Online Assessment

Online Assessment

It is easy to simply add multiple choice tests to your LMS (which in fact can grade themselves), but assessment is normally much more than that.  Assessment typically involves four important processes:

  • identifying clear, valid, and appropriate student learning outcomes
  • collecting evidence that those outcomes are being addressed
  • setting the stage for a dialogue to attain a collective interpretation of the data
  • using data to improve both teaching and learning

Assessment can certainly be a tool for accountability, but it can also be an ongoing process for learning.  In fact, the concept of learning-centered teaching involves the effective use of both formative and summative assessment.  The online environment offers some unique challenges for assessment, but also offers opportunities for positive ongoing assessment.

Key questions examined in this section:

  • What online techniques can be used to make student thinking visible?
  • What online study aids are available to assist students in grasping difficult concepts?
  • How could you effectively use rubrics to inform the evaluation process in an online class?
  • Are there tools that can help in creating and deploying assessment instruments?
  • How do you promote academic honesty and ethics when assessments are taken online?

This section includes: