3. Assessment and the
Instructional Design Process
Include assessments are part of the ID
process
Align assessment strategy with learning
outcomes (i.e. “teach to the test”)
Consider using Bloom’s Taxonomy as a guide
Include a blend of formative and summative
assessments
Include student and teacher feedback
4. Course Alignment
Learning
Outcomes
What do you want
your students to
learn?
Activities Assessment
What types of How will you know
activities will help your your students have
students meet learned?
outcomes
6. Assessment Categories
Formative Assessment Summative Assessment
Self & Peer Assessments Midterm / Final Exam
Surveys Quizzes
Journals Standardized Tests
Blogs Final Grades
Wikis Final Presentations
Discussion Boards Term Papers
7. 6 Principles of
effective online assessment
• Design learner-centered assessments that include self-
reflection
• Design and include grading rubrics for the assessment of
contributions to the discussion as well as for
assignments, projects, and collaboration
• Include collaborative assessments through public posting of
papers, along with comments from student to student
• Use Assessment techniques that fit the context and align
with learning objectives
• Design assessments that are clear, easy to understand, and
likely to work in an online environment
(Palloff & Pratt, 2009)
Adapted from “Bloom’s Bakery, An
Illustration of Bloom’s Taxonomy”
8. Assessment Tools
Rubrics
Allow for objective and consistent assessment
Clarifies your expectations about assessment
Makes students accountable for their
performance
Provides a rationale for grading
If team teaching or TA is grading, provides a
framework for all
10. Assessment Tools
Surveys
Use Survey tool to gather aggregate responses
from students
Remind students surveys are anonymous
If desiring to share findings with
students, copy/paste results into Word to post
to Blackboard
11. Assessment Strategies
Discussion Board, Wikis, Blogs, Journals
Provide clear expectations up front (word
count, substance, use rubrics)
Provide feedback or comments along with
grade
In the Discussion Board, best to grade by
forum versus the thread
12. Assessment Tools
Online Quizzes, Tests, and Pools
Allow students opportunity to practice
Format questions in MS Word and import using
the Blackboard Quiz Generator
Add test questions to pools for easy reuse and
expansion
Check with your textbook publisher to see if they
offer question pools for your textbook
Create tests from random blocks or question pools
whenever possible
13. Assessment Tools
Assignments
Use Assignment Manager for file exchange
Attach assignment instructions and/or
template files when creating assignment
Download submitted assignments for offline
grading
Enter feedback electronically & return to
students via the assignment
14. Assessment Strategies
SafeAssign
Use SafeAssign for substantial written
assignments
Inform students in the syllabus of the
requirements to use SafeAssign
Create draft version for students to submit to
in order to self-check their work
Make originality reports viewable by students
15. Academic Integrity
Plagiarism –
Use SafeAssign
Get to know the student’s capabilities through
the use of formative assessments
Tests and Quizzes –
Randomize the order of test questions
Randomly select a percentage from test pool
If a home quiz or test, allow open book
16. Academic Integrity
“Spending large quantities of valuable
time chasing after a small percentage of
cheaters can quickly lead to diminishing
returns”
(Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2011)
17. References
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2009). Assessing the
online learner, resources and strategies for
faculty. Jossey-Bass Inc Pub.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., &
Zvacek, S. (2011). Teaching and learning at a
distance, foundations of distance education.
Allyn & Bacon.
Hinweis der Redaktion
Include assessment strategy into the ID process – meaning rather than testing student knowledge after instruction has been delivered, you are thinking about this during the design of your course – in fact, this is what drives the design of your course – taking an outcomes based approach. Align assessment strategy with learning objectives or learning outcomes – this should drive your assessment strategy – not the tools or technology that’s availableThink about assessment from learner perspective – consider this student will be working in an asychronousenviroment, so your course objectives/learning outcomes much be visible and understood by the student every step of the way. Additionally, as you’re designing your course consider
Figure out what learning outcomes areDecide what they should do to get therefinally determine how you’ll know if they’re successfulThis also ties in to Janet’s discussion on backwards design
Each level of Bloom’s taxonomy can help you move your students through the process of learning – from the most fundamental of remembering and understanding to the more complex of evaluating and creatingThe verbs listed on the left can tell students what they are expected to do. The activities on the right are tied to the specific outcome or objective an guides the instructor on the instructional and assessment strategies.The key is that these are measureable in that verbs are action verbs, and the activities can measure whether the student has met the objective.
