Using Nearpod as a Data Point with a Blended Model of Instruction

I love Nearpod as a digital tool and the student-paced functionality is great in a blended classroom. Activities embedded within a lesson increase the level of engagement and allow teachers to check student understanding. Last spring, during a blended learning pre-pilot, I created student-paced lessons in Nearpod and linked them in our Google Classroom. I included open-ended responses, quizzes, and "draw its" to formatively assess students. When trying to analyze the data in the reports I ran into a challenge.

Draw its and open ended responses receive a 100% if a student submits. I then have to open and analyze the quality of the response as to be expected. Quizzes give you a percentage correct which gives teachers a quick assessment of student understanding but not with the same depth. I then had to synthesize all responses to come up with a determination as to whether the student mastered the content or did not. I found this task to be more difficult and time consuming than I expected.

I am not a great advocate for multiple choice questions as a determination of content mastery but it is an efficient means. I love that Nearpod gives teachers a variety of tools to formatively assess students but I have a suggestion that may make it easier to synthesize all data points. Edpuzzle uses this method and I really like it.

Nearpod grade report

For activities that require teacher evaluation such as an open-ended response, it would be helpful if I could go in and add an assessment score for each item. Then the program could calculate a total score for the entire lesson based on subjective, teacher-scored assessments and objective quizzes. I could then more efficiently analyze the total score to determine if students needed a small group workshop on the concept.

Until Nearpod comes up with that update I would probably proceed in this manner:

Edpuzzle grade report

Create a Nearpod that includes a variety of activities to engage students in the lesson. At the end of the lesson, use 1 tool to determine mastery of the lesson content. This can be a teacher-graded assessment such as an open-ended question or a draw it or a multiple choice quiz. I would still love the ability to change the 100% to an actual grade but I can work around it. I would use the final slide to determine the mastery level rather than try to synthesize all of the student activities together.