John,
When I teach online I always offer time to talk online but privately. I also provide a discussion where they have to ask students questions about issues.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
John,
I have seen it and that is where you can measure student learning in different ways. It may be using portfolios or projects but it does provide students a different way to display learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Good point about student responsibility. Getting items done and asking questions they may have does fall on them. Offering the opportunity to ask questions in a private manner often works well.
Any thoughts to add?
It can be a very valuable tool for the instructor in that he/she can see if there were any items that were not connecting well to the class as a whole. It also can provide a good tool for identifying an individual student who may have significant issues with the areas covered or even with the type of evaluation questions.
Has everyone run into the student that seem to know it well...but on an exam does badly?
Roland,
True! We can also use this information to improve how we, the instructors, teach the content. If there are holes in learning, it could be us!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
These types of assessments are designed to evaluate the content of the lesson or objective of a completed project, task or lecture. Make sure the summative test is consistent with the material learned. I know this sounds simplistic, but how many times during school did one of us take a test which had little or nothing to do with the content spent learning for the last 4 weeks? The method by which learned material is presented is also a monumental factor in determining summative assessments. For example if lectures were as the method of delivery which may include processes--then it is important to test students through these processes instead of assessing parts through a multiple choice test. Lab content can also be determined through the process by which the method was delivered by allowing students to perform lab tasks in the same manner.
Sharon,
You are right, clear questions is not easy. What a great idea about giving students an opportunity to explain their answer. I also want educators to use summative assessment to review and reflect on the specific questions.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
When conducting summative assessments, the two most important things to consider are: (1) whether the questions in the assessment align with the learning objectives and (2) whether the questions are clear. Although the second seems rather simple, I teach many student in which English is a second language and clarity is imperative. I often find that multiple choice questions are harder for them then short essay because they can easily misread one of the choices. Consequently, I offer all my student to provide a 1-2 sentence explanation with regards to why they chose their answer. This enables me to determine whether we have an issue of misinterpretation and whether the student does actually understand the concept.
Paula,
I don't know what you are saying. Would you allow a student to post a discussion reply like the one you just posted?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Is the student learning and the quality of the material.
Sheila,
That is true, as an educator we can look at the results and see where we may need to improve in our teaching. It should be used by us to alter our teaching.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Antonio,
That is true, and your summative assesses should be the gauge that. If your outcomes say they need to be able to apply to real life that is how that material should be assessed.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
When conducting summative assessments, you must consider the importance of the objective and the developmental level of the learner. Depending on how important the objective is in the course should determine how you should assess the objective. Understanding the learners ability and goals will aid you in developing a summative assessment that is challenging and relevant.
I think the most important things would be how well did the student understand the course work and how can they apply it to real-life. If the student really understands the lecture, they will be able to provide some example where the information of the course could be applied in real-life.
james,
Great points! Yes, there has to be time between the learning and the assessment. It is also important students have a comfort level not only with the subject matter but with the technology.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jonida,
I know some professors create an interactive syllabus. When you "click" on an objective, it takes you to the assignments that assess that objective. You can connect them within your LMS or create a web page.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
First, insure that the assessment device covers what was learned by the student, over a period time, in the order that the material was presented.
Secondly, the time intervals between summative assessments are crucial. As stated in the module, "good summative evaluations should span a range of knowledge areas and/or skills - low to high." The instructor must insure that the summative assessment occurs at the end of a project unit or course for proper assessment of a students skills or knowledge
Nicole,
Do you have any suggestions on how the teacher can better connect the objective with the student learning?
MARIE,
I find that interesting also. I make it a point to review test questions to see who missed them. If the majority of the class misses a question, then I have to review my teaching to see if it is my fault in not covering the content appropriately. I also check to see if the question was presented well. It is our responsibility to review assessment and to make changes in the content delivery or assessment as appropriate.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
MARIE,
What are some of the challenges with teaching online and assessments?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
