1. Using Assessment Within Virtual Learning Environments Colin milligan

2. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment S C O P E What is a Virtual Learning Environment? The role of VLE’s in higher education, Assessment and VLE’s, Successful strategies.

3. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment What Is a VLE? A collection of tools for delivering learning online, A means of standardising the learning experience, A means of managing the learning experience, A one-stop-shop for the learning experience. Developer Administrator Tutor Student

4. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment A Typical Learning Environment WebCT Pathware Learning Space TopClass Pioneer CVU...

5. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment VLE’s Are Good … Integrate materials and support - providing a complete solution, Allow efficient management of large banks of materials, Provide access to user-friendly tools - which empowers the tutor,

6. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment … or Not So Good? Encourage sites which are little more than ‘page-turning’ (linear), UN-interactive, Encourage over-standardisation of materials - not stimulating, A collection of mediocre tools, none exactly suited to the purpose.

7. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment Re-assess: Roles for Vle’s Supporting & delivering training, Where linear structures can be tolerated, Supporting f-2-f teaching, Typical HE implementation, Replacing f-2-f teaching, For dual mode delivery. … Must Implement Carefully.

8. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment Computer Assisted Assessment Stimulating (interaction), Motivating (feedback), Targeted (reinforcement), Diagnostic (students and topics), Efficient (automated).

9. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment VLE’s and Assessment Opportunities for integration... with student records, with material delivery and progression, with alternative routes through learning materials, extra revision materials etc., with comments from a discussion forum.

10. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment VLE Assessment Tools: Typical Features Multiple question types - t/f, mcq, fill in blanks, calculation, matching, short answer, paragraph (not marked), Feedback (per answer, and general), Tracking by question, by student, Make progression dependent on performance, Restrict access to test (temporal).

11. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment

12. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment src: http://ferl.becta.org.uk/features/mle/startpage.htm Managed Learning Environments - Comparison 3 2 1

13. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment VLE’s Support Assessment? Mediocre tools - lacking advanced features, Short on flexibility, Highly integrated, but integration can be labour-intensive, ‘Quizzes’ often the easy option is to implement assessment via self-tests,

14. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment VLE Assessment Strategies Keep assessment simple, Adopt flexible VLEs - COSE, CVU… and use third Party tools, Make sure your institution is committed (help and stability) Pray for IMS - true interoperability?

15. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment SCHOLAR, Heriot-Watt University pathware db web pages sql server mark db assessment engine testsmarks content student data Currently, marking and student tracking are not integrated Fine-tuning: Scholar

16. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment pathware db web pages sql server mark db assessment engine next stage: link ae & student db’s allows integration at higher level: progression control etc. testsmarks content student data Fine-tuning: Scholar

17. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment Conclusions Tools are imperfect - but they’re there, True, rich Virtual Learning Experiences require significant effort, Avoid under-exploiting opportunities - (it’s easy to create simple tests, linear structures etc.), Make your materials interactive: assessments do that!

18. Dec 2000VLEs and Assessment colin@icbl.hw.ac.uk http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ jtap-573/scaan1200.html http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ jtap-573/scaan1200.ppt