Assessment in
Distance Education
GROUP C: ILEANA WILBURG, KAREN GARCIA, MARK BUSH
EME 605 S1 2014
Objectives
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Discuss the purpose and characteristics of an assessment
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Describe the assessment categories
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Discuss assessment strategies
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Explain the importance of academic misconduct
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Discuss the future of assessment in distance learning
Before we begin...
Please click on link and answer our opening question:
What does assessment mean to you?
What is assessment?
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“Educational assessment seeks to determine how well students
are learning and is an integral part of the quest for improved
education. It provides feedback to students, educators,
parents, policy makers and the public about the effectiveness
of educational services.” [National Research Council (as cited in Wijekumar, K., Ferguson, L., & Wagoner, D., 2006)]

Assessment and evaluation are used synonymously, but are
treated as activities with distinct purposes
Purpose of Assessments
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Students
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“to provide feedback to learners starting from assignments to the
term-end examination” (Chaudhary & Dey, 2013, p. 209)
Used to not only recall the concepts or skills but can use to apply
what they have learned (Simonson, et. al, 2012, p. 266)
Instructors
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assess the effectiveness of instruction
judge the suitability and effectiveness of the material
(Chaudhary & Dey, 2013, p. 209)
Characteristics of a Good Assessment
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Alignment
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Synchronity of objectives, instructional activites and assessments
Clarity of expectations
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Is assessment easy to understand?
Are instructions clear?
Any specific conditions?
www.cmu.edu
Characteristics Cont.
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Validity
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measures what it was designed to measure
Reliability
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consistency of measurement within the test itself and across
testing
(Byrnes, 2008, pp. 140-141)
Categorizing Assessment Measures
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Objective
Multiple-choice tests
 True/False tests
 Matching
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Subjective
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Essays
Short answer exams
Dburgess01edutechreflection.blogspot.com
Categorizing Assessment Measures
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Formative- conducted during development of instruction.
(Tessmer, 1993)
 The “tryouts”
 Assesses the instructional
(text, multimedia)
 Video

materials
Summative- conducted at the end of the
course
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Measures the following:
• efficiency of learning
• cost of program
• long-term benefits
• continuing expenses (Morrison, et. al, 2013, p 252)
Learningscience.blogspot.com
Problems in Assessments
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Assessments to stay away from:

Multiple-choice/short answer tests
•
•
•
•
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Poor matching
Open to cheating
Cannot make inferences on learning or skills
Does not give informative feedback
Solutions

Portfolios or projects
•
•
Show samples of skills work
Set-back- created in isolation and delayed feedback
• Solution: have students present portfolios
(Wijekumar, et. al., 2006)
Types of Assessments
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Online Quizzes and Tests
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Portfolios
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Summative
Advantages of online testing versus face-to-face
Proctored settings (for specialized testing)
Formative collection of works
Consist of papers, videos, and projects
Papers and multimedia products

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Papers - easier to design, create, and publish
Multimedia - videos, websites, presentation, and graphics software
much more user/cost friendly
(Simonson, et. al., 2012, p. 273)
Types of Assessments
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Activities, games, and simulations
Learners are presented with a case study and required to discover
and resolve the problems
 Games to match lesson topics and objectives
 Simulations designed to test skills, performance, and offer feedback
 Building Formative Assessment into Game-Based Learning

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Graphic Organizers
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Graphical representations of maps, flowcharts, and Venn diagrams
Easily stored, shared, and modified
Learners are challenged to create models in order to visualize
thoughts and understanding
(Smiciklas, M., 2012)
Types of Assessments
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Asynchronous Communication
Takes place whenever: different time and different place
 Enables flexility
 Less immediate interaction

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Synchronous Communication
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Real time communication: same time and different place
• Immediate response
• Not as flexible
(Simonson, et. al., 2012, pp. 273-276)
Implementation Strategies
To implement the different types of strategies discussed, consider:
1.
2.
3.
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(Babette, M., 2011)
Assessment measures
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Location of learner
Characteristics of the learner
Delivery system being used
Ongoing and non graded assessments embedded throughout the
course helps the learner stay focused on the tasks at hand - real time
Structure

