Joel,
Agreed! we have to make sure that we don't "force" an assessment just because we have it!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Joel,
YOu make one very good point; the resources available to the instructor to conduct the assessment. Good ideas are not always cost effective.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Christen,
You are so right. We say we don't have to be the "sage on the stage" but you are right we do! I love your post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Marcia,
This is not something to ignore! I think we also forget that not everyone is as comfortable with the LMS as others. I don't think they are always intuitive and that can be frustrating for students particularly with non tradtitonals!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Lindsey,
I do the same and I agree with you wholeheartedly! I tell students that they will have to do this in the "real" world. I also give them an electronic form and they seem to respond better. They won't get their grade until they complete the form.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Lindsey,
I was thinking about what you were saying about losing some students. Have you tried to paring students up to help with technical issues. I haven't but I am going to have to think about this. . . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Lindsey,
True, it does help with your starting points. I agree with using a variety of assessment tools.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Casey,
Good point. You have to understand what you want to assess, then look for the appropriate tool; not the other way around.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Trude,
You are right. I think we have to evaluate technology to ensure that it is the tool for what we need it for. We also have to look at the tool to see if it is multifunctional as to other purposes. With all of that said, the purpose must be well defined and tied to the content and assessment.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Chastity,
Your answer is spot one! We have to be careful that we pick technology for one function and forget that we may need it for other things and it just doesn't work. Love your view on assessment!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Trista,
I have had a general discussion forum called "deer in the headlights" I actually give extra points to students who answer other students questions. It has worked well!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jack,
I think tech support 24/7 is a wonderful resource. Not many schools have it.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Joni,
It is but not everyone has that luxury. Doesn't that create some restrictions regarding location of students?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Janis,
Great points! I agree user friendly should be to the lowest technology skill. It also can't be busy work. All students hate busy work!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
BRIGITTE ,
You make great points! You are right. LMS's can be as much as a barrier as a gift. I think that faculty must be evaluated for their use of the technology and the technology itself must be evaluated. They are not mutually exclusive but have to be addressed separately.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
This is a great question to start off with! If I had to select three of the most important things to consider in this process, I would first say ease of use for the students. We cannot assess their learning if the tool we are using is difficult of cumbersome for them to deal with. Secondly, I would say that it would have to provide the needed learning assessment and feedback opportunities based on the content and the course objectives. In other words, round peg....round hole. Lastly, I think the instructor should be able to adapt to it and use it effectively. I believe that all to often, faculty are worn down by difficult assessment tools and do not offer the constructive feedback that they may otherwise be able to offer.
Jeremy Shearer
When assessing the use of technology assessment tools in an online learning environment, the three most important things to consider would be:
1. Relevance to the learning outcomes of the course
2. User-friendliness of the tool for both instructor and student - we want the students to be challenged by the course content, not by manipulating an assessment tool. As well, we don't want the instructor to be overburdened with questions on how to use the tool properly. Directions should be clear and intuitive.
3. If the assessment tools is measuring what needs to be measured. The instructor should be confident that the tool has measured learning outcomes appropriate for the students.
Hello All,
Good evening! I am fortunate to serve on a technology committee where we evaluate various technology programs for online courses. This gives me the chance to see the administrative and back end issues when determining what programs to go with. It is helpful. Keeping this in mind in a secondary way, and the instructor role in the primary way, here is what I believe are the three most important things to consider:
1. Relevance to the course learning objectives: The tool needs to have relevance to the goals of the course. Otherwise, it is not worth using just for the sake of using it.
2. Accessibility and ease of use: As much as possible, the student population needs to be considered. Students need to be able to access the resources easily and know how to use it (and be taught how to use it if necessary).
3. Cost: We live in some hard economic times. As such, I do believe that the cost and advantage need to be considered for both the student and the institution.
I welcome any feedback. Have a great night!
-Allen Farina
I agree- the students have to be able to understand and use the tool in order to use it as a learning tool. The tool must be able to "get out of the way" so the students can get the content. In the curriculum that I teach we need technology that assesses the students' movements. We have not found a tool that works universally. Can't wait until we do have that :)
Lindsey,
I absolutely agree. Academics are not for every one, and on line learning is also not for everyone.
