Presented by Jennifer Fager
For
University of Wisconsin-Superior
Enhancement Day
1/19/2011

 Multiple Choice and Short Answer Questions
 Not always the best technique in either online or ground formats
 Lend themselves to cheating more so in online
 Questions, regardless of ground or online, must be written well
 The “test” has been overused and relied upon unless the instructor is an expert in writing good test items

 Use multiple forms of assessment
 Has corroborating evidence of student achievement
 More personalized assessments reduce the likelihood of plagiarism
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“Term paper” vs. application paper using personal examples
General research paper vs. select topics focus
 Use examples more “authentic” in format
 Consider problems of the field
 Engage in “conversation’s” online

 Security options
 Lockdown browser
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Student can’t go to another website during the test
NOTE: Most students now have multiple devices so they can go to their IPhones, blackberries, laptops, IPads, etc. to research the “answers”

 Set test time limits
 Even if the student gets help, time restricts the amount
 Can punish the slower readers/processors
 What do you want in terms of meaningful, thoughtful responses

 Assume any online test is, by definition, open book
 And perhaps open notes, and open neighbors
 Don’t try to make it otherwise

 Quiz/test software products are available
 Can generate multiple versions of tests
 Each student can receive a “different” test
 http://www.fau.edu/irm/instructional/respondus.php
 Have students explain their answers
 25% have to explain ‘A’ answers, 25% ‘B’ answers, etc.

 Other security ideas
 “thumb” identification
 Webcams
 Face-to-face testing at a testing center

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Commercial Assessment Data Management Tools –
 E.g. TracDat, WeaveOnline, Chalk & Wire
Curriculum Design Tools
 E.g. WIDS – link outcomes to Performance Assessment Tasks
Survey Instruments
 Survey Monkey
 Zoomerang
Portfolios
Course Management Systems Quiz and Analysis Functions
 Blackboard and others

 Google Docs
 Jing
 Reflective Instruments
 Leadership
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Personality Style
Teamwork
 Merlot (has content template builder)
 Clickers
 AdobeConnect with polling features
 Lock-down Browsers for online testing

 What evidence do you have that students achieve your stated learning outcomes?
 How have you articulated these outcomes to students and adjunct faculty?
 In what ways do you analyze and use evidence of student learning?

 The same process is used for online programs and courses as for ground (traditional):
 Needs Assessment
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Needs of the profession
Needs of the learners
 Articulate your expectations
 Measure achievement of expectations
 Collect and analyze data
 Use evidence to improve learning
 Assess effectiveness of improvement

 Direct Methods
 Mostly the same as ground
 Can use any student work products that can be saved in an electronic form
 Some challenges exist with lab work, oral performances, etc.
 Indirect Methods
 Again, same as ground
 Survey response rates are notoriously low

 Artifact collection can be automated through the course management software
 Can work for ground as well
 Assignments, rubrics can be standardized and mapped to specific competencies/outcomes
 Again, can work for ground as well

 Assess quality of discussions, group work
 Particularly effective with asynchronous
 Assess individual learning in more depth
 Student advising can be more robust
 Use of standardized rubrics can result in greater consistency in grading
 Particularly effective when combined with periodic instructor norming and use of anchor samples

 Faculty can isolate and organize contributions to a threaded discussion and give feedback on how to improve
 Can archive individual contributions and group discussions
 Formative and summative
 Course, program, and institutional levels
 Create a record of instructor effectiveness
 Useful for annual review, tenure

 Individual learning/achievements can be tracked across the educational experience
 E-format allows for wide dissemination of collected data
 Current software packages provide various levels of data collection & dissemination

 Clear articulation of expectations that are linked to specific course & program outcomes
 A means through which correspondence of online & ground rigor can be ensured (alignment)
 Increases consistency in grading across sections, courses, programs, even colleges
 Holistic vs. Analytic

 Develop course/program maps which articulate learning outcomes and link them to specific courses and course assignments
 Collect and archive artifacts through the course management software
 Post rubrics through course management software for student and faculty use

 Tracking inter-rater reliability helps achieve consistency in grading
 Post rubrics, anchor samples for 24/7 faculty use
 Full-time/core faculty should formulate competencies, achievement standards & interpret results

 Review the Video Gaming Assignment included at the end of this packet.
 Determine how this assignment could be adapted for online learning

 The ability and inclination to think and make connections across academic disciplines
 How would you assess this outcome in ground or online courses?

 http://fod.msu.edu/oir/TeachWithTech/onlinecourses.asp
 http://www.uwstout.edu/soe/profdev/assess.cfm
 http://www.fgcu.edu/onlinedesign/index.html
 http://www.pvc.maricopa.edu/~lsche/resources/onlin eteaching .htm
 http://sloanconsortium.org/

 What issues have you encountered when assessing online learning?
 What are your concerns regarding the use of online assessment techniques?
 What policies and/or procedures need to be in place to reduce or alleviate these concerns?

 What else do you need to know?

 Assessment in online learning can be the same as assessment on ground—artifacts and tools can be the same even if the medium is different!