Allows learner flexibility in scheduling
(Titterud, T., 2009)
Implementation Strategies
Scoring Rubrics Matrix
(Simonson, et. al., 2012, pp. 281)
Implementation Strategies
Student Collaboration
“The ideal collaborative project requires interdependent work by
students, during which reciprocal,social interactions result in
positive outcomes for the entire group.” (Simonson, et. al., p.282)
Academic Misconduct

What is Academic Misconduct?
No Single, agreed-upon definition
 You know it when you see it
 Most institutions have policies
 Misconduct is more common among individuals who do not form
an attachment
 Not problems exclusive to distance education domain

(Finn & Frone, 2004; Simonson, et. al., 2012, p. 283)
Academic Misconduct
(Perry, 2010)
Plagiarism
What is Plagiarism?
 Taking an existing work and passing it off as original without crediting the
source
 It can be Intentional or Unintentional
Test your knowledge:
 You re-use a paper you previously wrote and put it into a new assignment,
and you don’t cite it because it’s your own work. Is this plagiarism?
 Is it necessary to cite information that is common knowledge or widely
accessible, like historical information or popular scientific information, e.g.
70% of the earth is covered in water?
Ways to prevent:
 Teach students about plagiarism-related issues
 Teach the differences between
(Ercegovac & Richardson, 2004; WriteCheck, 2014; Purdue Owl, 2014)
Cheating

What is Cheating?
 According to Dictionary.com, cheat or cheating (n.d.), is to defraud; swindle, deceive,
elude, violate rules or regulations, take an examination or test in a dishonest way, as by
improper access to
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Motives/Facts:
 Academic cheating is recognized as highly prevalent and an ongoing problem at all
grade levels
 Students cheat to raise their grades
 Cheating rates have risen
 Most cheaters believe that they will not get caught
 Technology has increased the ways in which students can engage in cheating
behaviors
 Cheating is associated with certain characteristics

Ways to prevent:
 Students are less likely to cheat in classrooms where teachers emphasize learning
 Not stressing students out about grades
 Promote honesty and emphasize success is earned through hard work
(Cheating, n.d. ; Finn & Frone, 2004; Inside Dateline, n.d.)
Deterring Academic Misconduct
Academic Integrity
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What can we do as Instructional Designers?
What are other schools doing?
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Honor Codes
Utilizing Tools
• The University of Tampa
In the end it is the student who loses out!
(Gumas, 2011; The University of Tampa Faculty Senate, 2009; Simonson, et. al., 2012, pp. 286-287)
The Future of Assessment
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Automated essay scoring:
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Examples:
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Project Essay Grade
e-rater
IntelliMetric
Intelligent Essay Assessor
Mobile Devices
•
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Availability of automated essay scoring software provides
Often criticized for looking at surface features
Mobile Technology supports collaboration
Examples:
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Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)
Cell phones (smartphones)
Tablets
Handheld game consoles
(Almond, 2014; Laru Järvelä, 2008; Simonson, et. al, 2012, pp. 287-288)
Let’s Review!
Complete review crossword puzzle.
The first person to get them all right will get a treat on Thursday!
Questions/Comments
References

