Student Evaluation

Formative Evaluation

Formative evaluation is the most common evaluation associated with virtual simulations. The purpose of formative evaluation is to help educators and learners gauge whether or not learners are learning. It helps learners and educators to adjust teaching and learning strategies in a timely way to better meet learners’ needs. If the virtual simulation generates a score, learners are encouraged to play the simulation often to improve their score without worrying about the impact of their score on their final grade. The score is simply used as a measuring stick for learners to gauge their own understanding of the simulation content.  Formative evaluations are typically done informally and may not be graded or, if graded, the mark does not contribute to a final grade. Formative evaluation helps educators determine if they need to revisit a concept or explain it differently (Figure 6.2).

Examples of formative evaluation activities applied to virtual simulation include:

• Learners play a virtual simulation and receive a total score but the score does not contribute to their final grade.
• Learners are asked to describe a key concept learned from the virtual simulation in their own words.
• Learners are asked to take one minute and answer: “What is helping your learning with the virtual simulation process?” “What is making learning difficult? “

Click here to download an accessible PDF version of Figure 6.2.

Figure 6.2: Formative evaluation

Summative Evaluation

The purpose of summative evaluation is to evaluate learning by comparing it to specific learning outcomes. It is considered ‘high stakes’ evaluation because it is a formal process where the learner is graded and where the result counts towards the learner’s overall grade (Figure 6.3). It is used less often in relation to virtual simulation because it runs contrary to the principle of using virtual simulation to encourage learners to learn through exploration. That said, summative evaluation can play a role in virtual simulation.

Examples of summative evaluation activities applied to virtual simulation include:

• Learners play a virtual simulation on mental health and their total score at the end of the simulation counts for 5% of their total grade.
• Learners play a pediatric virtual simulation with a focus on decision-making in a complex clinical case as part of an OSCE (objective structured clinical exam).

Click here to download an accessible PDF version of Figure 6.3.

Figure 6.3: Summative evaluation

Some important caveats when using virtual simulation for summative evaluation:

• It is essential learners are advised in advance if their virtual simulation scores/activities will count towards their grade in a course.
• The virtual simulations used have gone through testing for reliability and validity.
• If using a virtual simulation for summative evaluation the simulation is not shared with learners in advance of testing, and they just play it once.
• If using virtual simulations for summative purposes it is essential that learners have ample opportunities to practice with the virtual simulation process and technology before being tested.