Try my fake test here please try and get answers wrong so you can see how powerful this tool is. If you show off and get all the answers correct you'll never get to see the full functionality. 

I've always loved using online tools to assess students, recently I've been playing around with google forms and testing how it can be used for assessment.

The advantages

The form can be set up as a quiz, so the responses can be graded as students answer. Meaning that less time can be spent on marking, and more time spent on other teaching tasks or reading a good book. Each question can have a different number of marks allocated to it, meaning you can collect more data then just right or wrong.

Personalised tests and feedback, using 'Go to section based on answer'. I think this is one of the most powerful features in google forms. It means each student can sit a different test based on their learning needs. 

If student A can answer the question correctly, they can skip to the next question. But if student B gets a question wrong, they get diverted on to a different path of questioning, where they can be given guidance and feedback and allowed another chance at a similar question. 

In the past I have given this feedback in the lesson after the test, setting tasks for students to do to show they have improved their work, but now it can be done at the same time as the test. 

In the fake quiz, you'll see that some questions have 4 parts. If a correct answer is selected the student will be directed to move on to the next question, however, if a wrong answer is selected they student will be taken down an alternative route. In this alternative route, each additional question gives students more information and support until they get the correct answer. 

There are common mistakes we know students always make, not converting to standard units; missing the anomalous result; 

Google forms allows you to give feedback based on different answers, meaning you can congratulate students on correct answers or give them gentle guidance toward the correct answer next time. 

Data that is gathered can be exported as an excel file for analysis, or viewed online in google forms. This can be looked at on a class by class basis, for an overview of understanding or on a student by student basis. 

The disadvantages

• This does require your school to have decent access to a set of computers
• If you are unfamiliar with Google forms, it's a real pain to get set up.
• Long form answers still need to be marked manually, so it's not completely self-marking.
• Students can get a bit worried if they realise they've all been sitting different tests.