Assessment is evidently very important in e-learning or online learning. It is quite different than assessment based in traditional classrooms for a number of reasons, such as the type of assessment, designing the assessment and challenges related to assessment in e-learning.
With changes happening for learning in general (e.g. learner-centered learning) assessment in both traditional and virtual classrooms becomes affected and educators in e-learning need to be aware of these changes and apply them in order for both teachers and students to get the most out of the assessment.
There are a number of ways educators can make assessment in e-learning more enjoyable and achievable for the students, as well as and easier to monitor and assess for themselves. I have come up with some suggestions on how educators can achieve this:
increase their knowledge on assessment in e-learning (do more research, professional development (Kirkwood, 2009), speak and share with colleagues)
create a open, judgment-free, virtual classroom environment so that students are not afraid to ask questions and express their views
create clear guidelines for assessment
design assessment around student learning outcomes
emphasize the learning outcomes so students are aware of them
do their homework on the students - when a teacher knows how the student learns, their prior knowledge, how often they participate, what kind of learner they are etc, educators will be able to judge their work (to a certain extent) in terms of reliability
pretend they are in the students' shoes
use various and innovative assessments
design questions that stimulate discussion (as opposed to memorization) (Born, 2003; as cited in Aggarwal, 2003)
include group assignments (Born, 2003; as cited in Aggarwal, 2003)
give helpful but encouraging feedback
These are just some suggestions on how educators can improve assessment within e-learning. The video by Professor Bonk on the page Why focus on Assessment? also offers some guidelines and advice near the end of the video.
Any suggestions or questions regarding e-learning and assessment can be posted on the discussion page.
Assessment in E-Learning Wrap Up
Assessment is evidently very important in e-learning or online learning. It is quite different than assessment based in traditional classrooms for a number of reasons, such as the type of assessment, designing the assessment and challenges related to assessment in e-learning.
With changes happening for learning in general (e.g. learner-centered learning) assessment in both traditional and virtual classrooms becomes affected and educators in e-learning need to be aware of these changes and apply them in order for both teachers and students to get the most out of the assessment.
There are a number of ways educators can make assessment in e-learning more enjoyable and achievable for the students, as well as and easier to monitor and assess for themselves. I have come up with some suggestions on how educators can achieve this:
These are just some suggestions on how educators can improve assessment within e-learning. The video by Professor Bonk on the page Why focus on Assessment? also offers some guidelines and advice near the end of the video.
Any suggestions or questions regarding e-learning and assessment can be posted on the discussion page.