14.6: Summary
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This has been an overview in some cases and in others a detailed examination of the types of issues you need to consider when evaluating student performance in the online environment. The issues covered in this chapter include security for online testing, creating quizzes in WebCT, finding third-party assessment tools, and authentic assessment strategies.
If you are going to administer an online exam and students will be on campus, it is important to think about the computer lab environment. Work with lab managers to have students use secure browsers and/or computer monitoring software, like NetSupport. You can also use Excel with WebQuery to monitor large numbers of student test submissions. Quiz Settings in WebCT and in other Learning Management Systems include, but are not limited to, restricting which IP addresses (or ranges) can access the quiz itself and setting a password for the quiz.
This chapter provides valuable information for teachers using WebCT. In addition to showing you how to create the different types of questions (multiple choice, short answer, matching, paragraph, and calculated), it demonstrates how to link to images and files. Linking to images can be done using the WebCT Graphic User Interface (GUI) or with HTML code. Linking to files can be done using the GUI or JavaScript. It concludes by looking at grading options for short answer questions.
For those of you who do not have access to, or do not wish to use, a quiz in a learning management system (LMS), there are other online assessment tools available. These third-party tools provide a variety of options, ranging from quizzes similar to those from an LMS to crossword puzzles that use vocabulary from your course. You can also create customized worksheets or include media like MP3 audio files. Some of these tools are free, while others require a subscription or fee.
The last section of the chapter discusses a different type of assessment, called authentic assessment. Authentic assessment is designed to give students the opportunity to show their abilities in ways that are closer to what they will be asked to do in the field they are studying. Usually multiple-choice quizzes do not provide the opportunity for students to show physical skills or higher level thinking. Essays, lab manuals, audio or video clips, observation logs completed by experts in the field, and presentations are just a few examples of evidence students can provide to demonstrate competencies. Sometimes these pieces of evidence are collected in an electronic portfolio, while in other cases they are individually submitted.
As an instructor it is your job to choose the appropriate assessment strategies for the knowledge, skills or attitudes that students need to display. Define your expectations, possibly with a rubric and model evidence that students should emulate. Pick a technology pathway that will provide equal opportunities for students to succeed. Finally, be sure to make assessment an iterative process. This can mean giving students a chance to go through a self-assessment quiz or to participate in a peer review exercise. It might also mean that you assign lowstakes quizzes or writing assignments each week. This will help students prepare to complete a high-stakes exam or written work.