Emry,
Well said! It is important that students make those links between skills and real life. I think authentic assessment does provide that.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
David,
You make such a great point that you are remind the students that they can use the knowledge NOW!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Nicole,
I think you will find it beneficial. The secret is developing good measuring techniques such as rubrics.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Allen,
That is a great tool. It also makes them determine what they think their "great" work is. Nice answer!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
corinne,
What a great use of authentic assessments. These are indeed engaging activities no matter f2f or online environment.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Authentic assessments include portfolios, performance, and observations. How have you used authentic assessment in your online course?
I use case studies as assessments in the authentic assessments which present the student with the full array of tasks that mirror the priorities and challenges found in the best instructional activities: conducting research; writing, revising and discussing papers; providing an engaging oral analysis of a recent political event; collaborating with others on a debate, etc. Conventional tests are usually limited to paper-and-pencil, one- answer questions.
The courses I have taught are designed to leverage off of the students real world experiences. When teaching the different skill sets and strategies to incoming students it is stressed as to the importance of sharing their perspectives and experiences with the material. This encourages further discussion between students as well as providing a means of determining the students understanding and ability to integrate the knowledge into their environment. Discussion boards are designed with a primary posting where the student addresses the task requirements as it relates to their situation with a perspective towards the core objectives. The second part of the task is to respond to other students with postings that are supportive but that also brings in their perspective and thoughts on the ideas being expressed by their peers. Several of the individual projects are designed so as to require the students to complete templates that test their abilities to apply real world skills to successfully complete the task. This type of exercise provides the students with a new perspective on how these skills can be applied outside of the academic arena. Several of my students have reported increased responsibilities and advancement due to their employers seeing the work they were completing in the class and recognizing how it can be used in their professional capacities.
Hi Francis,
Your description of the discussion board was perfect, it is an invaluable tool. As an instructor, you can learn so much about your students in this area, address their needs individually, and adjust instruction as needed. Students often use their experiences,naturally, when having conversations with their peers. These are all reasons why discussion boards are a great way of authentic assessment.
Best,
Dr. Laura Pogue
Hello Susan,
I also love this exercise. This is great way to get students engaged while assessing their learning. I'm sure this activity is just as beneficial to the 'teacher' as it is the students.
Sincerely,
Dr. Laura Pogue
Dr. Wilkinson,
Yes, I have used some authentic assessments in my online business courses. The discussion board is always a large part of online courses and I use that information as a way of observing students' learning and understanding of the topics. This type of weekly observation allows me to adjust instruction as needed to better meet the students' needs.
Students are often required to complete real-life case studies throughout the course, as well. This assignment can assess several outcomes, but mainly a performance assessment because you can see how the student is taking the course objectives and applying it to real life scenarois.
Sincerely,
Dr. Laura Pogue
Hi Nate,
I can completely relate to your posting. I have occasionally used authentic assessments in the online classroom, but find it difficult to incorporate at times. That is great to hear that you are going to have the opportunity to rewrite some of the courses to use authentic assessments, as well. This will definitely be a change for online courses, but an important one, as this type of assessment better addresses the learner's needs.
Best,
Dr. Laura Pogue
We do not use authentic assessments in our school, but feel students and Instructors could benefit from them.
Marie Moran
This is something I have not used in the online environment. I have used it inside the classroom and I like to use it. Since I don't create courses, if it isn't managed in to the course, it doesn't happen. I have been given the opportunity to help rewrite some of the courses and will apply some authentic assessments into the course content. I think it is valuable and it reaches accross all educational and experiential boundaries.
Hello Dr. Wilkinson,
In my online courses, I play a large role in teaching my learners the objective of the course. It becomes very important as my learners would have to demonstrate learned courseroom skills (in the online environment) and be able to apply them outside the course room in a 'real-life' setting. In my experience, I use authentic assessments in evaluating the student based on what was learned in the course(s). In this case, the students demonstrate, or 'perform' what they have learned from their courses.
The discussions of the course are also designed in such a way that it is encouraged for the learners to reflect on their experiences, if it applies to the discussion question. This invites others to discuss real life experiences and seek ways to improve their problem solving skills through discussion.
Cheers
Dr. E. Somnarain
A substantive amount of my assessment is focused around authentic assessments as I am always trying to relate the business principles I am teaching to the real world. Almost all of the posts require the students to relate the business principle they are learning to their own workplace experience or to a workplace experience they are familiar with. I constantly remind the students that what they are learning in my classes will be helpful in improving their performance at work and helping them to achieve their career goals. As my students reply to other student's posts, my posts or to the information required in their written papers, they use current knowledge and/or skills as they begin to make the connection between learning and the real world.
This is fairly new territory for our school. We haven't done anything with authentic assessments. However, we have a new program beginning, and will begin to use the case studies and portfolios.
Hello All,
Good morning! Authentic Assessments are great tools to use in online classes. I am a big fan of digital portfolios. I work with education students, and the portfolios are a great way to demonstrate professional growth. I also like the added benefit that the content can be used professionally as well, say in a job interview.
Assessments that can benefit students in multiple ways are ideal.
Have a great day!
-Al
Gloria,
That is a perfect way to bring authentic assessment into the discussion. Students will bring their own experiences to the table there!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Susan,
LOVE THIS! How creative. Do the students find this way of learning interesting. . . ?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Lindsey,
It also engages the students and helps them learn problem solving skills. Using this improves students critical thinking in all courses.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
