Assignments and Practice
Tools listed below focus on resources for learning activities, spaced retrieval practice, and reflection.
Symbols Legend
The ⏱ symbol following the tool name denotes a site where students can use it with a minimal learning curve (although faculty may need to do more set-up for students spaces on the back end).
The 📲 symbol following the tool name denotes a mobile-friendly tool or tool that has a mobile app.
The privacy and accessibility statements for tools and websites on this page are also available. Please consider how student data is stored and used by third-party tools before requiring your students to use one. Please also consider selecting tools that are accessible to everyone, or consider providing multiple means of demonstrating learning or skills with your assessments.
Example of a video with questions interspersed throughout (green icons). You can view this sample EdPuzzle video here.
EdPuzzle ⏱ 📲
EdPuzzle allows you to create interactive video lessons using pre-existing video content from sites like YouTube or using videos that you create and upload. You can insert questions or comments at set points in the video to help students to work through the video's content or to assess their understanding of the concepts covered in the video. This can be a useful tool for feedback on what the students know as well as a way to ensure they view and engage with content.
Image of Kahoot demo; the student's phone is on the left and the quiz question displayed on the course screen can be seen on the right.
Kahoot ⏱ 📲
Kahoot is a game-based learning platform with thousands of collections containing pre-made learning content. It can be used for synchronous events or asynchronous events where students log in and play a quiz game based on the content you created or selected. Students get instant feedback on the right answer. It can be a fun way to practice spaced retrieval of information within a unit or across the course of the semester.
Sample form.
Google Forms ⏱ 📲
Google forms can be used to check student comprehension of material and concepts, or for pre- and post-assessments in a course. The responses are collected in a spreadsheet and the information can help you determine where students are in the learning process, allowing you to adapt or add to your course even when you are working virtually and do not have a chance to "see" what the students are getting in a F2F setting.
Writing a new blog post is as simple as writing a word document.
Blogger is a tool within the Google suite that allows you to create and publish a blog on the web. This can be a great assignment to encourage students to reflect on and write about topics related to a course, although bear in mind the blogs are live on the internet (and depending on the settings the student selects, individuals outside the class or university can see and comment on the blog as well). This may be something you want to encourage if the blog is for a project that may extend beyond the class itself, or it could be a potential distraction.
Sample journal; photo credit: Blackboard.
Blackboard
Blackboard Blogs and Journals can also be used as tools for reflection. Blogs allow students to create a space to share their thoughts throughout a process or course while keeping that information secure within the Learning Management System (i.e. not published to the internet). Blogs can be shared with the rest of the class, while a journal can be used to allow students to reflect on their own learning or an assignment and journals can be restricted to just the author and the instructor or shared with the class.