Cynthia,
True, It is important that we don't give a "bye" to nontraditional students regarding learning how to use the technology if the technology is essential for learning. I have had students ask if instead of using the LMS, if they could just call me and talk and then mail the assignments in. That is a correspondence course not a rigorous online course.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Cynthia,
Good strategy. You as an instructor have to have some comfort in the technology.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Cynthia,
What a great post. You make a great point about using the tools data to make adjustments accordingly.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Cathleen,
That is true, instructors will play the avoidance game rather than try to master the technology. I see instructors who have taught in the online environment for a long time, who were pioneers in the medium that don't learn new technology and techniques and their courses become stale.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I think its important to have good technology, to be familiar with the technology usage and/or have good tech support available for you and the students, and also to help the students feel engaged in the use of the technology. It has to be more than a computer program...it has to reach them at some human level, or they will never feel engaged.
Excellent point, Noreen! We have such a mix of age groups in our online courses, and baby boomers are definitely the ones who are challenged the most with technology. Thus, we need to be sure to provide FAQs which provide detailed instructions when incorporating any technological assessment tools.
Cynthia
Hi Jared,
Good questions to consider when deciding which technology to use and how. Typically, I try to appeal to all learning styles by using different types of technology for assessing (i.e. use of audio to describe the purpose and objectives of a web quest with a demonstration; use of track changes to comments on drafts; use of polls in live chats, etc).
Cheers,
Cynthia
I believe these are the top three:
1. The instructor must know how to use the technology effectively and know which technology to use for specific types of assessment.
2. The assessment tool must be explained to students (i.e. in addition graded comments, students will be provided a copy of their paper with inserted comments from instructor)
3. Instructors should assess the effectiveness of these tools through polling students and evaluating the tools to verify the positive and the negative aspects of the tool and re-adjust accordingly.
Cynthia
That's a great point about instructor's struggling with a tool. I do seek help when I don't understand how an assessment tool functions, but some instructors may just do their best or not use the tool when it could really enhance the class.
Earl,
You are right and you get the data that you need to report and make decisions. I have found sometimes the technology tools input is ok but output, not so good.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I think the answer is both. For example, I teach a psychology class online. I always want to know if the platform is easy to navigate in addition to making sure students are understanding the material being learned. The assessmentment used does a good job in measuring student's understanding of each lesson.
Randy,
Great point! You are right, you have to be able to measure what you need to measure and get the data you need to make good decisions.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Sherrilyn,
Great post. You make a great post. You may have not designed the course but you can evaluate the productivity of it.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
First, you must assess whether you are using the correct tool for the desired outcome. You then must then consider whether the information obtained from the action of participating will provide objective or subjective information. Finally, you must consider if the grading rubric is sufficient to provide for proper guidance.
Patty,
I have a rule in my syllabus that a student must look in the syllabus and other tools then they have to post their question in a specific discussion board before they can email me. If another student answers the question in 24 hours, they get participation points. It does reduce my email.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dale,
I love your comment "it should work" We are dealing with this very issue with our k-12 schools and the mandated state testing. It was online and the three days it was given, 3/4 of the schools could not access the exams. Talk about problems with anxiety and with results! ( it is a mess)
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Earl,
You make a great point. Does the technology assess content or the use of technology? Great question. Also can you extract information needed by you for assessment.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Angela,
You are so right! You don't want the technology to be the barrier. Also, I think we have to think about the constant changing of technology. That too can be frustrating.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I have not ever designed a course. The online classes that I have taught all of the tools have already been selected for me. However, I have spent time assesses the tools in which I have been given to teach. With that said, I think the first and most important item to consider is level of knowledge and understanding of the student. I find that in just about each of my online classes, I have students that struggle with technology. The next item should be how relevant is the tool to the course you are teaching. In my case, these tools are Microsoft Word and Excel. Finally, are the required assignments adding value for the student? Some assignments I feel are not adding enhance value to the student.
Good point, Dr. Wilkinson! I encounter this quite often. I can help with some basic technological issues, but I am not highly trained. In my announcements, I give some troubleshooting tips, and then advise that if those don't work, please call the help desk.
I still seem to get students who don't read the tips, though, and just shoot me an email, such as, "I can't upload my file, what do I do?" But they never called the helpdesk or tried my tips.
Suggestions?
