Questions related to the social responsibility of ID and assessment
Assessment is an important component of virtually all instruction, whether face-to-face or online. Murray, Gillese, Lennon, Mercer, & Robinson (2002) speak to social responsibilities that educators possess regarding assessment and note, “Instructors are responsible for taking adequate steps to ensure that assessment of students is valid, open, fair, and congruent with course objectives.†This is a formidable task for any instructor embark upon, necessitating an answer to the question, “Why assess teaching & learning?â€
Ellis (2001b) stresses the synergistic value of combining teaching, learning, and assessment and lists three reasons why assessment is important: (1) to classify students, (2) to diagnose students, and (3) to encourage and support learning (p. 38). Classification refers to the classic “grading†of student work while diagnosis attempts to identify deficiencies in the students’ knowledge. The encouragement and support of learning is the ultimate goal which assessment can ideally promote on an ongoing basis.
Distance educators face particular challenges when conducting assessment online. The roots to many problems with online assessment can be found in the design of assessments which don’t adequately measure learning objectives. Rather than employing authentic assessment metrics (Ellis, 2001a) educators often utilize superficial assessment activities that neither accurately measure nor engage learners in higher-order thinking.
The challenges are therefore numerous for online educators conducting assessment. Here are some common questions for the online instructor to consider when developing assessment for online learning:
- What is the purpose of the assessment? (ie: classification, diagnosis, encouragement?)
- What is the assessment attempting to measure?
- Who is the true author of the work? (ie: authenticity)
- Does the assessment adequately measure the students’ level of learning?
- Does the assessment foster reflexivity (Ellis, 2001b) and increase cognitive presence (Garrison, 2003; Garrison & Anderson, 2003)?
References:
Ellis, A. K. (2001a). Research on educational innovations (3rd ed.). Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
Ellis, A. K. (2001b). Teaching, learning, & assessment together: The reflective classroom. Larchmont, NY: Eye on Education.
Garrison, D. R. (2003). Cognitive presence for effective asynchronous online learning: The role of reflective inquiry, self-direction and metacognition. In J.
Bourne & J. C. Moore (Eds.), Elements of quality online education: Practice and direction. Needham, MA: The Sloan Consortium.
Garrison, D. R., & Anderson, T. (2003). E-learning in the 21st century: A framework for research and practice. London: RoutledgeFalmer.
Murray, H., Gillese, E., Lennon, M., Mercer, P., & Robinson, M. (2002). Ethical principles in university teaching. Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. Retrieved November 14, 2005, from http://www.tss.uoguelph.ca/stlhe/ethics.html
Comments
Leave a Reply