Self-assessment

Self assessment types of assignments are provided for quick student feedback. Self
assessments:
 help the learner check if they have mastered a topic
 provide opportunity to measure learning progress
 are usually voluntary and may allow multiple attempts
 inform the learner, but not the teacher
 can occur whenever a performance activity is linked with feedback about that
performance.

Self assessment examples:

 practice quizzes
 games, simulations, and other interactive exercises
 practice written assignments
 peer reviews
 true-false questions

Interactive assessments
Interactive experiences can be designed as spaces within which learner's can perform a
task. These experiences can be graded or not. Interactive software can administer
quizzes and give instant, usually fun, right-wrong feedback and perhaps explanations
of right answers. Examples of interactive assessment:
 a simulator that lets learners virtually drive, facing the full range of driving
challenges along the way. Simulators can be used both to teach and to test through
performance in the simulation.
 students could conduct a virtual experiment rather than an experiment in a
physical laboratory
 language software might have sophisticated speech recognition software to
provide feedback about pronunciation
 creation of an online tool, such as a virtual instrument. Students could perform a
song, and the software provides feedback about accuracy and timing.
 a game where the goal is to find life in other solar systems. Making sound
decisions about where to search, how to get there, and what to look for earns points
but also shows that you are learning.

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Assessing student performance

Assessing student performance in an online course is similar to classroom assessment.

Frequent assessment helps students keep pace with content requirements.

Assessment can be based on writing an individual paper, preparing a group

presentation, class participation, attendance, homework problem sets, exams (essay,
short answer, multiple choice, true/false), and so on. Alternatively, when a student
performs a task rather than taking a test, it is called performance assessment. Examples
of performance assessment include: debating a topic; demonstrating a skill; conducting
an experiment and writing the results; doing a project; or compiling a portfolio of
work.

Ideally the assessment process informs the teacher and the learner about learner
progress and at the same time, contributes to the learning process. In theory, good
assessment:
 measures meaningful learning outcomes
 does so in a fair, reliable, accurate way
 is easy to administer, score, and interpret
 informs the teacher about student performance and how they are interpreting
course experiences
 results in meaningful feedback to the learner
 is itself a learning experience

Subjective assessment

In subjective assessments the teacher's judgment determines the grade. These include
essay tests. Essay tests take longer to answer and they take longer to grade than
objective questions and therefore only include a small number of questions, focusing
on complex concepts.
Objective assessment

Objective assessments (usually multiple choice, true false, short answer) have correct
answers. These are good for testing recall of facts and can be automated. Objective
tests assume that there are true answers and assume that all students should learn the
same things.
Learning activities meet learning objectives

The instructional materials should support the stated learning objectives and have
sufficient breadth and depth for the student to learn the subject. The learning activities
should promote the achievement of any stated objectives and learning outcomes.

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Learning activities can include class discussions, case studies, simulation exercises,
practice quizzes, tests, etc. Choose activities that align with and support the learning
objectives. Students should be able to reasonably achieve the learning objectives by
completing these activities.

Examples of matches between activities and objectives.

 The objective is to apply adjustment psychology to one's own circumstance. The
activities include simulations and discussions of application. A multiple choice test
from the facts of the text might be used.
 The objective is to apply adjustment psychology to one's own circumstance.
Activities might include time spent on lecture from text. A test might call for
application of ideas to one's life.
 The objective is to solve accounting problems. Activities would include solving
simple problems and testing might call for solving complex problems.
 The objective is to identify specific anatomical features useful for athletic trainers.
Activities might include a teacher showing anatomical features well beyond what
trainers need to know. Students might practice identifying some parts on each other.
A test might be multiple choice distinguishing statements that are true about anatomy
and labeling diagrams and applying their anatomy knowledge to injuries trainers
might see. 

Examples of mismatches between activities and objectives.

 The objective requires students to be able to deliver a persuasive speech, but the
activities in the course do not include practice of that skill.
 The objective is "Prepare each budget within a master budget and explain their
importance in the overall budgeting process." The students review information about
this in their texts, observe budgets worked out by the instructor, and produce
only one of the several budgets.
Teaching styles

Instructors develop a teaching style based on their beliefs about what constitutes good
teaching, personal preferences, their abilities, and the norms of their particular
discipline. Some believe classes should be teacher-centered, where the teacher is expert
and authority in presenting information. Others take a learner-centered approach,
viewing their role as more of a facilitor of student learning.

Although individuals have a dominant, preferred teaching style, they will often mix in
some elements of other styles. If you wish to take a more open approach to your
teaching, a blend of various styles may be very effective.

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Focus
Content Learning
On:

Coach or Facilitator:

Seller or Learner-oriented
Demonstrator:
Works best with students
Information-oriented who accept
responsibility for their
Works best with own learning, enjoy
students who need working with their peers,
little direction from and/or those who may
Learner the instructor, and/or become easily frustrated
those who accept when facing new
responsibility for challenges not directly
their own learning. addressed in the
classroom
Example practice:
Emphasis on Example practice: Role
independent learning modeling and
activities for groups coaching/guiding
and individuals. students on developing
and applying skills and
knowledge
Teacher
Professor or Entertainer or Delegator:
Expert/Formal
Authority: Relations-oriented

Instructor-oriented Works best with students

who enjoy working with
Works best with their peers, needing little
students who may direction from the
become easily instructor.
frustrated when
facing new Example practice:
challenges not Collaborative learning
directly addressed in such as group work, peer
the classroom,  review and other student-
and/or students who centered learning
may compete with processes consistently
peers for rewards and emphasized in a course.
recognition

