activity in about 100-200 words. Be sure to include the following information:
1. The name of the activity and where you learned about it. If you share an activity that you
found online or in a published source, please include a citation. But we'd love to hear about
activities that you learned from a colleague or invented yourself!
2. The specific purpose of the activity (such as getting to know each other, increasing kindness,
establishing norms, etc.), the amount of time needed for the activity, plus any materials that
are needed.
3. A description of the activity: What do teachers and students do? Please use your own words
for the description, without copying and pasting from any source. It's fine if your description is
simple and brief. Just tell us what you do!
If you want to share more than one activity or idea, that's fine too! Just make another post to this
discussion for each one that you share.
After you share your own activity, read your colleagues' ideas. When you see an idea you would like to
use, copy it into your Activities Portfolio. Then leave a reply for the colleague who shared this idea,
thanking them and adding any comments. You can add as many activities as you like! You are welcome
to copy/paste from this discussion to your portfolio, if you wish, and we suggest also adding the name of
your course colleague who shared the idea.
You can find the activity portfolio in the packets for Modules 1 and 2. Remember, this is an optional
activity, so you could also use a different format. It's your choice.

"Untitled" by Van Tay Media is licensed under the Unsplash license.

15
Sample
Here is an example activity description:
Exit Tickets: I learned about exit tickets in an OPEN course I took last year. Exit tickets help the teacher
find out how well the class understood each day's lesson, so she knows whether to explain more the next
day, or move on. They can also help students self-assess their progress. One exit ticket takes about 5
minutes. You need a slip of paper, or an online survey. Students respond to a few simple prompts, for
example rating from 1-10 how well they understand, or writing one question about the day's lessons. The
teacher collects exit tickets at the end of every class. It's a habit. I want to try this habit.
Thanks, Edith, Ukraine.
Here is a sample reply:
Dear Edith,
Thank you for sharing about exit tickets. I had heard about them before this course but I have
never used them. I think I will try it now.
Best wishes, Yuko, Japan

Remember, this task is OPTIONAL. It doesn't count towards your final grade in the MOOC. It's an extra
opportunity to share your ideas, collect ideas from course colleagues, and develop a portfolio of useful
activities. If you choose to participate, you can assess your own participation using the checklist below:

Discussion Self-Assessment Checklist

□ I shared one or more activities with my course colleagues on this page.
□ The activities I shared are closely connected to the module theme for this week.
□ I used my own words to describe the activities, with no copy/pasting from the internet.
□ I read my colleagues' ideas and copied my favorites from this discussion onto my portfolio
document.
□ I formatted and organized my portfolio so that they will be useful to me in the future.

16
MODULE 3 CHECK
Key Points
At the end of each module, we will review some of the key lessons
from the week. Here are our main ideas from Module 3.
• Formative assessment often strengthens motivation more
than summative assessment, but that doesn't mean that
summative assessment is bad. We can use both kinds of
assessment, and we can add formative elements to
summative assessments.
• There is no need to correct every single student mistake.
Overcorrection can be discouraging to both teachers and
students. It's best to focus corrections on the area that the
assignment was designed to practice, for example fluent
expression or a specific grammar point.
• Supportive feedback to students include both compliments
and corrections, all expressed in terms of growth. That
means the focus of feedback is on showing students what do
to next time. “Woman sitting” by Ceyda Çiftci is licensed
under the Unsplash License.
• Metacognitive reflection activities can help students learn
how to learn. This may increase their chances of becoming
life-long self-directed learners.

Module Check
Please answer one question to verify that you have completed all activities in Module 3. You must
choose "yes" in order to move on in the course. If your answer is not yet "yes," please complete your
work and then return to this module check. This will count as 1 point toward your grade. You must
complete the Module Check on Canvas.

17