Although it's well known phenomenon (thinking you understand something better than you actually do), this crazy experiment in education during the pandemic is really driving the "Illusion of Fluency" issue home for me.
All this remote and hybrid learning has led to less testing.
Sure, students are being exposed to the material and given ample opportunity to practice problem solving, ask questions, etc. They are even doing virtual labs. In fact, much of the material is even more accessible this year because teachers are so focused on presentation and accessibility and scaffolding since they can't rely on the usual classroom dynamic to provide opportunities to respond spontaneously. (Okay, maybe the virtual labs aren't as good as the real thing, but you'd be surprised!). Less testing has led to a greater ability for students to fool themselves into thinking they understand something. With unlimited time and lots of resources and ample opportunity to redo problems until you experience success, you can really feel like you are getting it. However, there's nothing like drawing a mental blank during a quiz or test to let you know you really aren't quite there yet. Also, the motivation to study and the intensity of the reviewing really does need a performance event at the end of the day. So few of us are intrinsically motivated in the same way that an external judging can provide.
I've said it before (here and here), but now I say it with evidence of the contrapositive: testing is important in learning.
