Many people will have seen or experienced assessments that are little more than a formality undertaken at the end of a period of study. This isn't necessarily a helpful experience for the students who fill their short term memories full of the relevant facts and figures, only to forget them the following week. Certainly this kind of assessment is often more about established procedures and administration than it is about the student learning experience. Of course, assessment (both summative and formative) can be a hugely valuable experience if viewed as part of the learning process, instead of its culmination. Just as student assessment is often tacked onto the end of a period of study, so is the evaluation of their experiences. How often are course evaluation forms given out at the end of a unit? Surely, if we want to send out the message that we value student feedback, we need to seek it regularly and act on it accordingly?
Interestingly, the people at FAST (Free Assessment Summary Tool) have taken just this approach, rather turning the tables on traditional methods. Their vision is to “… use innovative methods and low-cost technologies to allow students and faculty to enter a dynamic and constructive dialogue about teaching”. Essentially FAST encourages the regular use of online surveys as a way of providing regular, constructive feedback to the tutor. I like this idea - approached in this way the surveys are rather like formative assessment for staff!
Whilst the software looks both comprehensive and simple to use, there is one particular issue that may effect it's uptake across Higher Education, and that is the way that it is being made available. Although FAST will host your surveys for free, this is only guaranteed until 2006. Furthermore, for those wanting to host the software locally, there will be annual costs to bear. If they had only gone down the GPL or Creative Commons licensing route, I would have been able to recommend them whole heartedly.
