Blog #3

Formative and Summative Assessment

Formative assessment falls under the basic assessment objective and assessing learning. An example of formative assessment would be giving an informal questioner to students halfway through the semester on what they like and dislike about the teaching level. “Modified before its completed” as the course reader would so put it.

Summative assessment on the other hand takes place at the end of a learning unit. A prime example of summative assessment would be the end of course professor evaluations. Gathering the information on assessment at the very end of the course.

What is the difference between Criterion, Norm, and self-referenced interpretations?

All of these examples are interpretations of the measurements used in making standards. The first being Criterion interpretations, a measurement tool to determine if the applicant has successfully completed a level of competency in a subject matter. This would demonstrated most apparently by the use of standard tests… Private, Instrument, and Commercial written tests area all good examples of Criterion interpretations

Norm referenced are based on comparing ones knowledge through a course or subject with all the other students. Norm tests students on mastery of the material through group and not individual.

Self-referenced is one that I don’t quite understand being an assessment trait. This type of assessment I feel has no place in the aviation industry. As if the stereotypical hippy is feeding this style. No way have gaging between one another what has been learned. Someone that has acquired information, but not able to be adequately measured.

What is Self-Directed Learning

The self-directed learners are “sophisticated leaners”, someone far away from comparing myself. These learners are given free range of finding the way of learning by setting self-goals and self-evaluations. “They want feedback on how successfully they have integrated alternative perspectives into their work”. Personally I believe this type of learning does have a place in this world. But nothing around sophisticated and philosophical learning rings a bell in any aviation class I have taken… maybe flight theory HA.