Blackboard and Formative Assessment in the Social Sciences

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Blackboard and Formative Assessment in the Social
Sciences

• Dr. Esther Jubb, Dr. Simon Lightfoot Nicola
  Ronan
• School of Social Science

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Why introduce formative assessment on Bb in the
Social Sciences?

• JMU Assessment Review
• Goal 3.2 Development of models of FA and
  feedback
• Identified within the programmes where formative
  assessment is appropriate
• Increased emphasis on FA during 1st year of study

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Formative Assessment

• FA Improvements in student learning retention
• FA methods issues of time and workload (Staff
  Student)
• Bb provides opportunity for more FA via
  assessment tools
• Multiple choice/answer
• Essay
• Discussion board

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Methodology

• Focus Groups - FY, L1, L2
• Semi-structured, 5-6 participants
• Voluntary self selection participation
• Awareness of equal ops
• Reward

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Student Feedback

• Levels of participation in tasks varied
• Students generally found Bb assessment tasks
  useful
• FY more likely to participate in assessment if it
  was seen to be useful to them
• L1 more likely to participate if it was more
  academic

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Positives

• I think it gives you better life skillsit helps
  balance things out (L1)
• some of them were good practice, I mean writing
  essays and that, and er, taking notes from a text
  book
• knowing how to manage time and things like
  that. (FY)

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Negatives

• accessing them was the hardest part because Bb
  didnt work half the time (FY)
• It was just hard getting on to it from non-JMU
  computers. (FY)
• I went on Bb and I couldnt get Bb to print off
  lecture notes and that. (L1)

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Findings

• Students generally dont link formative
  assessment summative assessment
• Problems of independent learning
• FY do assessment in class
• L1 do assessment on their own time
• Technical Issues
• Testing tool
• Access
• Copy mechanism

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Improvements

• More early support for students in how to get the
  most from Bb
• Clearer links to the role and benefits of
  formative assessment
• Better feedback mechanisms Bb doesnt always
  allow you to give the kind of feedback you want
  to give

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Future Research

• Does early use of Bb formative assessment improve
  student retention?
• Do cultural differences between FY L1 students
  effect engagement with FA?
• Does formative assessment improve student
  learning habits?
• Does formative assessment really make a
  difference?