Get Your Students Hired
Sandy ,
Interesting point. Although we provide a variety of ways (hopefully) of assessments students are required to complete them ALL.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Sandy ,
You are right! The assessment tool must match the assessment; not vice versa. Many times we take technology and force the issue of use and it just becomes a barrier to assessment and then to learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Tonia,
I agree with you totally. I also think you are right about the ease for the instructor. I have seen software that was easy for the student to use, easy for the instructor to create the instrument, but hard to grade and get the output needed to decision making. It was so frustrating.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Gail, I agree with your point about student's understanding the technology. Although most of our students are comfortable with the online platform, there are some students who do not understand computers and/or the basics of using software such as MS Word.
Some students do very well with their weekly papers and others do very well with our multiple choice adaptive learning assessments. Based on how the assignment grades are weighted it is difficult if they are unable to successfully complete one component of the course and not the other.
Hi Kelly!
I think the three most important things to consider include:
1. Does the assessment tool align with the assessment?
2. Is it user friendly?
3. Is it easy to access and align with the technology used for the online campus?
It is important not to use technology for the sake of technology. The tools need to be reviewed relative to their purpose and alignment with the assessment objectives, the students and campus technology.
When accessing a tool for online usage I look for the following:
1.)Ease of use for the students
2.)Ease of navigation for the student
3.)Ease of grading, speediness, accuracy for me
Russell,
Great post. You are right in all areas. All of these points must be considered when assessing technology for assessment. We tend to forget the third one until we find we can't get the data out of the tool.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The facilitator should consider these three main objectives when assessing the use of technology assessments tools for the classroom. The technology tool should be examined to ascertain if it is compatible with the type of assessment being performed and how students will interact with it. The assessment tool should match course learning objectives and outcomes according to the content of the course. The assessment tool should not complicate the assessment process. Assessment tools should properly evaluate and provide constructive information to the student and facilitator as to the student’s progress in understanding the material presented, and the effectiveness and possible improvement of the assessment process itself.
Tanya,
We can't do it all. It takes a village to teach . . . online or f2f. You are right, you don't want to overwhelm them.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dr. Wilkinson,
This is a fantastic idea! I have students check my Instructor Files and Announcements as I have answers to just about everything they need to know already posted.
I recently had a situation with a student that without the help desk the issue would not have occurred to me. I create lesson videos for the course and he could not access the videos. Turned out that he did not have Flash installed on his computer. Flash is something that is so important to not only online learning, but to a computers basic functions!
When considering online assessments ease of use should be priority. The students are already working to understand the material and might be overwhelmed by the added frustration. It should be user friendly for students, like the one mentioned above, to prompt them if they do not have necessary software. It should also provide a fair assessment of students ability.
lindsey,
Great points. You have to be able to get information from the tool to make decisions for students and for you. So many times technology provides a tool to collect but you can't get info out.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
When assessing the use of technology assessment tools in an online learning environment, I believe the following are the three most important things to consider?
1) How do my students learn?
2) What assessment tool(s) are going to be the most effective for these students?
3) Will the technology I have allow me to perform this assessment effectively?
Michael,
I agree with you. You need to make sure that you have the data from the technology you need to make decisions.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I believe that the function of the tool is the most important thing. In addition to the stated function, in what other ways may it be used? Sometimes intended uses aren't the best fits, and unintended uses are. Lastly, the ease of use must be considered, as well.
Anna,
What a great post made with a tremendous amount of thought. You are right, assessment is continuous improvement based on data provided by the assessment. It is extremely important that you have the processes and tools in place that will provide you the data and that people will USE it. When we make data driven decisions using assessment data we have to make sure we can provide valid data.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
According to the New Zealand Ministry of Education (Education, 2013), when we think about assessment, it is important to know that it’s an adjustment model that allows teachers and students to reflect on the strategic process of teaching and learning. As a result, one of the most important elements of assessment online is the data analysis from the assessment. The navigation and usability of the software and the data turnaround time are also important with respect to online assessment tools.
Currently I work in a school system that is data driven and all district and state assessments are online, as a result, it is important that the system is user friendly and easy for students to navigate. Additionally, as instructor it is important that I can get real time data and I am able to use the assessment program to pull student data. Currently, in my school district we have moved away from Edusoft into ThinkGate and although the two systems may have some similarities they also have many differences. We live in a data society and we are all accountable for the numbers; thus, it must be a requirement that the software produces data in a reasonable amount of time.
I have used many different assessment tools, however at the end of the day, you still want to be able to use the program yourself and ultimately use it to readjust your instructional strategies in order to address the deficiencies that are yielded by the data.
Dehlly,
Nice answer! Those are important. I have seen some homework software that getting an answer was like looking for the holy grail. It is about the content!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I teach mathematics and I think that the three most important things to consider are:
1. Easy/friendly navigation.
2. Computer generated review exercises applying the topics the student got wrong.
3. Solutions to all exercises after the assessment has been submitted.
Anthony,
WOW! That is a challenge for everyone involved. You have to be dedicated to keep the pace, but feedback is vital for learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Penelope,
That is true. Some programs require students to have certain software but others don't require any. That can be the greatest barrier.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson