1. E-Learning Assessment Professor Robin Mason

2. Beginnings assessment is –about standards and criteria –about categorising students –about making judgements –about certification –about aiding learning

3. My Assumptions assessment is the de facto curriculum negative assessment experiences can colour students’ learning for many years MCQ and many exams test memory not deep understanding good assessment relates directly to what the course teaches each assessment method favours different students

4. Key Issues and Tensions individualisation continuum (learning contract - essays - MCQ) course design continuum (aims and objectives = course content = assessment) the art of assessment design (challenging assignment v/s marking reliability v/s feasibility) balancing student centred approach with responsibility of certifying achievement more innovative assignments are more open to cheating and plagiarism

5. Bad Practice in Assessment not assessing the knowledge and skill areas related to the objectives only assessing knowledge and skills which are easy to assess over-assessing allowing assessment methods to dictate the objectives and the content

6. Good Practice in Assessment use a variety of assessment methods relate the assessment to the pedagogy make the aims, criteria and standards explicit use authentic and holistic tasks opportunities to complete the feedback loop

7. Existing Assessment Methods individual: learning contracts, projects, journals, portfolios, presentations, essays, written examinations, open-book examinations, prepared examinations, recognition of prior learning collaborative: group projects, presentations, peer marking

8. Online Assessment web pages: projects, literature review, collaborative pages conferencing: debates, simulations, discussions MCQ: matching,assertion/ reason, ranking and sequencing, multiple right answers

9. Case Studies web essay iterative assignments using online interaction learning contracts writing up online activities web-marked assessment self and peer marking

10. Conclusions online assessment –offers rich learning opportunities –allows electronic submission and automated marking but there is no silver bullet for rich assignments PLUS easy marking