Assessment in E-learning

Introduction
In terms of good design, a learning sequence is defined first by its
learning objectives (the measureable goals of the learning) and
learning outcomes (the knowledge and skills that learners will
have after they have completed the learning sequence).
Learning assessments should be observable and measureable.
They should be fair.
If multiple professionals are assessing student work, those
professionals need to norm among themselves in order to ensure
that they are assessing students fairly and consistently.
Regulatory agencies and professional associations will help define
the types of assessments that are expected for a particular field as
well.
The Context of Domain Fields
The different types of assessments used in a particular domain
field are heavily dependent on the following:
the history of the field and its evolution
the values and principles of the field
the founding members and main practitioners and innovators
in the field
the way research is conceptualized, conducted, and validated in
the field
the methods of documentation of the learning
the practical knowledge and skills that novices in the field will
need to know as professionals, and other factors.
As a general rule, subject matter experts (SMEs) in a domain field
are the ones who determine how to effectively assess their
learners.
Different Methods of Online Assessment
Convergent Learning Assessments
In a very general sense, learning may be defined as convergent or
divergent.
Broadly speaking, convergent learning means that learners must
put out a particular answer that is already pre-defined.
The learning converges to a common space.
This level of learning is often done at the lower levels of Blooms
Taxonomy of Learning Domainsin terms of remembering and
understanding.
These types of assessments may be multiple-choice exams, for
example, with pre-determined answers.
Some very complex types of learning may be considered
convergent particularly if there may be only one right answer
as in some physics or chemistry or mathematics problems.
Divergent Learning Assessments
Divergent learning refers to more innovative or creative types of
learning where a wide number of responses may well be
acceptably correct.
This refers to the higher levels of Blooms Taxonomy of Learning
Domains: applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating.
In higher levels of learning, learners have a stronger base of
knowledge in the field and are better able to handle complex
ideas.
Examples of assignments and assessments would include case
analyses, research papers, problem-solving and troubleshooting,
presentations, and innovative designs.
 Essay exams are considered more divergent sorts of qualitative
assessments because learners often may respond to a writing
prompt in a variety of different ways and still be considered
accurate. Writing is often assessed based on criteria defined in a
rubric.
Group assessments are also considered a type of divergent
learning assessment. These require communications,
collaboration, planning, and coordination which are also generally
assessed along with the quality of the intermediate and final
products that the groups evolve. Instructors often want to ensure
that all the team members contribute sufficiently to the group
work. They will also be evaluating the closeness of the final
product to the stated project standards which are defined early in
checklists or rubrics or some other forms. Some group projects
may be assessed by professionals in the field (such as professional
architects or artists or engineers who will evaluate the project
based on in-field standards).
 Project-based learning is another form of divergent learning
because projects tend to culminate a range of learning in an
applied way. Often, projects may be expressed in semi-professional
portfolios that students will take with them into the employment
environment. A professional from the field may be brought in to
guest-critique student projects or portfolios. Instructors may
conduct live one-on-one consultations with the student about his
or her work.
Another form of divergent learning involves service learning (field
experiences) with students placed in a real-world context
(domestically or abroad) and learning in the professional context.
In this situation, an on-ground supervisor will be monitoring the
student and supervising him / her. The professor at the home
campus has some input and may make a site visit or two, but in
this case, the student has multiple feedback channels from
professionals in the field.
Common Types of Online Assessments in L/CMSes
(Automated and Manual Methods)
In online learning that uses learning / course management
systems (L/CMSes), there are built-in assessment tools that may
enhance the work of the instructor.
Automated Comprehension-Type Exams
For convergent learning, there are a number of automated tools
that enable the creation of various question types:
True/false
Multiple choice
Matching
Ordering
Sorting
Text Analysis
Short-answer (based on text analysis)
Essays
Short-answers may be graded based on text-analysis, but these are
very sensitive to miscorrection based on how the answers are set up.
Some L/CMSes enable the correcting of full essays based on text
analysis algorithms. Whether these are effective or not should be
tested.
While many of the bulleted question types seem simple, it is helpful
to note that all sorts of multimedia and equations may be integrated
into the questions.
Message Boards
Another type of assessment occurs in Message or Discussion Boards.
These enable learner interactivity with the sharing of text
messages, images, slideshows, links to online resources, videos, and
other elements.
Peer Assessments
Shared learning spaces where peers may post and share their work
enable peer assessments. The rubrics used for the assessments
may be those that are instructor-created, student-created, or
instructor-and-student created. The peer assessments are
generally anonymous, and the focus is to develop both the learners
receiving the constructive critique and the learners creating the
constructive critiques.
