Christine,
Would those items be a part of a rubric?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
To assess the students’ use of blogging would of course, include the frequency/amount of participation which should be provided in the expectations or how would a student know if they should be active daily/weekly and the number of ‘discussions’. Content would need to be assessed based on the class/requirement. Netiquette is always expected – no question. A rubric with at least these listed as a minute to help provide the guidance before the student begins should always be provided.
cynthia,
Great answer, would you grade the feedback from others as it reflects what the blog leader wrote? I am just thinking out loud. . . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Interesting question of course! : - ) I can just hear the concerns that would be similar to comments from 'Group Project' grading too! My response to the question as of this posting is “no†I would not include in a grade the results of responses from others. I can see where comments/feedback about this topic would be beneficial - but not 'points'.
Thanks!
Cynthia
In the grading rubric for the blog I would assess: (1) quality of critical thought of the post, (2) use of outside sources to support the thought, (3) quality of writing, (4) possibly innovation in the use of technology resources (i.e., videos, etc), (5) level of contribution based on quantity of posts.
Assessing student blogging would have to be measured against a standard that was known and published in advance. In other words, a rubric. That way, direction is given the students in advance so they know what is expected of them and can aim to meet those requirements. Those requirements and activities should advance them towards the total learning objectives for the course. Without them, they are sailing around on the ocean with no known destination.
There should be expectations as regards the quantity and quality of blog postings by students, and definitions of what constitutes quality. This way, their blogs will be worth reading by other students and they can learn from each other.
I would assess a student’s blog by the content and relevance to topic being discussed. I would review the quality of writing, tone and flow of thought. I would also consider frequency of blogs and intended audience
Sharon,
Love your grading rubric categories. You really put some thought in them. I like the quality of critical thought criteria. Good post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
roger,
Would you have a rubric that students could use to evaluate the blog? That would be interesting.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Austin,
I hadn't thought about the consideration of intended audience. That is so important that the student is writing to a predetermined audience.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I believe the best assessment is three fold:
Content of blog
Number of input replies to blog
Interaction with other bloggers
These three items demonstrate an understanding of the blog topic, active involvement, and collaborative learning.
Because blogging has a free-form nature generally, I would balance this with structured requirements in much the same way I provide requirements for discussion question submissions.
First, I would identify which weeks blog assignments would be required and make it clear how many points they would be worth and what the deadlines would be.
Next, I would create a rubric that would identify a certain number of the total points for each of content, timeliness, organization, and spelling and grammatical accuracy. I would then publish the rubric so that students would know exactly what to expect in terms of how their blog posts would be assessed.
Finally, I would use the rubric in assessing the students' blogs and include the rubric and my feedback in the virtual classroom gradebook.
Matt,
Great post. I agree with you, this is one option of several for assessing learning. Using a rubric would help tie the assessment together.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Esther,
You bring up such an important point; engagement. You do want engagement of the other students. good post.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I would assess students' blogs based on content and reflection. As a math instructor, I might have students discuss the learning process for a specific concept and have students reflect on what did or did not work for them. I could also grade students based on their responses to classmates' blogs and how well they share different strategies for problem solving.
Erin,
What a great idea to use blogs in math. It is interesting to think about the thought process and sharing it with others. Very interesting. . . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I would assess the students' blog posting by ensuring that the post provides relevant, interesting information from a variety of credible sources. I would look to see if the blog provides input and insights about the topic and moves the discussion along. I would want the post to provide an opportunity to draw conclusions. I would not count the quantity of posts, but I would assess the quality of the posts.
Patrice Nybro
Personally, I assess based on quantity and quality of the blogging. I want to make sure that the students post quality conversations that add to the conversation. I warn students to stay on topic. I also try to make sure that the topics are interesting in order to get the blood pressure slightly up. So far, it worked for me.
Patrice,
I think those criteria for assessment are very good and allow for good constructive feedback. Nice job.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Eugene,
True, there is something to be said for quantity. We do seem to focus on Quality that we forget the quantity.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
