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Blended by Design: Designing and Developing a Blended Course. Jennifer Strickland, PhD , jennifer.strickland@mcmail.maricopa.edu. Day 3: Assessment, Student Readiness, Academic Integrity, & Quality Assurance in Blended Learning. Objectives . Review options for online assessment techniques
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Blended by Design: Designing and Developing a Blended Course Jennifer Strickland, PhD, jennifer.strickland@mcmail.maricopa.edu
Day 3:Assessment, Student Readiness, Academic Integrity, & Quality Assurance in Blended Learning
Objectives • Review options for online assessment techniques • List strategies to assess student readiness for blended learning environments • Describe some ways to prepare for student crisis points • Consider academic integrity and online assessment • Assess quality assurance guidelines used to organize content in an online environment
Student Assessment In the good old days…
Student Assessment In the networked/information age
What’s Changed? CHANGED NOT CHANGED Definitions Institution’s responsibility to inform, educate, and enforce Honor code policiesand procedures Student assessment quality, validity, reliability • Limitless cheating mechanisms • Lines have blurred • Ease of cheating • Ease of monitoring cheating • Ease of preventing cheating
What does it look like today? • Having someone edit students' papers (grammar, style, spelling) • Note-taking services • Sharing password to course management systems • Submitting a paper from a term paper service • Working on a graded assignment together • Revising a paper that was found on the internet • Using a cell phone (IM) to transmit exam information • Looking at another student's work while taking an exam • Sharing computers • Public computers • Other?
Cheating and Plagiarism Websites • http://www.cheathouse.com/ • http://www.schoolsucks.com/ • http://www.researchpaper.com/ • http://www.allpapers.com/intro.htm
Pedagogical Solutions • Assign work and tests that are due frequently throughout the semester • Assign work that builds sequentially on prior submitted work, such as revisions of drafts • Administer unannounced quizzes or participation • Take-home tests/quizzes
Pedagogical Solutions • Require assignment and test responses to relate the subject matter to students' lived experiences or test questions on current events • Meet with students individually online and test/quiz them on course content • Require students to participate in discussion groups • Keep a log and review writing styles of students
Pedagogical Solutions • Debrief/interview a student concerning their test/quiz asking specific questions about their answers • Use alternative modes of student assessment such as portfolios, rubrics, self-assessment, peer assessment, and contracts • Use multiple methods of measuring performance • Use application-type exams (PBL, case based learning)
Integrity TipsAdapted from What Can We Do About Student Cheating? Sally Cole and Elizabeth Kiss. About Campus, May-June 2000 • Define academic integrity as a class • Encourage students to come to you if they are confused about citation practices • Be a good role model; cite sources in your lectures • Talk about academic honesty with your students, and make sure they understand both the reasons and the tools for avoiding plagiarism • Contracts for integrity
Principles of Academic Integrity: Changing the CultureAdapted from Donald L. Mc Cabe and Gary Pavela • Affirm the importance of academic integrity—workplace standards. • Encourage student responsibility for academic integrity. • Clarify expectations for students. • Develop diverse forms of assessment. • Reduce opportunities to engage in academic dishonesty. • Challenge academic dishonesty when it occurs and make it public. • Help define and support campus-wide academic integrity standards.
