Alternative Assessments Using Web-Based Tools

Today

• Examples of using web-based tools for assessments

• Integrating 2.0 assignments into course design

• Things to think about:– Which tool do I use?– What do I need to consider?

• Assessment concerns• Student concerns• Instructor concerns• Curricular concerns

Web 2.0 Tools

• Blogs• Papers• Social Bookmarking• Collaborative Authorship• Presentations• Social Networks• Photos • Videos• Maps• Mashups• Concept Maps/Diagrams• E-Portfolios

Web 2.0 Tools

• Jason Rhode’s site used for his Faculty Summer Institute presentation this past summer:

Web 2.0 Gizmos and Gadgetshttp://sites.google.com/site/fsi09jrhode/web20

Which tools can be used for assessment purposes?

• Pretty much all of them!

• Limitations – Instructor creativity– Student technical capabilities

• Challenge– Matching tool with assessment

objectives– Assuring that there is ‘value

added’ for using a web-based tool

Exemplars

Blogs

Group Project : Individual Project

Exploring Canadian Culture, English 005University of Vermont

http://pwmartin.blog.uvm.edu/005/archives/group_blog_assignment.php

Reflective JournalIntroduction to Online TeachingGovernors State University

http://beingdigital-yevette.blogspot.com/

Social Bookmarking

Work Literacy Project

http://workliteracy.ning.com/notes/Week_2:_Free_Your_Bookmarks_with_Social_Bookmarking

1. Create a del.icio.us account2. Find resources on the web that relate to the

course content3. Store them with a tag “wlning”4. Add additional tags for creating sub-

categires

Individual and Group Authoring

Group Project : Individual Project

Learning Styles Group ProjectIntroduction to Online TeachingGoogle Docshttp://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=dfmj23v5_0g767cjfp

Student PortfolioCertificate in Online TeachingWiki

http://stephaniehughes.wetpaint.com/

Evaluation of Effective Use of Technology in Online Teaching Project Wikihttp://group2bibliography.wetpaint.com/

Presentations

VoiceThreadIndividual Project:http://voicethread.com/#q+science+project.b1192.i13696

SlideCasthttp://www.slideshare.net/slidecasts

PowerPoint + Audio File

Google MapsAround the World Mapshttp://sites.google.com/site/worldstudieswithmisterr/home/around-the-world-projects

Flickr GeomappingRural Decay in the U.S. South http://www.flickr.com/explore/

Mapping

Incorporating web-basedassessments into online

courses

Just creating the assignment is not enough

Integrating Web Assessments into (Online) Classes

• Sufficient lead time so that students have time to learn the tool before the assignment due date

• Explain why you are using this tool• Project instructions

– Clear and complete instructions on what students are to do

– Anticipate student questions and uncertainties

– Exemplars of projects from previous offerings if possible

– Rubric that describes how the project will be evaluated.

Integrating Web Assessments into (Online) Classes

• Provide instructions on how to get started– How to access the tool– Links to required required– Links for tutorials (either on the

product site or ones you create)– Where to find ‘help’

• Create a ‘tool help’ discussion topic

Cool Tools … butThings to think about

Considerations when planning aweb-based assessment

• What are you trying to accomplish?

– Learning objective, not technology, should drive the choice of tools

• Learning Management System or Web 2.0 Tool?– If the task can be effectively done within

the tools available in your LMS, use the LMS• What is the ‘value added’ for using the Web 2.0

Tool – does the value of using the 2.0 tool exceed the

additional time students will spend to learn the technology

Considerations when planning aweb-based assessment

• Which tool to choose?– The free one– The one that most easily meets the assessment

objective (e.g., Google Docs vs. a wiki will support joint authorship.)

– The one that is easiest for students to learn– The one that students have used previously if

possible (specify a ‘preferred’ tool, but allow students to use alternative if they have previous experience with a similar tool)

– The tool that students will most likely use over and over again, either academically or professionally

Considerations when planning aweb-based assessment

• What is the ‘value added’ for using the Web Tool

– does the value of using the 2.0 tool exceed the additional time students will spend to learn the technology

More Things to Think About – Assessment Concerns

• Will the use of the tool negatively impact the assessment of the learning objective

(i.e., are you assessing the achievement of the learning objective or the ability of the student to become proficient with a new software tool?)

• Can you objectively and effectively evaluate student learning from the final product produced

(If you can’t develop a clear and comprehensive rubric to describe levels of competency demonstrated by the project you have a problem)

More Things to Think About – Student Concerns

• Student concerns– Does the tool fit within the technical

proficiency of the typical student in the class?

– Is the time required to complete the project ‘reasonable’

– When is it too much• http://ocw.umb.edu/communications-studies/c

omstu-210/assignments

More Things to Think About – Instructor Concerns

– Can I grade the projects and provide feedback in a reasonable expenditure of time

– Does tool have built-in functions that will allow me to provide good feedback?

– How can I integrate this tool within the LMS

More Things to Think About – Program/Curricular Concerns

• My class is not the only class students take

• If each instructor is selecting and using different Web 2.0 tools, the impact on students can be extreme and very negative

• If different courses in the same program use the same tools, students can build on their prior knowledge and produce better and more sophisticated assignmentsas they gain experience with the software.