TITLE:
The Similarity Index: A New and Simple Algorithm to Measure Coherence in Polls —A Case Study Where the Students Evaluate Assessments in a General Chemistry Course
AUTHORS:
Patricio Flores-Morales
KEYWORDS:
Student Evaluation, Evaluation Methods, Formative Assessment, Similarity Index, First-Year Undergraduate, Chemical Education Research
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.13 No.1,
January
25,
2022
ABSTRACT: Assessments have been a crucial part of the process of learning and teaching. Most of the time, this process has been measured with summative assessments but what about formative ones? Historically, the teacher chooses the appropriate assessment for his/her class. However, what do the students have to say about that? In this case study, we present the results of a Likert-type poll for five assessments applied in a General Chemistry course. Students gave their answers according to three measurable intended aspects: the cognitive, the emotional and the social. To measure the coherence of those three aspects a similarity index was created. This instrument, together with the Likert-type poll, allowed us to advise which assessment should be accepted or rejected according to the student’s point of view. From a variety of assessments, the student selected the following increasing raking of assessments: Short Multiple-Choice Questions, General Questions/Answers Out Loud and Prediction-Observation-Explanation.