Current didactic research stresses the formative aspects of assessment of teaching [1]. Formative assessment is considered to enhance students´ performance when including direct subject guidance through interaction. This is a challenge for teachers working online and exclusively with computer based student interaction. I teach courses in the didactics of Swedish as a second language, and the absolute majority of the students are teachers of Swedish or Swedish as a second language in primary school. The subject of this particular course segment was genre pedagogy and the challenge was to create a self-assessment test that gives the students direct feedback in the form of right answers. Students answer a number of multiple-choice questions and find out immediately whether they have given the right answer. In addition, a short explanation is posted in writing next to the right answer. Using the Blackboard platform for online teaching I wanted to create an online assignment in an attempt to create a learning path. It consists of several multiple-choice and yes/no question linked to. They are interdependent so that students can only proceed to the following question when answering the previous question correctly. Thus, the test features progression and students can be guided along a line of thought. Unfortunately, one of the questions was inadequately conveived and I had to record a short video in which I explained that question. I changed the settings for that particular question so that students could proceed without having to answer correctly, but they had to watch the video before they could go on with the remainder of the test. Interestingly, by giving the wrong answer and benefiting from further explanations about the concept to which that question referred, students later showed a better understanding of that particular concept in comparison with other notions for which they were tested at the exam. This was indicated in the final (summative) assessment and confirmed by the students themselves in their evaluations of the course. This incident has made me reflect upon the importance of the quality of the feedback used in online teaching and assessment. I identify this as one of our main challenges in online teaching and assessment right now.

[1]    Giota, Joanna (2006). Självbedöma, bedöma eller döma?: Om elevers motivation, kompetens och prestationer i skolan. Pedagogisk forskning i Sverige, 11(2), 94–115.