A good place to start...
This page is devoted to providing STEM teachers with a list of assessment ideas for teaching STEM subjects that might be useful, especially for when STEM teachers desire to re-develop assessments to authentic assessments.
scientific reports: When students are asked to submit a scientific report (formative) there is a wealth of shared knowledge on the WWW to support students in this process. See for example a student-focused resource on how to complete scientific reports as an assessment item at Deakin University: http://www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support/academic-resources/report-writing
media presentations: You could consider students creating a multimedia resource on their science research interest/s and for non-science audiences as an outreach focus. The task could be designed using an online program such as Video note in CloudDeakin (see https://documentation.desire2learn.com/en/Video%20Note) or as part of face-to-face presentation using Prezi (see https://prezi.com/). There are plenty of open source software programs that students can use such as Voice Thread (see http://voicethread.com/about/features/), which allows you to record your voice over an image/s.
live or online discussion forums: Students could lead a discussion forum (as part of an assessment task which might include seminar facilitation, seminar presentation materials, and summary and transcript analysis of discussion discourse). This could be conducted online or during face-to-face contact time.
videos: Students could create their own video that illustrates a difficult scientific concept for a non-science audience/experts. See for example: http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00001341/chemistry-vignettes-electrochemistry
science blogs: Students could create a group blog that deconstructs and critiques others’ science communication strategies and content from broadcasts, blogs, twitter, Facebook, webpages, other texts, post important clips/images and information from the science community. You may request that they explain its value, use a visual app such as Sketch note (see http://sketchnotearmy.com/about/) to visually represent information for others, post strategically pro-active RIPs (Really Important Points) in order to attract debate from other students.
memes: You could have students create scientific memes where certain phrases are matched to images to create a shared understanding (see http://gizmodo.com/what-exactly-is-a-meme-512058258 or see http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=science)
wikis: You could have student groups to create an instructional Wiki for a particular type of science audience. For example, a group might use a Wiki to document intentionally “messy” case studies and problems where the findings (solutions and processes) are collaboratively constructed as a digital record/resource for a particular audience, including the miss-steps, dead ends, and misunderstandings.
concept or mind maps: Mind maps are a very useful way to problem solve and to critically think about a topic/s. They can be used in group work and/or individually.
portfolios: Allowing students to consistently create and curate artefacts over their course such as a graduate portfolio presentation is a good way to scaffold communications skills via reflective practice and evidencing learning over a period of time.
written/oral/performative: You could invite students to present a one minute paper or student groups could be roistered to do a one minute paper at the end of a seminar/class (see for example http://homepages.math.uic.edu/~bshipley/MinutePaper.pdf).
eLearning tools: A community of practice are contributing “live” to an online spreadsheet regarding assessment ideas that are aligned to Bloom’s taxonomy. This is a great open resource for discovering ideas for student communication development (see https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ar0FfDINz1W_dGdwRTFUQlJYbGE0VWNXSUZCMWRjaVE&usp=sharing#gid=0).
gamification: There are many ways that gamification (simple to complex) can be used as summative or formative learning activities to help students learn about difficult concepts, and in a fun way (see for example:
http://www.yukaichou.com/gamification-examples/what-is-gamification/#.VJDHkiuUdfd). Game-based learning and gamified learning environments in which game design theory and components are often used to motivate and reward students (see http://contactnorth.ca/game-changers/start-ups/spongelab-interactive-comprehensive-platform-teaching-and-learning).
other ideas: Infographics/posters, reflective practice exercises, requesting students to generate quizzes (with an answer key) for their peers to test factual knowledge, small research projects, researching common misconceptions in science education, requesting that students lead teaching in tutorials on a particular concept or science experiment/s and world relevant role play exercises.
media presentations: You could consider students creating a multimedia resource on their science research interest/s and for non-science audiences as an outreach focus. The task could be designed using an online program such as Video note in CloudDeakin (see https://documentation.desire2learn.com/en/Video%20Note) or as part of face-to-face presentation using Prezi (see https://prezi.com/). There are plenty of open source software programs that students can use such as Voice Thread (see http://voicethread.com/about/features/), which allows you to record your voice over an image/s.
live or online discussion forums: Students could lead a discussion forum (as part of an assessment task which might include seminar facilitation, seminar presentation materials, and summary and transcript analysis of discussion discourse). This could be conducted online or during face-to-face contact time.
videos: Students could create their own video that illustrates a difficult scientific concept for a non-science audience/experts. See for example: http://www.rsc.org/learn-chemistry/resource/res00001341/chemistry-vignettes-electrochemistry
science blogs: Students could create a group blog that deconstructs and critiques others’ science communication strategies and content from broadcasts, blogs, twitter, Facebook, webpages, other texts, post important clips/images and information from the science community. You may request that they explain its value, use a visual app such as Sketch note (see http://sketchnotearmy.com/about/) to visually represent information for others, post strategically pro-active RIPs (Really Important Points) in order to attract debate from other students.
memes: You could have students create scientific memes where certain phrases are matched to images to create a shared understanding (see http://gizmodo.com/what-exactly-is-a-meme-512058258 or see http://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=science)
wikis: You could have student groups to create an instructional Wiki for a particular type of science audience. For example, a group might use a Wiki to document intentionally “messy” case studies and problems where the findings (solutions and processes) are collaboratively constructed as a digital record/resource for a particular audience, including the miss-steps, dead ends, and misunderstandings.
concept or mind maps: Mind maps are a very useful way to problem solve and to critically think about a topic/s. They can be used in group work and/or individually.
portfolios: Allowing students to consistently create and curate artefacts over their course such as a graduate portfolio presentation is a good way to scaffold communications skills via reflective practice and evidencing learning over a period of time.
written/oral/performative: You could invite students to present a one minute paper or student groups could be roistered to do a one minute paper at the end of a seminar/class (see for example http://homepages.math.uic.edu/~bshipley/MinutePaper.pdf).
eLearning tools: A community of practice are contributing “live” to an online spreadsheet regarding assessment ideas that are aligned to Bloom’s taxonomy. This is a great open resource for discovering ideas for student communication development (see https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ar0FfDINz1W_dGdwRTFUQlJYbGE0VWNXSUZCMWRjaVE&usp=sharing#gid=0).
gamification: There are many ways that gamification (simple to complex) can be used as summative or formative learning activities to help students learn about difficult concepts, and in a fun way (see for example:
http://www.yukaichou.com/gamification-examples/what-is-gamification/#.VJDHkiuUdfd). Game-based learning and gamified learning environments in which game design theory and components are often used to motivate and reward students (see http://contactnorth.ca/game-changers/start-ups/spongelab-interactive-comprehensive-platform-teaching-and-learning).
other ideas: Infographics/posters, reflective practice exercises, requesting students to generate quizzes (with an answer key) for their peers to test factual knowledge, small research projects, researching common misconceptions in science education, requesting that students lead teaching in tutorials on a particular concept or science experiment/s and world relevant role play exercises.
* If you have any assessments ideas you would like to publish here for other STEM teachers to use, please contact Associate Professor Rachael Hains-Wesson on [email protected]