Ellen,
Great post. You are right. Usability cannot be a barrier to student success particularly when it is used as an assessment for the course. The validity and the reliability can not be dismissed.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
First off, I think one of the most important things is that the assessment tool meets the intended goals, that it assesses what it was intended to assess. Second, I think it is important to take into account that technology is being utilized and make sure that the students will be able to access the assessment in an easy manner. I think students can get really frustrated really fast when they are completing and assessment and the technology continually makes mistakes or is difficult to use. Lastly, I think the reliability of the assessment is important. We want to ensure the outcomes are consistent.
Erina ,
I don't understand the theoretical background. How does that play a role in technology assessment tools?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Donielle,
How would this apply to assessment?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Douglas,
Great post. You are right. It has to measure what it is suppose to measure and you have to be able to get the data you need from the application.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
We need to understand how oriented the student is to the enviornment, the technical knowledge of the student and the learning styles that would best fit. Also, having the appropriate theoretical background is very beneficial.
Technology tools are important. I would think the audience, the functions and the learning methods.
When assessing the use of a technology assessment tool in an online learning environment I believe that we have to concern ourselves with 1)the ease of the use of technology; 2) The ability of the assessment tool to measure the skill set of the student and 3) the ability for the faculty to incorporate the assessment tool into the online classroom.
Sarah,
There is value in asking students their option regarding an assessment. You don't want to base your complete decision on that but it is good input. It is also a great way for them to practice objectively evaluating something.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Stephanie,
True, you have to find one that is valid and reliable.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Stephanie,
Well said! You are right, you need more than one assessment point to assess if a student has learned an outcome. Students are really geared to taking a objective test but that is not always the best way to assess the learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jacqueline,
Great example of problems of technology. It is so frustrating for the students (and instructor) to deal with this type of issue. It always seems that these issues never appear during demo! It is hard to walk everyone through loading process at a distance. You might try making a video.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jacqueline,
Great post. You are right, when trying the tool for consideration, one must consider all of those items. You also have to make sure data from the assessment tool is data you can use.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
David,
I agree, one assessment point is not an assessment plan. You do want a technology assessment tool that students can input to easily and you can pull output from easily.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jennifer,
The real world value is a great consideration. You also need to be able to get the data you need to make your assessment decisions.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Nicholas,
You said reliability and validity; that is music to my ears! Those are so important for any assessment instrument. You also need to be able to get the data you need to report.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Sueanne ,
Great post. All of those are so important in choosing a technology assessment tool. You will also want to make sure that you get the data you need from the assessment tool.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The most important thing to consider is the needs of my students. When I try a new assessment tool, and intermittently during a course, I ask student for feedback about how the various assessment tools are affecting their learning.
The second thing I think about is how assessments will allow students to demonstrated what they know and are able to do with regard to the specific course requirements. When I teach writing, I know that students need to writing and receive feedback throughout the writing process.
Third, I make sure that I have taught what I am going to evaluate and that students have opportunities to practice the kinds of evaluation I will use.
Matthew,
That is a good point about the tool fitting the objective of the lesson. There are certainly some tools that are better suited to demonstrating understanding of content.
When assessing use of technology assessment tools, it is important to consider the level of student learning which will be assessed, how engaged the student will be with the process and whether the assessment type matches the learning outcome. I find that many students prefer multiple choice because they think they are "easy" and they are certainly easier to grade. However, in order to truly assess what a student has learned and show growth in their learning, we need to make sure to use tools which are going to garner that specific information.
