Assessment Ideas

When students interact with simulations, they are engaged in a very different type of learning that when they are reading. The goal of the PSI Sim™ designers was to promote the development of deeper, more personal ways of thinking about science. To help address the differences between rote memorization and interactive, inquiry-based methods for assessment purposes, we believe it is necessary to go beyond typical questioning strategies used in most text books. That is, different types of learning require different types of assessment. Of course, assessment must relate directly to program goals and course objectives.

You may find it convenient to use the PSI Sims™ themselves as part of assessment. For example, the teacher might set up a scenario in the PSI Sim™ and print it out along with a "What-if" or "What will happen now" question. Be warned that non-traditional questioning strategies need to be introduced carefully so that students "learn" that you expect them to think differently about their responses. It is wise to try out new assessment strategies with self-assessments before using them for grading purposes.

Let's consider some basic examples of alternate assessment strategies. In a rote learning assessment, a student might be asked to state a definition of "electrolyte". Another method of assessment might be to "give an example of an electrolyte and an example of a non-electrolyte." Perhaps the students might "draw a diagram of an electrolyte being used in a practical way." Another example might be, "what problems might arise in an experimental situation if a non-electrolyte were replaced with the electrolyte by accident." PSI Sims™ sometimes include real-time graphing components. In these cases, students might be asked to make connections between reading a meter and reading a graph. When should one be used rather than the other? PSI Sims™ often allow the student to manipulate more than one variable. Questions can be asked to see how the student would anticipate the result of modifying the two variables in certain ways, noting the relationship between the variables. The advantage of the PSI Sim™ in this case is that it offers a concrete, interactive example of the model.

Below we present concrete examples of a few types of assessment that you may find useful when using PSI Sims™.

Socratic Assessment

What was the main point of this investigation using the multiwavelength telescope?
What kinds of observations did you make in your investigation?
Why was it important to make many observations of the same source?

Case Assessment

You are part of a two person top secret military operation designed to invade an enemy stronghold. It is nighttime, the moon is not visible and there are no lights: It is almost totally dark. You know the enemy is nearby because you can hear them talking to each other over their two way radios but you can not see them. Luckily, you have been given a number of government issue special goggles to help you see the enemy in every region of the electromagnetic spectrum. You have one goggle for each of the five regions of the spectrum. Both you and your partner have to be able to see the enemy in order to sneak into the base. What do you do? Explain.

Quotation Assessment

Read the following quotation. Write a one or two paragraph essay about how it relates to the science concepts presented in this investigation.

"My own suspicion is that the Universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we can suppose." - J.B.S. Haldane

Comprehensive Achievement Test

Which of the following lists contains only things that are part of the solar system occupied by Earth?

(A) galaxies and moons (B) planets and many stars (C) black holes and dward stars (D) planets and moons

Which of the following is not a type of electromagnetic wave?

(A) Sound (B) visible (C) ultraviolet (D) infrared

Informal Assessment

How would seeing the world in the infrared and radio regions of the electromagnetic spectrum be different from the way we see it now? What would be the benefits? What would be the drawbacks?

Project Based Assessment

Find information on building an optical telescope. Create a drawing of your planned telescope. Make sure to label all parts of the telescope illustration and provide a scale that specifies the proper size of each component.

Traditional Assessment

1. Which travels faster, X-rays or radio waves? Explain your answer.

2. Why is it important to observe objects in more than one wavelength? Support your answer with examples from the simulation.

3. Infrared and visible light are both being emitted by the sun. Which type of light has the longest wavelength? The highest frequency? The highest energy?

4. Explain how you can tell what elements an object is made of just by looking at the light it emits?

Discrepent Event

A pencil rests on a table. The pencil is straight. The same pencil is then placed into a beaker filled with water. The pencil now appears to be bent. Explain what is happening to the pencil's appearance when placed in the beaker of water.