Using word cloud as a formative assessment classroom technique in physiology

• Published in: Advances in physiology education 2024-12, Vol.48 (4), p.708-711
• Main Authors: J, Keba, Nayak, Vineetha K Ramdas, N, Sajitha, S, Himiki
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cloud Computing; Education, Medical, Undergraduate - methods; Educational Measurement - methods; Humans; Physiology - education; Students, Medical
• ISSN: 1043-4046; 1522-1229; 1522-1229
• DOI: 10.1152/advan.00142.2023

Formative assessment is a valuable tool in medical education as it allows students to reflect on their own learning and make necessary corrections. The use of innovative techniques in formative assessment can make it more engaging and effective for students, particularly utilizing electronic tools. A word cloud is a visual representation of data that is created using text inputs from a group of individuals. The resulting image shows the most frequently used words in a larger font, allowing quick understanding of the common themes and concepts in the group's responses. Mentimeter is an online platform for interactive presentations where students can provide their responses to a question, which can then be visualized as a word cloud. The study aims to explore the benefits and drawbacks of using word cloud formation as a formative assessment technique in the classroom, utilizing the online platform Mentimeter. The current study was conducted to present a novel formative assessment classroom technique using Mentimeter. The benefit of this novel technique is that it is easy to implement, quick, anonymous, and strengthens student's conceptual learning. It also gives the teacher an opportunity to give feedback and stress commonly committed mistakes.