Ileana
Byrnes, J. P. (2008). Cognitive development and learning in instructional contexts (3rd ed.). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon Publishers.
Chaudhary, S.V.S., & Dey, N. (2013). Assessment in open and distance learning system (ODL): A challenge. Open Praxis, 5, 207-216. doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.5944/openpraxis.5.3.65
Morrison, G. R. (2013). Designing effective instruction (Seventh edition.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Tessmer, M. (1993). Planning and conducting formative evaluations: improving the quality of education and training. London; Philadelphia:
Kogan Page.
Wijekumar, K., Ferguson, L., & Wagoner, D. (2006). Problems with assessment validity and reliability in web-based distance learning environments
and solutions. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 15(2), 199-215. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com.esearch.ut.edu/docview/205853455?accountid=14762
Video:
Synchronous Formative Assessment in Distance Education - YouTube. (n.d.). Retrieved June 8, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77iZiHQ6yk
Photo Credits:
Align Assessments, Objectives, Instructional Strategies - Teaching Excellence & Educational Innovation - Carnegie Mellon University. (n.d.).
Retrieved June 5, 2014, from http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/alignment.html
Learning in Science. (n.d.). Retrieved June 5, 2014, from http://learninginscience.blogspot.com/
Reflections on Technology for Education: Objective Assessments. (n.d.). Retrieved June 5, 2014, from
http://dburgess01edutechreflection.blogspot.com/2012/06/objective-assessments.html
References

Karen
Almond, R. G. (2014). Using automated essay scores as an anchor when equating constructed response writing tests. International Journal of
Testing, 14(1), 73-91. doi:10.1080/15305058.2013.816309
Cheating. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged. Retrieved from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/CHEATING
Ercegovac, Z., & Richardson, J. V. (2004). Academic dishonesty, plagiarism included, in the digital age: A literature review. College & Research
Libraries, 65(4), 301-318
Finn, K. V., & Frone, M. R. (2004). Academic performance and cheating: Moderating role of school identification and self-efficacy. The Journal of
Educational Research, 97(3), 115-121. doi:10.3200/JOER.97.3.115-121
Laru, J., & Järvelä, S. (2008). Social patterns in mobile technology mediated collaboration among members of the professional distance
education community. Educational Media International, 45(1), 17-32. doi:10.1080/09523980701847131
Perry, B. (2010). Exploring academic misconduct: Some insights into student behaviour. Active Learning in Higher Education, 11(2), 97-108
Purdue Owl (2014). Is it Plagiarism Yet? Avoiding Plagiarism. Online Writing Lab. Retrieved from
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/589/02/)
The University of Tampa Faculty Senate. (2009). The University of Tampa Academic Integrity Policy. [PDF Document]. Retrieved from
http://www.ut.edu/uploadedFiles/Academics/Provost/UT-AcademicIntegrityPolicies.pdf
Why Do Kids Cheat? Facts About Cheating - Inside Dateline. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://insidedateline.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/04/29/11412162-why-do-kids-cheat-facts-about-cheating?lite
WriteCheck (2014). Plagiarism Quiz, How well do you know Plagiarism. Writing Tips Newsletter. Retrieved from
http://en.writecheck.com/plagiarismquiz?utm_content=keggie75%40yahoo.com&utm_source=VerticalResponse&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=&utm_campaign=Plagiarism%20Qui
z%3A%20Test%20Your%20Skillscontent
Video:
Gumas, M. (2011). Academic Integrity, Retrieved from http://youtu.be/F7O6EgNeWjY
References

Mark
Simonson, M.; Smaldino, S.E.; Albright, M.l; Zvacek, S. (2014). Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of
Distance Education (5th ed.). Pearson HE, Inc. Kindle Edition.
Smiciklas, M. (2012), The Power of Infographics. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/KarenHo6/the-power-ofinfograhics
Babette, M. (2011), Integrating technology with student-centered learning. Retrieved
from, http://www.nmefoundation.org/getmedia/befa9751-d8ad-47e9-949d-bd649f7c0044/Integrating-Technologywith-Student-Centered-Learning?ext=.pdf
Titterud, T. (2009), Assessment,Research, and Planning Glossary (A Guides and Handbooks Report). Retrieved from
http://www.scribd.com/doc/18012567/TFR-Guide-Assessment-Glossary-2009-08-01-TVT
Video:
Building Formative Assessment into Game-Based Learning Video, retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c2-kYxNyMc&feature=youtu.be