Introduction

Formative and summative assessment, play essential roles in students’ education. Traditionally, however, there has been a divide between these assessment types as they serve different purposes. This divide has been questioned and the use of summative assessment in a formative way has been suggested as a means of bridging this gulf.

Methodology and research questions

This exploratory and descriptive case study investigated:

• Whether quizzes administered via the use of clickers (clicker quizzes) can effectively be used for both formative and summative assessment.
• How the use of clickers facilitates the use of summative assessment for formative assessment purposes?
• What are the effects of the use of clicker quizzes as a “hybrid” formative-summative assessment strategy on student (i) engagement and (ii)achievement.

Eight (n= 12) undergraduate students enrolled in a second-year, mathematics, content course provided the data for this study. The data collection tools included 5 clicker quizzes and questionnaires.

Results

All research participants found that the clicker quizzes effectively served summative and formative assessment purposes.

Students also identified several ways in which the clickers facilitated the use of summative assessment for formative assessment purposes.

This research also found that that the use of the clicker quizzes had a positive impact on student their engagement and achievement.

Faculty in higher education are continuously looking for creative ways to enhance student learning, but at the same time manage the heavy work load that comes with the job.Based on the results of this study, the use of clicker quizzes could serve as a beneficial tool to accomplish this purpose.