5 Levels of Difficulty Videos: Alternative Assessment Inspiration

Recently I stumbled upon a series of videos called "5 Levels of Difficulty". In each video an expert explains a difficult concept in 5 levels of increasing complexity:

• Level 1: Child
• Level 2: Teen
• Level 3: College Student
• Level 4: Grade Student
• ​Level 5: Expert

I drew on the public "5 Levels" format as a model for the assessment. I was inspired by this video series for a few reasons. First, it reminded me how explaining a difficult concept to a novice and expert audience simultaneously requires deep conceptual knowledge and how listening to such an explanation helps to build simultaneous conceptual and mechanical knowledge of a concept. Second, it motivated me to reimagine how I assess my students.

Keeping the above in mind, for our unit on Cellular Respiration in my freshman Biology course, rather than assign a traditional topic exam, I decide to create a variation of the 5 Levels of of Difficulty videos shown above that will serve as the assessment for this topic. In short, students will  create similar videos explaining Cellular Respiration at 3 rather than 5 levels of difficulty.

• Level 1: 6 year old
• Level 2: 10 year old
• Level 3: 20 year old

I am hopeful that this assignment will force student reflection on the conceptual end of Cellular Respiration during levels 1 and 2, and mechanical knowledge/application of content during level 3. as well as applications of the content during level 3.

​I have embedded a document below that explains the intricacies of the assignment. Students submit their "3 Levels of Difficulty" scripts and videos to a shared class spreadsheet.