Empowering formative assessment using embedded Web Widgets in Wikis Michele Notari Sonja Schär Martin Schellenberg PHBern, University of Teacher PHBern, University of Teacher PHBern, University of Teacher Education Education Education Muesmattstrasse 29 Muesmattstrasse 29 Muesmattstrasse 29 3012 Bern, Switzerland 3012 Bern, Switzerland 3012 Bern, Switzerland [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Samuel Kai Wah Chu University of Hong Kong Faculty of Education Rm 111B, Runme Shaw Building [email protected] ABSTRACT Categories and Subject Descriptors In this article we describe how we developed and how we K.3.1 [Computer Uses in Education]: Collaborative learn- use a tool for teachers enhancing inter-group collaboration ing; H.3.5 [Online Information Services]: Web-based of learners using wikis in project-based learning settings with Services; H.5.3 [Group and Organization Interfaces]: over 100 participants, where different groups of students de- Computer-supported cooperative work, web-based interac- velop similar projects and each project has an own wiki page. tion To achieve our goal we extended typical wiki functionality by using web widgets, mini applications embedded anywhere in the wiki environment using the iframe tag. Keywords Two different evaluation widgets (rating widget and `work- web widget, formative evaluation, collaboration, project- ing progress` widget) are placed on each of the project pages. based learning, long term projects, inter-group collabora- The project groups use the `working progress` widget to de- tion, large scale collaboration clare the amount of work done. The teacher and the rest of the learning community use the `rating` widget to rate the ongoing project work. A so called `meta widget` show- 1. WIKIS IN EDUCATION ing a summary of the results of the `rating` and `working Wikis, the simplest form of content management systems, progress` widget can be displayed on the start page of the were invented by Ward Cunningham in 1995 [8]. It didn't learning community or if a project is divided in different take long until their potential for education was discovered milestones, on the page describing the goals and timeline for [7]. A wiki may be defined as follows: \A wiki is a web server the milestone. Evaluation widgets and meta widget, which with version control on the Internet, where everybody can easily can be embedded by the teacher potentially all over create, change, and link web pages without additional tools the wiki pages, enhances visibility of quality and termina- and without HTML knowledge" [4]. Using this definition, tion degree of a project and enhance so the self, the tutor some of the potentials of wikis can be described as following and the peer review opportunities in such large scale project [11]: based learning settings. The created evaluation widgets and meta widgets have been embedded in the wiki of a three • Create: Creating content activates and motivates learn- months curriculum. The evaluation of utility and usability ers, two important prerequisites for learning of the widgets is ongoing. The educational value of rating and reflecting about the working progress of a given task is • Change: Wikis ease the modification of content (like discussed. all computer-based editors). This allows for more revi- sions of a text which fosters re-reading and re-thinking the text and therefore can enhance the learning effect. • Link: Wikis allow links between different parts of a Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for text (see all hypertext systems). This requires that personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are learners read and understand the parts they want to not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies link and find fitting relationships. This enhances the bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. To copy otherwise, to discussion about the topic. republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. WikiSym ’13 August 05-07 2013, Hong Kong, China • Everybody: Wikis ease collaborative content creation ACM 978-1-4503-1852-5/8/13. and therefore ease working in interest-groups. • Revision control: (so called history pages) The in- • Positive effects may be particularly evident in the less tegrated revision control of wikis not only lowers the able danger and damage of vandalism. The revision control can also be used to look at the creation process by the • Learning in the wider (not subject-specific) sense can teacher and the students. This can foster reflection be enhanced about working and learning strategies. Concerning self assessment, Clarke [3] states that students should make judgements themselves about their progress to- • On the internet: As wikis can be hosted on a server ward targets and that low achievers can benefit from self- on the internet, schools don't have to install hardware monitoring. Further, Dylan and Thompson [6] propose three in their own buildings and the wiki can be accessed central processes to build a framework for formative assess- from everywhere. ment, namely: establishing where learners are in their learn- ing process, establishing where they are going to and estab- • Without additional tools: As wikis only need a web lishing how to get there. browser as a tool, there is no need for more software installation on the learners computers. This lowers the barriers for using wikis as a learning tool. 3. MANAGING FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT THROUGH INTER AND INTRA-GROUP Wikis in education are often used in order to support col- laborative and constructive learning approaches [13]. In wiki COLLABORATION IN LARGE LEARN- based learning processes learners produce specific text and ING COMMUNITIES media artifacts, publish them in predefined pages of the wiki. Using a collaborative web page as a wiki per se opens a lot The described wiki functionalities enables the learners to see of different opportunities to perform formative assessment how their produced artifact evolves and to compare the text within a learning process. The visibility of all the written of all members of the learning community [10]. It turns out work in progress of a learning community, the possibility to to be important to see what peers have written in order to link similar pages and concepts, the version control, which situate the quality and appropriateness of the own texts. In permits to see the evolution of any single page and the built contrast to the wikipedia community, where many persons in discussion and comment functionalities permit in connec- usually focus on one single article, in a formal collaborative tion with the appropriate didactic approach a high quality learning setting it is essential for the learning process, that and efficient interchange of ideas [12]. the single learner keeps an overview of the whole growing In collaborative learning settings, where learners work text. in different groups, intra-group collaboration usually takes The question rises how to help the learner to keep an place within a single wiki page and so formative assessment overview of the working progress and the quality of the on- can easily be managed using the implemented wiki func- going inputs of the whole learning community. The proposed tionality. Inter-group collaboration becomes more difficult tool visualizes the perceived quality and amount performed in a wiki where many learning groups generate inputs on work of each learner (learning group) by keeping the ad- many different pages. Specific didactic settings where on a ditional workload for the single learner as small as possi- given point learners have to read contribution of others and ble. The proposed visualization elements (perceived qual- compare and rate other works enhance inter-group collab- ity of produced artifacts, working progress and summary oration. At the same time such interventions also enhance of quality and working progress) enhance formative assess- formative assessment. Beside of specific interventions pro- ment opportunities throughout the curriculum. We hope to posed by the teacher additional functionalities of the wiki help learners keeping an overview of relevant information for engine can induce formative assessment elements. the individual learning process, inducing them to read and compare their ongoing work with relevant inputs of other 3.1 Web widgets learners. The created tool can also help the teacher to get a Introducing an additional functionality within the wiki better overview the artifact creation process within the used which shows quality and performed work enables the single wiki. learner a quick orientation within the different pages and different group activities. Such a visualisation helps manag- 2. THE IMPORTANCE OF FORMATIVE AS- ing formative assessment especially in project-based learn- SESSMENT FOR LEARNING ing setting where different groups work parallelly on similar topics. For that purpose we developed so called web widgets Blackand William [2] describe formative assessment as: permitting learners to easily find qualitative good projects \The distinguishing characteristic of formative assessment and find out which project groups already performed specific is that the assessment information is used, by the teacher tasks. The idea of web widget was already used by Doorn and pupils, to modify their work in order to make it more and Eliens in [16] to describe a possibility to bring applica- effective." Based on the `Black Box' research of Black and tions in the world wide web. Also other terms are used e.g. Wiliam [1] formative assessment has the following effect: gadgets (e.g by Google), modules or badges. We use the term web widget and our definition of web widgets follows • Pupils learn more effectively the definition of web widgets of the W3C as described in • Some pupils feel more involved in the schooling process Widgets 1.0: The Widget Landscape, Chapter 3.1 [18]. and become less disaffected Typically, a web widget is a mini application that can be embedded in a website.