This week’s content made me think about how technology impacts assessment and the role it plays in assessment today. Technology has created so many new ways for students to demonstrate their learning beyond traditional exams and essays. Students can create videos, websites, digital portfolios, presentations, podcasts, and other forms of media to show what they know. I think this is important because not every student demonstrates their understanding in the same way. For example some students don’t test well due to the amount of pressure or have anxiety around it. Technology can provide more flexibility and allows learners to showcase their strengths through different formats.

The article on feedback loops and feedback spirals also changed the way I think about assessment. Before, I saw feedback as something that happened after an assignment was graded. However the reading argues that feedback is only useful when students can actually engage with it and use it to improve future work. Most of the time students receive comments after a course or assignment is finished. feedback is way more useful when it helps students improve before an assignment is finished rather than just explaining what they did wrong afterward. I also would move on to the next assignment once I received my final grade, without spending much time on the feedback I received.

I really liked the idea of feedback spirals. Rather than seeing feedback as a single event, the article describes learning as an ongoing process where students continuously reflect on feedback, apply it to future work, and improve their learning strategies.

I believe technology has the potential to make assessment more flexible and interactive. However, technology itself can’t do all the work. The quality of assessment still depends on how well instructors design tasks, provide meaningful feedback, and create opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding.