Critical Review of Assessment Features of Google Classroom
FEATURE | Privacy Policy |
DESCRIPTION | Classroom’s privacy policy states that all data generated in Classroom are property of the education entity using classroom. Google states that they do not collect data from classroom and that all data is protected and only hosted on their own servers. The only instances in which third parties have access to Classroom data is for independent audits of Google practices and policies |
AFFORDANCES | This policy ensures that student data will not be exploited for the benefit of Google and that education entities can be assured that they can meet FERPA requirements. |
CONSTRAINTS | I do not see any constraints in connection to this feature. |
ASSESSMENT IMPLICATIONS | This feature places the onus on education entities and educators to be guarded in what kind of data they collect and how they collect it, being mindful of how easily the use of data can cross the threshold of invading student privacy. |
FEATURE | Classroom: Ask a Question |
DESCRIPTION | Quite simply, this feature allows the teacher to pose a question for students to respond to. The teacher has the option to make the question multiple choice or short answer. The short answer can be set to accept only certain answers and provide automatic feedback feedback to students. |
AFFORDANCES | Can be used as a quick formative assessment or exit ticket. If structured properly, Classroom’s Ask a Question feature could provide a teacher an efficient means to assess students’ mastery of targeted objectives. |
CONSTRAINTS | There is no option to import an image or audio which restricts the usefulness so far as differentiation is concerned. Students can only respond through written expression which also limits how the feature can be differentiated |
ASSESSMENT IMPLICATIONS | The implication seems to have a greater impact on the teacher since they will be able to collect and assess responses more efficiently reducing their workload. From the standpoint of the student there is little difference between responding to a question in Classroom versus simply reading the question and the board and writing their response on an index card. That being said, lightening the load of the teacher can free up more time for the teacher to dedicate more time to evaluating the results and making decisions about future instruction. |
FEATURE | Classroom: Comment Bank |
DESCRIPTION | The comment bank is a feature found in every assignment created in classroom. The teacher can use the comment bank to efficiently provide feedback to the student regarding their assignment. The feedback can become a running dialogue between the teacher and the student. |
AFFORDANCES | This feature can increase the efficiency of providing feedback, affording more time for the teacher and student in reflecting and implementing feedback. |
CONSTRAINTS | This type of written feedback will not meet the needs of all students. For many students, an audio or video presentation of feedback would be far more accessible and effective |
ASSESSMENT IMPLICATIONS | This feature allows the teacher to make feedback available to students immediately rather than the student having to wait to pass back the assignment. This could give the students the time they need to make appropriate revisions to their work |
FEATURE | Forms: Release Grade to Student |
DESCRIPTION | This feature will makes results from a Form’s quiz instantly available to the student upon completion. |
AFFORDANCES | This is instant feedback to the students. Offers the potential opportunity for students to evaluate their own performance and engage in metacognitive reflection. |
CONSTRAINTS | There are significant restraints to this feature. Results from paragraph responses can only be assessed manually by the teacher. Results from short answers can be automatically graded but that depends on how well the teacher has thought through all possible correct responses. There is a heightened chance that a student’s response could be highly original and exceptional yet marked incorrect because the response does not match the answer key. |
ASSESSMENT IMPLICATIONS | The sooner students receive feedback the greater the amount of potential time they have to reflect on their learning process. What did they not master and why? If structured well, this feature could move students toward reflection on their own performance, giving them more ownership of their learning. |
FEATURE | Forms: Students can Edit After Submission |
DESCRIPTION | This feature allows students to edit and make revisions to the assessment following submission |
AFFORDANCES | If used as a formative assessment, this feature can allow students to gain a greater command over basic content such as vocabulary and terms. Additionally, the teacher could decide to provide students a wider window of opportunity to make revisions to paragraph responses. |
CONSTRAINTS | This feature’s usefulness is limited to providing students an activity to master basic knowledge of a given topic. While this feature can afford students wider windows of revision opportunities the teacher still must evaluate and assess paragraph responses manually. |
ASSESSMENT IMPLICATIONS | This is another feature that has the potential to provide students opportunities to take ownership of their own learning by responding to instant feedback to gain mastery over targeted objectives related to basic knowledge. It can further empower students by providing them more opportunities to revise written responses. |
FEATURE | Forms: Multiple Choice |
DESCRIPTION | This feature allows for the creation of multiple choice test items. All of the detractors and correct answers can be easily shuffled manually or the test item can be set to randomize all possible answers. Additionally, you can determine which section of the test a student goes to the next based on their answer. |
AFFORDANCES | If the students selects an incorrect answer then they can be directed to a test item or items that help them think about their misconceptions and think through the correct answer. |
CONSTRAINTS | The options that Classroom’s digital version of multiple choice offer lifts some constraints that are typical with this type of test item. One constraint with this feature, however, is that it is still rather limiting when it comes to tasking students to wrestle with an open ended question in which there is no one correct answer. |
ASSESSMENT IMPLICATIONS | Provides students with the possibility of instant feedback which facilitate a students grasp of the basic concepts of a particular topic. |
FEATURE | Go to Section Based on Answer |
DESCRIPTION | This is an option available for multiple choice and paragraph answer test items in Google Forms quizzes |
AFFORDANCES | Structured correctly, this feature can provide valuable feedback to students. |
CONSTRAINTS | |
ASSESSMENT IMPLICATIONS | This feature gives the teacher the ability to provide students with instant feedback. |
FEATURE | Response Validation |
DESCRIPTION | The Response Validation feature in Google forms allows the teacher to predetermine requirements for a short answer such as the number of characters, sentences, or words in a written short response. |
AFFORDANCES | Can help students to gauge the minimum amount of writing that would represent the minimum length of a correct answer. |
CONSTRAINTS | Because this is a written response it would be incumbent on the teacher to think of all possible answers. For some types of questions this may not be possible or fair to students who respond with an original answer the teacher had not considered. Additionally, It may only lead to students writing more simply to satisfy a length requirement rather than genuinely grappling with the question. |
ASSESSMENT IMPLICATIONS | This feature has limited usefulness and by its nature is restricted to student responses to closed ended questions. |