Can AI . . . help my students with formative assessment?

Can AI . . . help my students with formative assessment?


Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be a game changer when it comes to making formative assessment both more available and engaging for students.

Leveraging AI via Prompting

One way to leverage AI for formative assessment is via prompting! 

Students can upload files to the AI model of their choice and then ask it to generate True/False, multiple choice, or short answer questions.  Learners can also draft a comprehensive prompt that provides a model with context: "I am a freshman in an introductory American History course for non-majors that covers the early 1900s through the 1980s.  I struggle with the sequence of events associated with the start of World War I.  Can you generate 5 fill-in-the-blank questions for me on the First World War so that I can practice?  Do not share the correct answers with me until I am done answering all the questions. Please provide the correct answers after I have provided my responses.  Don't share any hints!  Thanks!" (This prompt was used in Google Gemini with success!  Keep in mind, that some AI models are connected to the Internet, while others are not, and this difference may affect the nature of questions students can ask AI models to respond to.)

Leveraging AI via NotebookLM

Perhaps a more robust approach for using AI would be to use the dedicated NotebookLM tool - a stand-alone AI portal that allows users to upload and/or select their own vetted content. 

Students can engage the AI chatbot with up to 20 files of 500,000 words each.  The most exciting part is that NotebookLM's new "Notebook guide" feature generates multiple formative assessment supports including: an FAQ page, a Study Guide, a Table of Contents, a Timeline, and a Briefing Doc.  The Study Guide stands out for including a short answer quiz and an answer key, essay questions, and a glossary of key terms (see image below).

Perhaps one of NotebookLM's most unique features is its ability to create a two-person podcast that serves as an audio summary of uploaded content!  Users can choose which uploaded files serve as the source for the summary.

Notebook guide short answer questions.

Want to Learn More?

For additional information on how to use NotebookLM, visit "NotebookLM: An Instant Expert" or reference the attached file.