Lesson 1: Assessment & Evaluation

Overview

In Unit 3, the focus turns to assessment and evaluation in online learning communities. In this lesson, you will explore your understanding of assessment and evaluation, read what the experts have to say, and engage with your team in creating an activity with assessment for your own online course.

 

Standards and Objectives

The SREB Standards for Quality Online Teaching inform our selection of learning objectives. In this lesson, we are addressing the following standards:

• The teacher has experienced online learning from the perspective of a student.
• The teacher has the prerequisite technology skills to teach online.
• The teacher plans, designs and incorporates strategies to encourage active learning, interaction, participation and collaboration in the online environment.
• The teacher develops and delivers assessments, projects and assignments that meet standards-based learning goals and assesses learning progress by measuring student achievement of learning goals.
• The teacher demonstrates frequent and effective strategies that enable both teacher and students to complete self- and pre-assessments.

To help you meet those standards, we must define a set of specific learning objectives. So, for this lesson, you will:

• explain assessment and evaluation in your own words using your own knowledge and experience,
• explore what experts have to say about assessment and evaluation for online learning communities, and
• apply your understanding of online learning community, interaction, and assessment by collaboratively creating and presenting an activity with assessment for your online course.

 

Assignments

1. Discussion assignment 1: Post a response. Approximately 15-30 minutes
   • In WebCT Discussions, Topic: Assessment and Evaluation, post your answers to the following using only the information or understanding you already possess:
     • As a teacher, you are involved in creating and implementing activities and assessments. How might you take what you are already doing in the classroom and apply it to your online course?
     • Also, how do you think assessment impacts the formation of an online learning community?
2. Discussion assignment 2: Reply to other learners. Approximately 15-30 minutes
   • In WebCT Discussions, Topic: Assessment and Evaluation , review the answers of at least two others and reply to them. Based on your experience and knowledge, your response should:
     • request clarification of all or part of the learner's answer and/or
     • add additional information to all or part of the learner's answer
     • use new vocabulary that you have learned thus far
   • How assignment is graded (5 points)
     • Again, there are no wrong or right answers here.
     • Reply to at least two learners using above criteria to obtain full credit.
3. Maintaining discussion threads. Approximately 20 minutes
   • In WebCT Discussions, Topic: Learners' Choice Discussion, continue your discussions
     • Reply to other discussions
     • Facilitate your discussion by asking intriguing questions, debating, or role playing
4. Reading assignment. Approximately 1 hour
   • Palloff, R. & Pratt, K. (2006). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Chapter 4: Assessment and Evaluation of Collaborative Work
   • Choose one relevant article from either:
     • Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment http:// escholarship.bc.edu/jtla/

       or

     • Edutopia Assessment http://edutopia.org/php/keyword.php?id=005
5. Collaborative activity. Approximately 2 hours
   • Group 1 - Sandy, Jo, Dabareh: Topic: Group 1 Language Arts
   • Group 2 – Jacque, Phyllis,Vicki: Topic: Group 2 History
   • Group 3 – Armando,Vern, Hal: Topic: Group 3 Math
   • Group 4 – Ed, Nacona, Bruce: Topic: Group 4 Science
   • If you are not in a group and would like to join one, just pick one, introduce yourself, and join one.
   • Work with your group to develop and present one collaborative activity for your own online course. This activity should:
     • be relevant to your group's content area
     • be standards-based
     • include asynchronous* and synchronous**elements
     • include description, standards, and learning objectives
     • include how you will assess the activity
   • Present your work using PowerPoint. Your presentation should:
     • include a minimum of 3 slides
     • describe each of the above requirements
     • be sent to juparra@nmsu.edu by November 17 for inclusion in the Centra event on November 19 from 5-7pm
   • Review the following documents for help in successful collaboration. The last two documents in this list will be used as the basis for informally assessing your collaboration during this project. We recommend that you and your group self-assess using the group presentation rubric and collaboration questionnaire and discuss to improve your collaboration experience.
     • Collaborative Group Work Guide (.doc)
     • Skype Tutorial (.doc)
     • Group Presentation Rubric (.pdf)
     • Collaboration Questionnaire (.pdf)

 

 

*Asynchronous activities do not take place at the same time. Email, Discussions, and blogs are examples of asynchronous activities.

**Synchronous activities take place at the same time. Telephone, instant messaging, Centra, and WebCT Chat are examples of synchronous activities.

 

 

Next step

Continue to Lesson 2 Assessment and Evaluation

 

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