Chapter 1: The Value of Embedded Formative Assessment: An Integral Process in Online Learning Environments Implemented Through Advances in Technology

With the explosion of online learning environments and the simultaneous continued demand for accountability, the need to identify and implement best assessment practices in online learning environments surges. In this age of accountability, priority is given to educational achievement of students at all levels; however, what worked to promote accountability in face-to-face settings in the past does not necessarily work in online environments (Goldstein & Behuniak, 2012). The pedagogical theory is the same; however, the implementation varies across learning environments.

Assessment is the systematic process of documenting learning through measurable evidence. It is used to measure knowledge, skills, dispositions, or beliefs gleaned through instructional sequences, with an aim to improve all aspects of student learning. The two main types of assessment are formative and summative. While each is used for different purposes, both inform decisions regarding student learning. Summative assessment happens at the end of a learning sequence and typically consists of culminating projects or standardized tests. Formative assessment, on the other hand, can be thought of as a process that happens throughout the learning sequence. “The entire process involves decisions about when to test and what to test, selection or construction of suitable assessment procedures, judgments about whether assessment-elicited evidence should lead to adjustments, and choices about the nature of any adjustments” (Popham, 2011, p. 2).