Assessment is an important part of learning because it helps us know where the student is in relation to where we hope they'll be as a result of taking our course (in other words - did they achieve the objectives of the course?). If we do not take time to check students learning frequently throughout the course, they may end up at the wrong destination and thus not meeting the objectives we set out for them via this course (as showcased in the image below).

Formative assessment is a lot like practice in a sport. Formative assessment can be used for you (as the coach) to understand where the student is while simultaneously showing the student (the player) where and how they can improve before the big game (summative assessment).

The video (above) showcases the power of a practice quiz for helping students stay on track. Below is a table with some examples of formative assessment:

Example of Formative Assessment	How to Apply It	Considerations
Reflective Questioning	Ask reflective questions during or at the end of a lecture and ask students to pause the video and think about it, before you provide the answer.	Students may not necessarily believe you want them to pause the video or reflect on your own time, therefore, you might offer explanation as to why this is important, before posing a reflective question. If using pre-recorded lectures that utilize iClicker questions, ask students to pause the video and answer them on their own.
Discussion Board: Muddiest Point	Ask students to share one point they are confused about in the discussion board. Encourage them to either answer each other's questions or vote on the ones they would like you to answer.	You don't have to answer all the questions, instead focus on the questions that are asked most frequently.
Practice Quiz in Canvas	Ask a series of questions at the end of a module.	Ask questions similar to what may be asked in a future exam. Allowing students unlimited attempts promote practice and improvement. NOTE: A "Practice Quiz" in Canvas does not show up in the Gradebook.

Note: If formative assessment is meant to be practice, then it needs to closely relate to the summative assessment. This is why giving students multiple choice quizzes for formative assessment and then expecting them to perform a root canal as a summative assessment obviously doesn't work. While some knowledge pieces from those quizzes may be relevant to the practice of a root canal, they cannot be solely relied on for preparation.