Gauge understanding

  • 5 minutes

One of the most challenging aspects of your remote learning environment is assessment. How do you assess your students’ understanding of a unit when you can't watch them while they take the test?

Formative assessments can proceed as usual. Entrance and exit tickets using Forms are still great ways to see how students are doing with the content they're learning. Other formative assessments within Teams include:

  • Threaded discussions in the Posts tab of Teams,
  • Journal entries in OneNote or in Word documenting learning and questions,
  • Forms quick polls in Posts,
  • Discussion questions during a Teams call

Summative assessments most certainly have to change during remote learning. In place of objective tests, students can demonstrate their understanding by:

  • Recording themselves teaching a concept, solving an equation, or explaining a process. Students can use their cameras, PowerPoint Recorder, or the Screen Recording feature in PowerPoint to complete the assignment.
  • Responding to short answer questions or a writing prompt in a Word document or OneNote page assigned through Teams.
  • Journaling or documenting their daily work and note-taking

For more information on how to you can use Forms in your classroom for both formative and summative assessments, check out the Create authentic assessments with Microsoft Forms module.

Create virtual office hours for additional support

When school is in session, we all know that students frequently stop by after school to seek help on an assignment or on a topic that they have yet to grasp. During your remote learning time, you can create virtual office hours in the afternoon so students can "stop by" and ask questions. With the Calendar feature in Teams, you can schedule your virtual office hours to repeat every afternoon.

Private chats

If you have a student who needs one-on-one support, you can also start a private chat at any time with that student. Check out a printable guide on how to schedule a private chat in Teams that you can share with your faculty.