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™.

Case Assessment

Shelly works at a police laboratory finding out the chemical make-up of unknown substances. A device called a mass spectrophotometer was used to analyze a sample. Shelly found out that the sample consisted of one part sodium, one part hydrogen, one part carbon and three parts oxygen. What is the chemical formula and name of the unknown substance?

You Grade It - Based on the question in the first panel below, have the students grade the student responses in the next three panels.

Comprehensive Achievement Test

What is formed if a neutral atom loses an electron?

(A) an ion (B) a solid (C) a base (D) a molecule

Consider the three words used in the following sentence:libraries, books, and pages.

Libraries consist of many books that are made of pages. Use the words molecules, atoms and cells to complete the following sentence:
___________ consist of many ______________that are made of ______________.

(A) molecules, atoms, cells (B) atoms, molecules, cells (C) cells, atoms, molecules (D) cells, molecules, atoms

Discrepant Event Assessment

 The chemical formula of the common compound sodium chloride is NaCl. The chemical formula of another compound, magnesium chloride, is MgCl₂. Why does chlorine (Cl) have the number "2" next to it in the second case and not in the first case?

Socratic Assessment

1. Which mixer tool was the most helpful in finding the compound's chemical formula?
2. What assumptions did you make when you put together chemical formulas?
3. Do you have any evidence to support your assumption(s)?
4. Why is the process of writing chemical formulas considered to be an important skill? 

Project-Based Assessment

Chemical bonds require that atoms rearrange their electrons. Some compounds share electrons while other completely transfer electrons from one species to another. Create a simulation or diagram that shows how the electrons in hydrogen and oxygen share their electrons in the chemical bonds of water. Create a second simulation or diagram that shows the complete transfer of electrons between sodium and chlorine to form sodium chloride.