Alternative Means of Evaluating Student Performance • Center for Academic Integrity • Assessment and Evaluation for Online Courses • Authentic Assessment Resource Site • Alternative Assessment and Technology (ERIC Digest) • Classroom Assessment Techniques • Virtual Academic Integrity Laboratory
Benefits of Assessing Online • Regular feedback • Various types of assessments • Low stakes • Self assessment • Automatic grading & instant feedback • Anytime, any place • Instant access to resources • Can randomly pull certain categories of questions so no two tests are alike • Can build and track portfolio and project based assessments
Limits to Online Assessment • Cheating • Quirkiness of technology • Access to online resources & paper mills
Suggestions for Better Assessment • Build multiple “check point” assessments • Allow open note/book timed tests • Have in-class quizzes and tests as well • Project-based assessments • Portfolio assessments • Assign group work in a wiki area that tracks student participation
Activity • Identify one academic integrity challenge you have or may experience in the future (in a blended environment) • Identify a potential solution • Share
CATs: What are they? A method used to inform you on …. • students learning • effectiveness of course content • effectiveness of teaching methods
CAT Benefits • Learner-centered • Teacher-prompted • Mutually beneficial • Formative • Fast to administer • Fast to interpret • Non-threatening • Ongoing • Foster trust between student and instructor
Choose a learning goal to assess • Choose an assessment technique • Apply the technique • Analyze the data and share the results with students • Respond to the data, i.e., make modifications as necessary Basic CAT Steps
5 Suggestions for CATs • Customize to your specific needs and learning environment (f2f/online) • Should be consistent with your instructional philosophy • Test out a CAT and assess their effectiveness • Allow extra time to carry out and respond to the assessment • Let students know what you learn from their feedback and how you and they can use that information to improve learning
CAT Examples • Minute paper • Chain notes • Memory matrix • Directed paraphrasing • One-sentence summary • Exam evaluations • Application cards • Student-generated test questions • Can be easily modified or converted to an online environment
Other ideas • Most CATs can be created using a survey tool, or just email your students questions • Polls (polldaddy.com, survey monkey, survey tool in Bb or WebCT) • Drill & practice activities with participation points (softchalk, quizzes) • Peer review & feedback
Exercise • Review the CATs and pick one • Identify the goal for your CAT • Develop or adapt an existing CAT for your blended course • Explain why this CAT is helpful/necessary in this particular area of the course • Explain why/where you would use this CAT in a f2f or online environment & is there a pro or a con to moving it online • How and when will students receive feedback on the CAT
Assessment Resources • http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/assess-2.htm • http://www.ntlf.com/html/lib/bib/assess.htm • http://www.ntlf.com/html/sf/vc75.htm
Readiness Assessment Strategies Formal Informal Website Welcome materials FAQs Examples Pros/Cons Testimonials • eLearning website • Screening surveys • Pre and post enrollment with feedback • Debunking incorrect impressions • Advisor meeting
Assess… • Skills (reading) • Learning styles • Work and study habits • Technical requirements (hardware, software, connectivity) • Need and immediacy for course • Feedback preferences • Ability to self-help (when things are difficult) • Attitude toward the nature of learning online
Readiness Means… • Determining who is ready • Ready now = start course • Not ready now = • Tutorials • Support • Advisor meeting • UCF Learning Online
Are you ready for MY course? • Take a moment to review some of the course readiness surveys • Identify 2 areas where your students might struggle • Come up with a strategy that you would offer to support students with these • How would you customize these readiness surveys for your course to further communicate to students specific success requirements
What are they? • Moments during your course when students are most likely to need support and assistance • Example: The first time a student logs in to your course web site and cannot successfully locate the address and insert the username and password? • Identify crisis points in advance, so you can make sure that you have a plan in place to mitigate student problems and avoid frustration
How do you identify them? • Review the sequence of learning activities and course modules you have planned • What student skills will be required to be successful • Technological skills • Using course management system (tests, finding materials, email, groups, web 2.0 tools, etc.) • Learning skills • Time management • Ability to retain and use your course content
Preempting Crisis Points • Identify 4 potential student crisis points • 2 technological • 2 pedagogical • How will you address, support and troubleshoot your students' technological and pedagogical needs during your course
Quality Assurance Guidelines and the Blended Learning Environment
Quality Matters • Quality Matters Overview and Principles • The Quality Matters Rubric • Quality Matters as a Component of Quality Assurance • Feedback and Input • http://www.qualitymatters.org
Course Meets Quality Expectations Course Revision Faculty Course Developers Quality Matters Course Peer Review Process Institutions National Standards & Research Literature Course Rubric Faculty Reviewers Training Peer Course Review Feedback Instructional Designers
QM Certified Peer Reviewers • QM-Certified Peer Reviewers • How to interpret the standards (with examples and annotations) • How to evaluate a course (hands-on with sample course) • Reviews are conducted by teams of three peer reviewers • Chair • Peer reviewer (external) • Peer reviewer (SME)
What is it anyway? • Quality Matters (QM) is a faculty-centered, peer review process designed to certify the quality of online and hybrid courses and online components • A faculty-driven, collaborative peer review process • Committed to continuous quality improvement • Based in national standards of best practice, the research literature and instructional design principles • Designed to promote student learning and success
700+ faculty trained to review online courses using the rubric • individuals from 158 different institutions in 28 states • More than 2,500 faculty and instructional design staff participated in Quality Matters workshops Quality Assurance
The Rubric is the Core of Quality Matters • 40 specific elements across 8 broad areas (general standards) of course quality • Detailed annotations and examples of good practice for all 40 standards • http://www.qualitymatters.org/FIPSE.htm
Course Alignment • 5 of the 8 general standards should align: • Course Overview and Introduction • Learning Objectives • Assessment and Measurement • Resources and Materials • Learner Interaction • Course Technology • Learner Support • ADA Compliance Key components must align