Contradictory Explorative Assessment. Multimodal Teacher/Student Interaction in Scandinavian Digital Learning Environments

Abstract

Assessment in the much-discussed digital divide in Scandinavian technologically advanced schools, is the study object of this article. Interaction is studied to understand assessment; and to see how assessment can be didactically designed to recognise students´ learning. With a multimodal, design theoretical perspective on learning teachers’ and students’ modes are documented and analysed. Illustrated in the article, is how the subject design aims at an expert level, while formative assessment aims at a novice level leaving students without adequate guidance. Despite this, summative assessment aims at an expert level and is at times contradictory. A concluding suggestion is that assessment in a digital learning environment can be designed exploratory to encompass students’ new knowledge and to embrace their multimodal signs of learning, or much of what is learned will be ignored.