Tracking over Time
L/CMSes and virtual immersive worlds both enable the tracking of
learners participation and work over time. Such longitudinal
assessments are often used programmatically to track student
work over time.
Manual Methods
Manual types of assessments are usually the evaluations for
divergent learning
Assessments of student papers and research projects
Assessments of student designs
Assessments of portfolios
Methods for Formulating the Right Mix of
Assessments
The subject matter experts (SMEs) have wide discretion in formulating
the right mix of assessments for learners. Some basic principles follow:
Offer a variety of assessments to accommodate those with various
learning styles
Begin with low-value assessments to help learners acclimate to the
technologies and the learning domain
Spell out all expectations for all assessments
Make sure that there is sufficient time for learners to prepare for
high-value assessments
Do a walk-through of a course to make sure it all makes sense. Keep
channels of communications open with learners, so that mistakes may
be corrected, and changes may be made to enhance the value of the
assessments for both formative and summative purposes.
Assessment frameworks
A commonly used technique in formal online education is to
require students to post comments as a component of the student
assessment
Student assessment of any kind requires that the teacher be
explicit, fair, consistent, and as objective as possible. So some
assessment frameworks are designed
The following examples illustrate how two experienced online
learning teachers assess participation, and thereby enhance their
own teaching presence.
1. Susan Levine (2002) has developed a very clear set of instructions
that describes her expectations for student contributions to
asynchronous online learning courses that she has used in
graduate-level education courses. She posts the following message
to her students.
 The instructor will start each discussion by posting one or more
questions at the beginning of each week (Sunday or Monday).
The discussion will continue until the following Sunday night, at
which time the discussion board will close for that week
Please focus on the questions posted. But do bring in related
thoughts and material, other readings, or questions that occur to
you from the ongoing discussion.
You are expected to post at least two substantive messages for
each discussion question. Your postings should reflect an
understanding of the course material.
Your postings should advance the group's negotiation of ideas and
meanings about the material; that is, your contributions should go
beyond a ditto.
 Some ways you can further the discussion include:
Expressing opinions or observations. These should be
offered in depth and supported by more than personal
opinion.
Making a connection between the current discussion and
previous discussions, a personal experience, or concepts
from the readings,
Commenting on or asking for clarification of another
student's statement,
Synthesizing other students' responses, or posing a
substantive question aimed at furthering the group's
understanding.
Thus Levin give instructions that guide students on both the
quantity (two substantive postings per discussion question)
and the quality of contributions expected.
2. Nada Dabbagh (2000), from George Mason University, offers a
slightly more prescriptive set of recommendations for posting.
Postings should be evenly distributed during the discussion period
(not concentrated all on one day or at the beginning and/or end of the
period).
Postings should be a minimum of one short paragraph and a
maximum of two paragraphs.
Avoid postings that are limited to I agree or great idea, etc. If you
agree (or disagree) with a posting then say why you agree by
supporting your statement with concepts from the readings or by
bringing in a related example or experience.
Address the questions as much as possible
Try to use quotes from the articles that support your postings.
Include page numbers when you do that.
Bring in related prior knowledge (work experience, prior coursework,
readings, etc.).
 Use proper etiquette ( proper language, typing, etc.).
Table shows Dabbagh's sample framework for assessing messages
on a weekly basis. Note that one of the protocols is the use of
proper etiquette, including language, typing, and spelling.
 Both of the above instruction and marking schemes provide
extremely valuable guidance to learners and make clear and
explicit the requirements of the teacher. But what are the costs of
such evaluation? Assuming 20-30 students in an online learning
class, the weekly assessment proscribed by Dabbagh could be a very
time consuming activity. The amount of time required for
assessment depends, in part, on the tools available to the online
teacher. A good online learning system facilitates the display of the
weekly postings by each student.
An exemplary system would incorporate a number of active teacher
agents that would
scan the postings for spelling and grammatical errors.
total the number of words.
allow the display of preceding or subsequent postings and the
location of the posting in its thread to help assess
responsiveness.
graph the posting dates to allow quick visual identification of
the timeliness of each contribution.
present a grade book for easy entry of weekly scores.
when appropriate, provide assistance for the teacher to create
and automatically mark a variety of multiple choice, matching,
and fill-in-the-blank type questions for student self assessment.
automatically alert students when a grade has been posted or
altered.