Sueanne ,
How cool is that! It is online! There some online scenarios that do provide a real life experience that is so important to ours students.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jennifer,
I agree and it makes them think about the application of their learning. Case studies are so powerful!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dallan,
Great post. You may really want to focus on performance. It provides that real world environment that students need to remember they will be working in.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I've used authentic assessments in discussion board conversations by encouraging the use of personal experiences in those discussions. For example, two of the discussion board topics in one of my classes address issues of mandatory drug testing in the workplace and the effective application of affirmative action principles. Most every student has a positive or negative experience in one or both of these areas and uses the experience or experiences to enhance the discussion board topic. I will, at times, use the experience I've had in dealing with a particular problem a client has experienced in one of these situations.
Patti,
We do the same thing. I find discussions give students the opportunity to think deeper and also helps me to help them dig deeper!
Nicole,
I like the idea of case studies and think this would be a good addition for the program I teach for. I'll be thinking of that when course revisions come around!
Many of the assessments used in my online environment are already built in. However, I see discussions as a way to assess the application of knowledge and skills. This course discusses aspects such as students developing a response rather than selecting from predetermined options and use their current knowledge to make the connection between learning and the real world. In the discussions I conduct in the online classroom, we are always focused on the student being able to apply the information and make those connections to real world experiences rather than simply "regurgitate" information.
Hello Everyone!
Yes, I have used authentic assessment in my online course. I've used performance assessment a great deal. My institution is turning out future coding/billing specialist/medical assistants/HIT and HITM professionals. The task performed by the students are meaningful, challenging, and engaging activities that evidence the knowledge or skill needed.
Jackie
I have used them all at one time or another, but find that performance and observations seem to be used more often than portfolios. I mostly work with Information Technology related courses and find that performance/observation have been very helpful with authentic assessment.
Online in a proprietary school makes it hard to use authentic assessments unless they are already embedded in teh course. I have changed some of th assignments to reflect actual problems in the real world in healthcare. I changed a few assessments and projects to relate to a project I really did in the real world and had to hire and fire to meet the project. Mostly the student responded well to this
The courses I teach are very traditional and as a result I am not able to use authentic assessments. However, I have used performances and other forms in my face-to-face classrooms. I look forwarding to getting the opportunity to utilize them in my online classroom as well.
There are several upper-level classes that provide a "play clinic" with scenarios and tasks so the student can understand how the terms and processes they have been studying all come together in the real world.
Case studies are a great tool for learning. When I am teaching a topic that is a little more difficult to grasp, I always turn to case studies to help the students apply the material to a real-life situation.
I give students "Skills Tests". These are tests that are performance oriented, and display the student's ability to begin, work on and complete a task within a set time frame. It is very "hands-on" and helps with evaluating the student's ability to combine theoretical concepts, problem solving and time management together.
Kelly,
Thank you for sharing. The feedback is so valuable. Great use of portfolios
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Julie,
What a great idea to have students to create their own sharing of learning. How do you grade them?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Anthony,
What great ideas! You can do a "midterm" course evaluation. We have always suggested it for our f2f courses I think it is a great idea for the online course.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
megan,
You may want to setup discussion like case studies and have students utilize their newfound knowledge and/or skills.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Cynthia,
I do that too! It is a great way to measure vocabulary that you want students to use in a professional setting. Discussions can be such a powerful tool in many ways!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Cynthia,
Thank you for sharing how you use your portfolios. I think it is so important that you have them analyze the difference between the first draft and final work. How powerful is that process! Great post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
