Enhancing Distance Learning Assessment with Innovative Strategies

1. Assessment for Distance Learning Prof Gilly Salmon Beyond Distance Research Alliance

2. Plan 1. What’s the issues? 2. Principles 3. Beyond Distance Research 4. Technology for student engagement Assessment for learning Assessment for accountability Assessment to monitor national standards Prof Gilly Salmon Beyond Distance Research Alliance

3. What’s different about DL?: security, plagarism, identity,cost-benefits • The student you taught is the one you’re assessing? • It’s tutors’ main method of communication & feedback “Online assessment is moving beyond the traditional multiple-choice question that is currently the predominant form of computer-based assessment and will provide much richer, authentic and meaningful assessment tasks for students studying remotely“ Professor Geoffrey Crisp

4. Curriculum and assessment for DL- cost issues Flexibility- every aspect of flexibility adds £££s Hand crafting Failure to review and pilot before presentation to students Failure to recruit and train part time tutors Design once- deliver many times Ensure all materials are easily changed, updated & versionable Use stable institution-wide technology Train tutors to work efficiently online

5. REAP design principleshttp://www.reap.ac.uk/ "empower“ Engage students actively in identifying or formulating criteria Facilitate opportunities for self-assessment and reflection Deliver feedback that helps students self-correct Provide opportunities for feedback dialogue (peer and tutor-student) Encourage positive motivational beliefs and self-esteem Provide opportunities to apply what is learned in new tasks Yield information that teachers can use to help shape teaching "engage" Capture sufficient study time and effort in and out of class Distribute students’ effort evenly across topics and weeks. Engage students in deep not just shallow learning activity Communicate clear and high expectations to students.

6. ADDER: Building feedback design into CARPE DIEMs www.le.ac.uk/beyonddistance/adder/ www.e-tivities.com Research showed: • Claims that ‘if an e-tivity is not assessed, students won’t do it’ are not accurate. • The use of e-tivities for learning and formative assessment crossed all teams/disciplines • Learners engaged with timely feedback, offered by tutors and peers, on their responses to the e-tivities. • Some course teams developed highly collaborative e-tivities, with feedback loops, spanning over days or weeks,. Using e-tivities with bulletin boards, wikis, blogs,Google docs Design formative or summative assessment into the e-tivities

7. Impala: Benefits of Podcasted feedback • Increasing accessibility: ‘24/7’ availability, Easy to use and obtain feedback, Access feedback from home • Reducing the turn-around time • Effective feedback through voice • Voice commentaries are popular with students • Speaking quicker than writing • Deliver sensitive, clear feedback, immediacy, more acceptable negative comments • Significance of how words are delivered through the tone of voice • Greater depth and detail in podcasted feedback • More specific, constructive, accurate account of the quality of work and why marks were awarded • More personalized, like a ‘one-to-one’ personal tutorial

8. Impala: www.impala.ac.ukFeedback with podcasts • 2 modules in Department of Geography and Development Studies at the University of Chester : Podcasted feedback for assignments • 2 types of podcast for each assignment • Feedback & mark for each student based on the quality of their work (2-8 minutes) • Feedback on the group’s performance as a whole and reflecting on general strengths & weaknesses (2-7 minutes) • Podcasts were posted in the feedback section of each student’s electronic Progress File (Personal Development Planner), embedded into the university’s VLE. • Students received an automatic email as soon as a new podcast became available • Listen to an example of feedback podcast: http://www.atimod.com/podcasting/podcasts.shtml

9. Wolfhttp://wolf.lec.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=139 • Collaborative work and feedback mediated through PDAs • Capture ‘live’ events for later reflection • Provide illustrative examples assignment submission and tutor feedback

10. CALFWWW.LE.AC.UK/CALF

12. Auditory and verbal learners prefer words, spoken or written explanations.

13. Creative Story Telling in Twitter • Marks: • Posts/involvement • Creative story extensions • Reflection paper on process • # of people tracked

14. Reflective and observational learners prefer to reflect, observe, view, and watch learning; they make careful judgments and view things from different perspectives

15. Reflect Personal & Team Blogs Marked 1. Relevancy to class 2. Insight/Interestingness 3. Completeness 4. Depth 5. Diversity of Ideas 6. Reflective

16. Reflect : Workplace and Field Reflections (asynchronous discussions) • Marks: • Coherence • Completeness/Weekly Participation • Course connection/Integration • Creative insights • Interaction with peers

17. YouTube Video Discussions • Marks: • Insight • Connections to content • Helpfulness and interactivity • Digging

18. Visual learners prefer diagrams, flowcharts, timelines, pictures, films, and demonstrations. Concept Mapping Tools(VUE, Bubbl.us, Cmap, Freemind, Gliffy, Mindmeister, or Mindomo) Marks: Connections, causal relationships, depth, breadth, descriptions, logic, creativity, etc.

19. Visual: Vlogging (Video Blogging) Marks: 1. Insightfulness, creativity, and originality 2. Design and organization 3. Coherence and logical sequence 4. Completeness 5. Relevance of content

20. Student YouTube Videos Sample: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FivFpj6tqjw Marks: 1. Insightfulness, creativity, and originality 2. Design and visual effects 3. Coherence and logical sequence 4. Completeness 5. Relevance of content

21. Flash, 3-D Visualization and Laboratory Software • Marks: • Reflection • Ability to solve problems or cases

22. Tactile/kinesthetic senses: role play, dramatization, cooperative games, simulations, creative movement and dance, multi-sensory activities, and hands-on projects

23. Simulations (Medical Traumas from TD Magazine, August 2006) • Marks: • Completed task • Solutions offered • Time required • (reflection papers possible)

24. Indexing Sounds in Cities with Google Maps (SUNY Potsdam) • Marks: • Recorded required # of sounds • Reflection paper on task • Creative or original (bonus pts: most sounds indexed or finding a sound no one else did)

25. Student-Generated Podcasts(also see www.startinguni.net) • Marks: • Insightfulness, creativity and originality • Design and audio or visual effects • Coherence and logical sequence • Completeness • Relevance of content #

26. Cool Resource Provider This is a mastery assignment —you get full credit if done well

27. Saami tent

28. Kalasha village on SL

29. Collaborative: (Indiana University and Open U of Malaysia) Marks: 1. Sound and Original Solution 2. Quantity of Posts 3. Interactive 4. Feedback to Other Groups 5. Timeliness

30. Research into DL:Make way for Ducklings Delivering University Curricula: Knowledge, Learning and INnovation Gains (DUCKLING) project develops advanced delivery, presentation and assessment processes to enhance the work-based learning experience for students studying remotely. The DUCKLING project will demonstrate the practical marriage of sound approaches in delivery together with new technologies and work–based pedagogies for learning support, communication and assessment of professional adult learners from commencement to completion of the programme of study. New technologies: E-books for mobility and interaction with selected writings Weekly short pedagogical podcasts Second Life (SL) Media Zoo for visits to other SL locations and for in-world learning collaboration.

31. Thanks for listening 8th January 2009 Please book now- free to Leicester staff