Using Learning Technology to Design and Administer Student Assessments

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Using Learning Technology to Design and
Administer Student Assessments

• Catherine Kane

Centre For Learning Technology, CAPSL Ref
http//www.ion.uillinois.edu
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Why would we use online assessment

• To Assess progress outcomes are met
• To encourage progress and learning
• To give instructor feedback to our students
• To encourage student-to-student collaboration
  (group work)
• To encourage student-teacher collaboration

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Pre course assessment

• This can identify the entry level of our students
  before we start a module
• Help us identify and focus on particular needs in
  the class
• Establish a base line to measure against after
  the module has been delivered

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Assessment during the course

• Gives an opportunity to correct any
  misconceptions through feedback
• Can identify gaps in the learning and areas to
  focus on
• Can identify appropriate times for moving on
• Re-enforces course outcomes

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Final Assessment

• Measures student learning
• Have the outcomes been achieved?
• Helps direct further instruction
• Prepares for the application of knowledge

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Using Technology

• Can deliver, grade and analyze assessment
• Record and report on achievement
• Facilitate learning by using built in feedback
• Can develop a collaborative approach to
  assessment

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Advantages

• Detailed and Immediate feedback
• Any time any where
• Automatic score recording and release
• More frequent assessment
• Self Assessment
• Time saving (once in place)
• Use of extended media e.g. Graphics and
  multimedia
• Ongoing statistics to improve quality
• Randomization of question and answers (reduce
  cheating)
• Grading not prone to human error
• Can provide hints and grade accordingly
• Variety of question types
• Collaboration

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Disadvantages

• Cheating?
• Technology Problems
• Technology Skills
• Time and Commitment setting it up

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Controlling Cheating

• Use a system that requires user id and password
• Have frequent assessments and make them worth
  only few points
• Make assessments available in a controlled lab
• Develop a large enough pool of questions that you
  can draw from it at random
• Randomize answers within questions
• Use question sets
• Require group collaboration

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Question Types

• True-False
• Easy to construct
• Guessing will be 50 correct
• Hard to test gray areas
• Easy to grade
• Matching
• Suited to associational knowledge
• Minimizes guessing
• Recognition rather than recall
• Can have more than one correct answer
• Easy to grade

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Question Types

• Multiple Choice
• Can be hard to write
• Reduces guessing
• Can provide diagnostic information
• Less effective for higher order thinking
• Easy to grade
• Can be more than one correct answer

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Question Types

• Short Answer
• Easy to write
• Eliminates guessing
• Recall over recognition (memorization)
• Can be difficult to grade
• Case sensitive/insensitive e.g. (NaCl not NACL)
• Essay
• Can provide in-depth assessment
• Eliminates guessing
• Good for higher level thinking
• Difficult to grade

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Group assessments

• Can provide a broad picture of a students
  capabilities
• Process can be tracked (discussions, personal
  journals and tracking tools)
• Produces a produce at the end of the process
• Draws on different skills and contributions