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: Formativeassessments are used throughout the course and are part of the instructional processProvides information needed to adjust teaching and learning while they are happeningInforms instructors and students about understanding at a point when timely adjustments can be madeTypically, they are low-stakes or no-stakes assessmentsSUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS:on the other hand take place after the learning has been completed (unit, module, chapter, semester). Typically, no more formal learning will take place at this stage. Healthy balance of both typesReflection and feedback an essential part of formative assessmentFrequent low- / no-stakes formative assessments allow both you and your students to shape or modify efforts at accomplishing the learning outcomesIn BlackboardYou can also think of formative assessments as a means to get to know your students.The formative assessments can be graded based on participation and / or other criteria. A rubric will be a helpful tool for both you and your students.
What is Learner-Centered? An environment where teaching and assessing are intertwinedStudents are actively involved in the learning processCollaborativeRubrics take the mystery out of assessment for your students and provide clear, objective grading criteria for you to follow. When a student feels like he or she is in the dark about how their work will be evaluated by you, this can be a big hurdle for the student to overcomeInclude collaborative assessments – this can be done through the inclusion of blogs, wikis, and discussion boards, as well as group assignments. We will be looking at some of these tools in Blackboard.Use Assessment techniques that fit the context and align with learning objectivesDesign assessments that are clear, easy to understand, and likely to work in an online environment – In addition to rubrics, provide samples, templates, or examples of past work as a guide for students.
This goes back to those clear expectations in the 6 principles
The Column represents the Criteria that the student will be assessed in and the Row represents the level of PerformanceIf attached to an assessment in Blackboard, students can view the rubric alongside the task they’re being assessed on.
Pre-course surveys to measure pre-existing knowledge or skill in an area and Mid-term surveys to get feedback on activities or a new feature you’re trying out in Blackboard. Also, you can get general feedback on thoughts on how the class is going. Anonymous feedback – will elicit more candid responsesShow survey results from Morning Survey
Include samples / examples from previous classes that students can use as a guide
Again, the type of tool you use, should be based upon your course objectivesOver a dozen question types to choose from that include both objective t/f, mc type question. Can also include short answer and essay type questions. Faculty can include both types of questions in one assessment. Blackboard will automatically grade the objective type questions and you can then complete grading the on written subjective questions.Allow students opportunity to practiceReally important both for getting them comfortable with the technology, but also if you’re using a question pool, they can get a feel for what the real test will be like.Format questions in MS Word and import using the Blackboard Quiz GeneratorCreating quizzes in Blackboard can be tedious and you’re tethered to Blackboard during the process. Also, if you have pools of questions that exist in multiple places on your computer, they can be consolidated into one file and uploaded using this tool. Created by the College of Southern Idaho and link is in the folder. Copy/paste questions into a format that predefined by the tool, and uploads into Blackboard.Pools are a database of questions, or an inventory of questions that can be copied, exported, imported, or shared. Add test questions to pools for easy reuse and expansionThe nice thing about creating quizzes, tests, or pools is their portability. They can be so you’re doing the bulk of the work one time. Additionally, they can be easily changed or expanded on.Check with your textbook publisher to see if they offer question pools for your textbookCreate tests from random blocks or question pools whenever possibleReuse and repurpose assessment types once configured in BlackboardProvide feedback here based on responsePools are exportable for future use or for sharing with other facultyOnce the test is set up, the work is done. You only have to set this up once and can be preserved through a course copy. Questions can be added any time in the future. You can continue to expand and build the pools over time.When deploying tests in Blackboard, this is a two-part process. First step is to create the test, and the second part is to deplayMany options to consider: timed, multiple submission, what will student see upon completion, date restricted, randomize questionsIf reusing, and date restricted, you will have to make the adjustmentRandomize the questions
Attach files, templates, examples in the same fileEnter feedback directly onto the file. If in Word, you can use the Track Changes features or comments feature. When returning a file, remind students to view the file for your feedback
SafeAssign used to prevent plagiarism and not using it as a punitive tool.
Again, promote its use and provide rationale that it’s a prevention tool rather than a punitive tool. Allow students to have a trial submission.Incorporate many small assessments throughout the unit, course, or module. These ongoing activities or embedded assessment can reduce student anxiety and alleviate the one-chance-to-prove-myself anxiety