Google Form Assessments

When creating a lesson plan there are many things to consider such as the content, objectives, and how to leverage technology in meaningful ways. However, one of the most important components of a quality lesson is assessment. Without ongoing assessment, it is difficult to provide students with the meaningful feedback they need in order to grow as students. Summative and formative assessments are crucial components of a lesson plan because they serve distinct purposes in the teaching and learning process. Formative assessments provide ongoing feedback during instruction, enabling educators to gauge students' understanding, adjust teaching strategies, and identify areas needing reinforcement. In contrast, summative assessments evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional period, measuring the extent to which educational goals have been achieved. Together, they help me as an educator to adapt my instructional practice to enhance student learning and ensure educational objectives are being met.

One of my favorite ways to assess students is through a self-graded Google form. I like to use Google Forms for assessments because they offer an efficient, automated way to evaluate student understanding while saving time on grading. Furthermore, I like the fact that I can customize the assessment to contain various question types—such as multiple choice, short answer, checkboxes, and dropdown menus. The mixture of questions helps to support assessment access to diverse learning styles and skills. The self-graded feature provides immediate feedback to my students allowing them to take ownership of their learning. In my class, I believe students should be empowered to learn from their mistakes and are allowed to redo assignments, tests, and quizzes to improve their scores and show what they have learned. 

Here are some examples of question types included on a  Google Quiz I recently created for my history class. The first question shown is a short answer question. The student will simply write the correct answer on the line provided. The second question shown is a multiple-choice question. To answer the student will click the bubble next to the proper option provided. The third question is a check-box question. It functions similarly to a multiple-choice question but allows the learner to select multiple options. The final question shown uses a dropdown box to complete the sentence. When a learner clicks on the button, they will be able to choose the word or phrase that best completes the sentence. You can try the 10 question quiz for yourself by clicking here.