Online assessment methods...
In this module we addressed several online course components. Describe a course that you have taught, either online or onsite, and discuss the assessment methods you would use when facilitating that course online. Be sure to justify why you chose each assessment method and discuss why others would not be appropriate.
I teach Pro-Engineer Fundaments to both career students and industry students. In my class I use Powerpoint presentations with graphis to illustrate the dialog boxes, function of the command we are learning, and also why a certain command must function they way it was designed. I also give a lecture at the same time, and follow up with a demonstration of that command on a real life part. I have found that in most classes you have either verbal, written, or graphically types of people, so to cover all methods of learning I must incorportate this into my lesson plan. I do not use alot of pre recorded animation or audio,other then my lectures since both would tend to promote redundancey.
It sounds like you have all bases covered when presenting material to students with different learning styles. Do you have as many options when assessing the learning that has taken place? Do you use online objective exams and quizzes or do you find that essay-type questions are more suitable? Just curious. :)
Most of the courses I teach are skills based. However there are several such as Current Trends in Massage that would easily adapt to online. Currently I assign students to research projects that includes a hand out, descriptive demonstration, interview with a professional that practices the style and internet research on additional training sources. I also include guest lecturers on their preferred styles and finally I lecture on how to spont trends and how to be a smart consumer of CEU's. Students presentations are the bulk of their grade. They are assessed by a very detailed worksheet that they are given with their syllabus. Also I demonstrate a presentation using power point on pet massage, that they follow along the demo with a stuffed animal. A number of the students utilize powerpoint for their projects and I would encourage that even more.
Kelli,
It is encouraging to see that you use a variety of assessment tools in your course and, I agree, all of these tools would translate very well to the online environment. Since presentations are the largest part of their grades, do you think that eliminating the "live" aspect of the presentations, assuming that the course is taught completely online, would lessen the educational experience for your students?
Jane
I teach functional curriculum to high school special education students. These include goals and objectives in vocational, domestic, community based instruction and recreation/leisure. I evaluate them through (1)classroom activities (2) teacher observation (3) weekly data collection and (4) quarterly evaluation. For example, in order for a student to master a goal,that student will successfully complete say four of five trials (80% accuracy) for six consecutive months. If I transfer the vocational domain online, for the evaluation, I will retain classroom activities, weekly data collection,and quarterly evaluation. I will drop the teacher observation or refine it and use it to observe students in synchronous chats.
Isaac
It seems that you have one of those courses that does not easily convert to an online medium. I agree with your assessment that a portion of the vocational domain may lend itself to the online environment, however, keeping in mind the special needs of your students, can you think of any activities besides synchronous chats in which your students can engage? I am thinking of things such as puzzles, short quizzes, etc. Thanks :) Jane
One of the courses I teach is adult learning practices and principles, followed by a training skills workshop. Certainly the practices and principles course could be trained online, and several of the topics would be well-suited for online assessments. However, the training skills workshop checks for methodology as well as the standard presentations skills such as eye contact, voice inflection, pace and many others. Immediate feedback is provided. Then we repeat the process: more presentations, more feedback. We also video tape each students presentation so they can review their own performance. This is not suitable for online training or assessment.
You bring up an interesting point about the training workshop not being suitable for online because of the need for immediate feedback. The thought that I can't get out of my head is that some colleges are offering speech classes online, which are evaluated in much the same ways as your workshop. In light of this, if you were challenged to convert your training workshop to an online course, could you make it work? I am interested in your thoughts :) Jane
Jane,
I would love to know how the students are being evaluated in the speech classes. If I were evaluating a student's skills in the delivery of online training, it would be completely appropriate to provide an online assessment -- as a matter of fact, I have done this in the past. However, if I want to see someone's classroom skills, I'm not sure how I could evaluate their stand up skills online. I would love some feedback and ideas regarding this. How do I assess someone's ability to adjust to their audience, eye contact, audience command, poise, facial expressions and gestures, for instance, online? An instructor needs to "see" these skills to assess them, requiring a student to submit a video, or video file. Video streaming is not common capability due to the size of the files. I would welcome and appreciate any ideas here (from anyone)! Thank you.
Elaine,
There aren't too many options besides having students submit a video, which is what the current speech classes are doing. Assuming that the students live close to the school, you could have the final presentation conducted onsite. Another option would be for the institution to hire outside evaluators, similar to test proctors for final exams.
If you come across any other information on this, I would love to hear from you again.
:)
Jane
Jane, thanks for your reply.
We have found that, in most cases, teaching and measuring learning in the cognitive and affective domains is very transferable to an on-line format. Selection type and essay questions and can be designed, transmitted, completed, returned and evaluated. As Elaine pointed out, however, conducting and evaluating psychomotor, practical application, or physical activity is not easily transferable. I think the video tape or streaming video (someday) solution is a great idea and about the only way to capture the action.
Good answer! What do you think about hybrid classes? Do you think that, perhaps, they could be the answer to evaluating the psychomotor, practical application, and physical activity portions of the course. Aside from video tape and streaming video, can you think of any other way to assess these skills in the online environment? Is there other technology that can be used? Let me know if you come up with any brainstorms!! :)
Jane
I teach classes in reducing/eliminating pain using Chinese medical approaches (Touch for Health Kinesiology). This could incorporate online theory and understanding with Proctoring for the required physical applications. Muscle testing will always need an instructor's touch for the student to have confidence doing it themselves. As of recently, the TFHKA organization created an e-Touch for Health that I could incorporate in my classes. As for future online instruction, I will be creating segments for the shoulder, the back, the neck, etc. that will lend well to online instruction because when someone is having a problem in a given area, they only need to specifically identify what range they can move before pain,then apply a technique. The test is whether the pain diminished or disapppeared.
Hi Karen,
It sounds like your course could be easily converted to an online format for the theory portion. Do you think that the physical aspect of the student assessment could be done online with e-Touch?
:)
Jane
Nope. Must be hands on. It's part feeling, part science, part art thru experience and feedback.
Hi
I have a question for you. Is open book exam ok ?
When I first started teaching I hated open book exam. Later on I found out that if the subject was too much and time was limitted an open book exam would help my students to learn more in that limitted time.
Shohreh
Shohreh,
I agree with you about open book exams. I think that anything that gets students to open their books is good. With online learning, I don't believe there is a way to avoid students using their textbooks. It is best to design exams that encourage them to state what they learned in their textbooks in another way and even expound on that knowledge.
Good point :)
Jane
I use a short 3 page paper as a method of assessment. This gives students a chance to express themselves and how much they have learned beyond the memorization of facts. The paper asks them to apply the information they have learned to a real-life situation that most of them will encounter in their profession.