Example practice:

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Traditional Lectures

Indiana State University's Center for Teaching and Learning has developed an
elaborate online resource about teaching styles and online teaching, based on the work
of Anthony Grasha. Their web site includes:
 an overview of teaching styles and instructional uses of the web;
 teaching style inventory;
 curriculum planning guidebook, divided by style;
 outline of the styles and rhythms of the WWW;
 discussion of using email, chat and discussion groups for different styles.

http://web.indstate.edu/ctl/styles/tstyle.html

Learning styles

There are extreme differences in how people process information and learn.
Constructivist, student-centered teaching focuses on teaching for understanding rather
than covering the curriculum. Student-centered teachers create learning environments
(in the classroom or online) which encourage learners to examine their current beliefs,
enable them to explore and be exposed to new ways of thinking, and include
experiences which require them to re-formulate their understanding. Instructors and
designers of learning experiences should have an awareness of the diversity of learning
styles which allow them to include features that appeal to different kinds of learners
and help students get the most out of their learning experience. This approach need not
be taken to the extreme, but often small modifications to a basic design can
dramatically expand its utility for different learning styles.  Instruction which focuses
on development of the "whole brain", including intuition, sensing, imagination as well
as analysis, reason and sequential problem solving, will reach a greater portion of
students with various learning styles.

Learning
Characteristics of students Strategies for instructors
Style tyle

"Let's try it"; sitting throughDiscussions, problem-solving

Active lectures is difficult; likes to work in activities; students retain information
groups better when doing something with it

Reflective "Let's think about it"; likes to work Provide time to think about the material,
alone; lectures are difficult if notnot just read & memorize;  write
given time to 'digest' thesummaries, devise questions and possible

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information applications of the content

Likes learning facts and using

established methods, dislikes
Establish connection from material to the
surprises; difficulty with abstract,
Sensing real world with examples of concepts and
theoretical material; good with
procedures, practical applications
details, memorizing fact and hands-
on work

Discovers possibilities &Interpretations and theories which

relationships; likes innovation,connect facts will help in
Intuitive
good at grasping new concepts;learning; provide time to read questions
works quickly thoroughly and recheck results

Incorporate meaningful pictures,

diagrams, charts, timelines, video,
Learns best from what is seen; a
demonstrations whenever possible;
Visual large percentage of the population
concept maps are good for listing key
are visual learners
points and demonstrating relationships
and can be color-coded

Summarize or outline content verbally so

that students can transcribe in their own
Verbal Learns best from the use of words
words; working through ideas in groups
can also be effective

Break material down into smaller logical

Learn best in logical steps; linear
Sequential chunks; give overviews of material before
format
getting into the content specifically

Provide overviews of material before

Digests material in leaps and
getting into specifics; show how topics
bounds; tends to look at the big
Global are related to other relevant course
picture and tries to make
material or knowledge students may have
connections to prior knowledge
from previous experiences 

Information for chart from:

http://www.uncw.edu/cte/soloman_felder.htm

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Another way to look at learning styles is to consider the more physical approach
students may take to learning.

Instructor
Instructors
should use
Characterist Learn should Action
Usually enjoy for
ic by use for emphas words
reinforceme
is
nt

Visual
Visual
(about Writing
learners need Charts, bold
65% of Watchin notes, concep See, look,
to see what Reading colors/patterns,
the g t maps,draw
they are outlines
populatio graphics
learning
n)

Auditory
Auditory
(about Key ideas
learners need
30% of Listenin through voiceSpeaking Hear, say,
to hear when Discussing
the g inflections, aloud speak
they are
populatio tones
learning
n)

Kinesthet Kinesthetic Writing on

ic (about learners need Analogies, flip chartsFeel, do,
Being physical
5% of the to moveDoing anecdotes,  and demonstrat
ly involved
populatio around while examples simulating e
n) learning tasks

Find out your learning style:http://www.ldpride.net/learningstyles.

MI.htm#types%20of%20learning%20styles

What assessments will you use?

Measuring student learning is always a challenge no matter what the delivery format.
Your choices are limited by time, resources and creativity. When thinking about
student assessment in a course, the following questions may help decide how many and
what types of assessments you will include in your course.
 What is it you want your students to learn? (see Assessment and learning
objectives)

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 What do they already know? Is a pre-test needed to measure prior knowledge?
 Which assessment methods match your teaching style?
 What assessment method will best test what your students learned?
 Will you test memorization or performance?
 Will these assessments be low or high stakes? (what portion of final grade)
 Should you use adaptive testing? (will the test adapt to user responses)
 How many assessments are sufficient? How many papers should you assign?
How many quizzes and exams will be enough?
 Will the number of students affect the type of assessment you choose?
 How quickly will students receive feedback?
 How much time will you spend correcting or commenting on assessments?
 How much grading support will you have?

The types of assessments selected and the methods used for submitting assessments
should be appropriate for the online learning environment, such as:
 submission of text or media files by email or 'drop box'
 exams given in a proctored testing center
 quizzes with time limitations, printing disabled, and other security measures
 multiple assessments which enable the instructor to become familiar with
individual students' work and which discourage 'proxy cheating' (someone other than
the student completing and submitting work)

Examples that are not appropriate:

 required assessments that cannot be submitted online, such as a lab practicum in a
science course
 a course in which the entire set of assessments consists of 5 multiple choice tests
taken online, with no enforced time limit, the print function enabled, and minimal
security features in place