Assessment for DE

Differences Assessment & Evaluation

Assessment A way to measure learning gains Evaluation A judgment

Assessment Examples Assessing learner’s readiness to begin an instructional unit Improving entire programs Determining student outcomes Justifying funds Reporting of trends Facilitating student placement in programs

Assessment Examples in Distance Education Compare “academic performance” of FTF with remote students If we could control for the confounding variables, there would be no significant differences.

Hierarchy Grades>>>>>>>>>>>>>Feedback Feedback<<<<<<<<<<<<<Grades

Evaluation Judgment will occur regarding the information that assessment activities provide.

Method to measure learning gains Assessment <> Evaluation Evaluation

Assign value to a learning package Summative & Formative Evaluation

Summative Evaluation Assign value to a learning package Formative Evaluation Determines value of quality of an unfinished product for purposes of revision and improvement

What is example of an assessment and an evaluation?

Dick & Carey p. 264 Assessment of Instructional Design

Assessment matches objectives But what happens when the assessment matches objective but still not reflect student progress? Useful Assessment

Example: Test was intended to measure mastery of a skill (hand- washing) but instead it measured time management Validity

Criterion-referenced validity or predictive validity has significant implications for workforce training. p. 267 Validity

Stability of instrument or activity If student performs well on one occasion and poor on the next… Reliability

Compare and contrast validity and reliability? Write a one-minute paper and present to class.

For Distance Education Clarity of expectations P. 267

Objective & Subjective Assessment “Besides categorizing assessments based on their purpose like formative and summative, another way is to classify assessment activities by the nature of the product that results from student performance.”

Objective & Subjective Assessment  Machine scorable tests: True/False, multiple- choice, matching (Objective)  Research papers, essays, projects and presentations (Subjective)

Whereas summative and formative assessment are based on purpose Objective and Subjective assessments are based on (?) ________________________________________ the product that results from student performance.

Constructivist Approach If students construct their own knowledge and understanding, how do we assess?

Assessment Strategies Quizzes & tests Asynchronous communication Real-time communication ePortfolios Papers and essays Presentations Problem-based activities Journal writing Concept papers Simulations and gaming

Implementation Strategies Ongoing & nongraded assessment –Spontaneous questions –Pop quizzes –One-minute paper Balancing flexibility & structure Scoring rubrics (subjective assess.) Facilitation student collaboration Technical difficulties

Appropriate Assessment Measures Academic Misconduct Plagiarism & Cheating “It’s no big deal.” (Norm) Browsers lock-downs Honor codes (signed) Set standards at beginning of course

Future Evidence-Centered Design, p 285 Automated essay scoring Accessibility

With planning… Almost any technique for assessment possible in a regular classroom is also possible for distant learners. Emulate the traditional, face-to-face classroom whenever possible.

WED 381A How is the student product assessed? How can we make it better for online?