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Assessing the Online Learner. W.P. Carey Online Academic Services. Online vs. Classroom. Time Resources Methods Availability Current mindset for WPC-all online testing will be conducted online, no campus proctored exams. Principles of Effective Online Assessment.
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Assessing the Online Learner W.P. Carey Online Academic Services
Online vs. Classroom • Time • Resources • Methods • Availability • Current mindset for WPC-all online testing will be conducted online, no campus proctored exams
Principles of Effective Online Assessment • Effective assessments must be embedded in and aligned with the design of the course (Angelo & Cross, 1993) • Learner centered • Teacher-directed • Mutually beneficial • Formative • Context-specific • Ongoing • Rooted in good practice
Guiding Principles for Online Course Assessment • Design learner-centered assessment that include self-reflection • Design and use grading rubrics for discussion, assignments, projects and collaboration • Use collaborative assignments (peer-reviewed papers) • Encourage students to develop skills in providing feedback by modeling good feedback
Guiding Principles for Online Course Assessment Continued • Use assessment techniques that fit the context and align with the learning objectives • Design assessments that are clear, easy to understand, and likely to work in an online environment • Ask for and incorporate student input into how assessment should be conducted
Quizzes and Exams • Multiple choice • Easy to grade • Easy to administer • Subject to security issues • Test banks need to be large to avoid issues • Tend to only test the lower cognitive domains • Short answer/Essay • Can test higher cognitive domains • Security issues are less • Grading is more difficult
Discussion Questions • Assess learning at more frequent intervals • Can be linked to Blackboard gradebook • Encourage participation • Peer-review possible
Papers, Projects and Group Work • Using any of these can decrease the reliance on testing • Peer-reviews can make grading easier • Can link outside work into Blackboard or Google Docs
Integrity of Online Assessment • WPC is testing authentication software • If using written exams, prior written work in the classroom can be used for comparison • Best practices in online are to have more assessments with fewer points per assignment
References • Angelo, T. & Cross, K. P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. • Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (2009). Assessing the online learner. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.