1. 1 Online Assessment Dr. Joan D. McMahon Professor of Human Resource Development Towson University, Towson, MD 21252 mcmahon@towson.edu

2. 2 By the end of this session, you should Distinguish between grading and assessment. Discern which Characteristics of Assessment can apply to your course(s). Apply assessment methods to online teaching. Decide which tools work best in your course to measure learning.

3. 3 Operational Definitions Grading / Required / Standards - reliable, valid, free of bias / Consider anxiety, cheating, fairness issues Assessment ¥ Not graded ¥ Can be anonymous ¥ What, how much, how well students are learning ¥ Preparing them to succeed

4. 4 “My goal is not to fail you.”

5. 5 7 Characteristics of Classroom Assessment Angelo and Cross ¥ Learner Centered ¥ Teacher-Directed ¥ Mutually Beneficial ¥ Formative ¥ Context-Specific ¥ Ongoing ¥ Rooted in Good Teaching Practice

6. 6 1. Learner Centered Concept ð Focus on learning, rather than teaching ð Develop meta- cognition skills: thinking about learning Online Discussion  Reflections on online learning thread.  Transferability thread (how does online learning help you become a lifelong learner?).

7. 7 Learner Centered What did you learn about your own learning process by taking this course? I learned that I much prefer to work on assignments in pieces...I found that keeping a log made the writing of the case study much easier, but, I also found that I have problems being precise in my writing. I tend to be wordy and often deviate from the APA style. It's hard to change the way you write to accommodate the APA requirements.

8. 8 Learner Centered ð To a large degree, I am an aural learner so that I missed that element of interaction. I also respond better to f2f situations as opposed to the solitude of the on-line set-up so that maintaining motivation was an ongoing issue for me.

9. 9 2. Teacher-Directed Concepts ðDepends on faculty skill, experience, professional knowledge and insight. ðDecides on what to assess, how to assess, and how to respond to the information gained through the assessment. ðNot obliged to share the results with anyone outside the classroom. Midcourse assessment ¥ How am I helping you learn? ¥ What am I doing that is hindering your learning? ¥ What course corrections should be made? ¥ PQP’s

10. 10 PQP ðPraise  What should the planners keep in this workshop? ð Question ð Polish  What are you re-thinking about your own teaching?  What recommendations would you make about future workshop designs?

11. 11 Teacher-Directed ð Course Correction (Polish) Completing the peer performance forms was the least helpful assignment. Having individual grades seemed useless after working as a team. I would have preferred all team grades.

12. 12 3. Mutually Beneficial Concept ð What are the essential skills and knowledge I am trying to teach? Online  Surveys ð How can I help students learn better? ð How can I find out whether students are learning them?  Organizational charts  Graphic organizers  Writing marathons  Debates

13. 13 Mutually Beneficial ( Survey about skills, knowledge) ð What was most useful to you in your learning process ? The format of being able to answer the questions[about the text material] at any time and that the answers would be posted for all to see was motivating. I spent more time reflecting on my answers before writing than in a classroom discussion. Moreover, I was able to focus more clearly on my classmates answers to the discussion board questions….

14. 14 Mutually Beneficial ( Survey about skills, knowledge) ð I know about team building, team process and group work. I feel I have a solid knowledge and experiential base to apply and reflect upon groups and teams in my future work roles.

15. 15 Mutually Beneficial Writing Marathon Example How are students learning the subject matter? Example of a threaded discussion  Building Teams in Cyberspace  Clarifier view of main points  Devil’s Advocate View  Story about cyberspace teams illustrating the point(s)  Summary

16. 16 What experiences have you had with in-class marathons?

17. 17 Mutually Beneficial Graphic organizer example  How can I help them learn better? Sources of information Ask them on a survey which ones they added of their own- A,B,C A B C

18. 18 4. Formative Concept ð Improve the quality of teaching, not evaluating or grading students ð What, how much, and how well students are learning. Online  Questions for online learning –Early –Mid-semester –End

19. 19 What three questions from the handout would you use?

20. 20 Formative ð What is most useful to you in your learning process ? The team effort at developing the team depot and the tools researched have been very useful to me professionally. The structure of looking for analysis, interventions and evaluation tools opened a new field of professional thought for me.

21. 21 Formative ð A shortcoming I feel was that the format of the course deprived us of interactions with half of the class as the majority of communication was team member to team member. As everyone brings different talents to the table, I would have welcomed the opportunity to exchange ideas with everyone on a more regular basis in a [f2f] classroom setting.

22. 22 Formative The first few weeks of class were very challenging for me. While I have become more comfortable with the discussion boards, I am still sometimes worried that I am missing something. And, because I was spending so much time on-line and working on the [constitution,] I found my self having trouble completing ALL the reading assignments. With the case study due on Tuesday, I am nervous that I haven't completed a very important portion of the reading that will help me do the best job on this assignment. I'm catching up on the reading...but, it has really been overwhelming for me. I'm not sure how that issue could be resolved...maybe a more definite breakdown of the assignments per week?

23. 23 5. Context-Specific Concept ð What works well in one classroom won’t work well in another. ðCulture ðChemistry of the class ðPast experiences Online  They just don’t get it! They’re so confused. I’m confusing them!

24. 24 Context-Specific ðThe more I read the literature on teams and virtual teams, the more it becomes clear that virtual teams are not different from f2f (face-to- face)teams. They face the same predictable issues. The only difference is that virtual teams have to work differently to help their members coalesce into a real team. Continued...

25. 25 continued... My view is that if meeting f2f is required for certain tasks, do it. When meeting f2f is not required, use the communication tools to your advantage to save time. BTW (by the way) the telephone is an excellent tool. Don't hesitate to use it!

26. 26 6. Ongoing Concept ð The creation and maintenance of the classroom ð The feedback loop Online  Tips for next semester  Layers of the course recyled

27. 27 Layers of the course 3/4 through the semester what are you learning about...

28. 28 7. Rooted in Good Teaching Practice Assessment builds on good practice by Making it more systematic More flexible More effective

29. 29 Good Practice examples ð Muddiest Point about...  Postings around a thread  Writing Marathon  What would you do if you were {Bill}? ð Assessing their own values ð One “Minute” Paper

30. 30 Thanks! Dr. Joan D. McMahon http://www.towson.edu/~mcmahon mcmahon@towson.edu

31. 31 References  Angelo, T.A., Cross, K.P. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques. San Francisco. Jossey Bass.  Walvoord, B.E., Anderson, V.J. (1998). Effective grading: a tool for learning and assessment. San Francisco. Jossey Bass.

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