While the viewpoint of the key stakeholders may differ, assessment is a vital component of any educational programme. For students, assessment shapes and determines the focus of their learning. Lecturers view assessment as an important part of learning, but will also focus on other aspects such as module content. Assessment provides a lecturer with feedback on the effectiveness of their instruction. The policy maker views assessment as a tool to measure the success of instruction in achieving learning outcomes. Assessment can also trigger warning signals for programme teams within the online distance education context. Due to the lack of contact between students and the programme team, early indicators can alert administrators to ‘at risk’ students. In 2012 a project with the aim of improving assessment writing in an online BA (Hons) in Humanities began with the development of a guide for designing and writing assessments for online distance education students. In 2013 the appropriate assessment types required to provide students with reasonable learning opportunities to achieve the programme learning outcomes, as well as module learning outcomes, were identified. This resulted in the creation of an assessment matrix, for the programme’s modular structure, which provided a detailed overview of the appropriate assessment types from a programme level perspective. Currently, to progress the project, an online course and associated training workshops are being designed for assessment writers. This paper examines the process involved in: the creation of the guide; identifying the appropriate assessment types for the achievement of the learning outcomes; the development of the assessment matrix and; the ongoing development of an online course and training workshops. The paper also details the lessons learned from the project thus far and outlines the future plans that have emerged following the implementation of the assessment matrix.

1. Designing and Developing
Assessments - the Assessment Matrix
and Training for Online
Distance Education Assessment
Writers
Elaine Walsh and Dr James Brunton
Open Education, National Institute for Digital Learning – DCU

2. OUTLINE OF PRESENTATION
• Open Distance Education Teaching and
Learning Model
• Stakeholders
• Constructive alignment – programme and
module learning outcomes
• Identification of skills & mapping to assessment
type
• Development of the Assessment Matrix
• Assessment process
• Current developments and future plans

3. OPEN DISTANCE EDUCATION TEACHING
AND LEARNING MODEL
• Very clear and distinct roles
• Small number of full-time staff in DCU
• Supported by network of external academics
– tutors, writers, assessment writers, editors,
senior academics advisors, tutoring
monitors, internal examiners, external
examiners and programme board members
• Assessment strategy – internal staff
• Assessment design and development - Working
with subject-specific academics

4. STAKEHOLDERS
Programme
Team
Tutors or
Lecturers
ASSESSMENT
Writers:
Subject
Experts
Students
Tutors/
Monitors
Programme
team

5. CONSTRUCTIVE ALIGNMENT – PROGRAMME AND
MODULE LEARNING OUTCOMES
• Constructive alignment
• Identified skills
• Mapped to assessment type
– Online discussions
– Reflective practice
– Online experiments
– Final year project
– Statistical analysis
– Examinations

6. DEVELOPMENT OF THE ASSESSMENT
MATRIX
• Programmatic view of assessment
• Ensure sufficient opportunities for students to achieve
PLOs
• Assessment types identified
• 30 Modules – flexible routes with some registration
rules
• Mapped the assessment types to each module
• Lists (per module) each assignment type, examination,
assessment weightings
• Wrote the Creating Assessment for Online Distance
Education Students

7. SCREEN SHOT OF ASSESSMENT MATRIX

8. ASSESSMENT PROCESS
• Identify assessment type and/or liaise with writer to
design each assessment
• Contract suitable writers
• Provide relevant documentation and information
– Sample assignments and past examination papers,
marking guidelines, assessment grading system,
MLOs, course text, Creating Assessments for
Online Distance Education Students document,
assessment submission deadlines and timeframes
• Template – essays, discussions, debates, peer
tutoring, reflections, scaffolding assignments
• Develop marking feedback grids and rubrics for new
assessment types

9. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS AND
FUTURE PLANS
• Moodle course – Humanities Assessment
Writers
• Workshop on the 7th
June, 2014
• Clear statement of skills, within the
matrix, linked to specific individual
assessment

10. ASSESSMENT TYPES - STRUCTURE
• Description
• Web resources – YouTube, educational websites,
articles
• Application of the assessment type
• Any advantages or disadvantages
• What I need from the writers
• Examples for use within our modules
• Evaluation Criteria – including feedback grids and
rubrics
• Templates – sample assignments and marking
guidelines

11. HUMANITIES ASSESSMENT WRITERS – MOODLE
COURSE
http://moodle.dcu.ie/course/view.php?id=9561

12. THANK YOU