Developing Automated Assessments

Many applications and technologies exist that make creating assessment for online learning solutions a snap. Benson identifies two distinct advantages of online assessments over the more traditional classroom delivery assessment. The first is that every student gets the opportunity to respond to every question followed by the instructor’s ability to provide immediate feedback to each learner. The different types of online assessments outlined by Benson's Assessing Participant Learning in Online Environments are:

• Selected Response Assessments – e.g. True/False and multiple choice.
• Constructed Response Assessments – e.g. student has to formulate or show their response.
• Virtual Discussions – e.g. chatting between students or with instructor (rubrics may be used for grading).
• Concept Mapping – e.g. the student diagrams their ideas in the form of objects and the relationship amongst those objects.
• Portfolio Assessment – e.g. a collection of work the student has done over a period of time.
• Writing – e.g. formal papers.
• Field Experiences – Non-virtual experiences in the discipline being taught.
• Problem-Solving Simulations – e.g. virtual environment simulations such as a flight trainer.
• Individual and Group Projects – e.g. Project are completed by a team of virtual students.
• Informal Student Feedback – e.g. brief student feedback.
• Peer Feedback – e.g. some online courses have team projects where each team member grades the others for quality and participation.
• Self-Assessment – e.g. some online instructors post exemplary work of the assignment so students can compare their work to it (Benson, 2003, pp. 69-78).

The question has been asked of to what extent do these types of assessments make e-Learning less human and perhaps less subjective? Most of these online assessment practices have a clear tool and process to evaluate whether learning is or has taken place but most still require a ‘human’ to evaluate learning so there will be more subjectivity as opposed to the traditional classroom assessment.

Web-based learning environments “offer teachers and students a unique opportunity to participate in real-work, authentic experiences” (Rasmussen & Northrup, p. 2). These online ‘expeditions’ offer a more social human experience and are aligned well with the constructivism learning theory that leads to better learning transfer for students. Many of the online assessment strategies are much automated so any opportunity to add student and teacher collaboration in the assessment process is a big advantage. Rubrics are a great tool in measuring student knowledge and skills in these environments.

Brian Goodsell

References

Benson, A. D. (2003). Assessing Participant Learning in Online Environments. New Directions for Adult & Continuing Education, 69-78.

Rasmussen, K. L., & Northrup, P. T. (n.d.). Situated Learning Online: Assessment Strategies for Online Expeditions. Assessment for Effective Intervention.