assessment and credit in online open qualifications
DESCRIPTION
Presentation to eAssessment Tomorrow Conference January 2014, EdinburghTRANSCRIPT
Assessment and Credit in Online Open Vocational Qualifications
John GordonOpus Learning
digital by default, digital by design30th January 2014
Opus Learning Ltd, Edinburgh
• We develop online open courses to SQA HND standards
– A white label service for students enrolled with other providers.
– Direct to students who are enrolled with Opus
• We provide the learning environment, and deliver the learning content and assessments.
In this morning’s talk, I hope to indicate how we have:– Benefited by using technology to support and
manage vocational learning;– Considered how to de-couple learning and
assessment– Managed downwards the risks and costs of using
technology.
Origin of Opus
• A spinout from CAPDM.com
• Developing and delivering Masters programmes for over 17 years
• www.capdm.com
• We deliver highly interactive courses, delivered via an online platform such as Moodle.
• With tools to manage and monitor learning with or without tutor support.
Structure of our programmes
• We build:– integrated frameworks of Units for SQA HNDs and
University undergrad programmes– within a framework of commercial discipline.
• Which are outward facing and globally oriented
The Main Issues of 2014• Learning and Assessment• MOOCs and SPOCs• Financing and selling• Badges and Certificates• Initial training and Life Long Learning• RPL and de-coupled accredited assessment
The problems in an online context
Online Learning does not change the problems of assessing learning
– Tracking learning– Authentication– Identifying problems in learning– Recognising need for intervention
MOOCs introduce new aspects– Learn without credit– Gain credit after learning– Building badges into credits– Peer support– Security issues
Interaction types
Student
Environment
Content Tutor
Student/Student
Content/ContentTutor/Tutor
Environment/Environment
Student/Tutor
Tutor/Environment
Student/Environment
Student/Content
Content/Environment
Tutor/Content
Based on diagram inAnderson 2003
Where do the major costs lie?
Student
Environment
ContentTutor
Community
Student/Student
Content/Content
Environment/Environment
Support and Assessment
Student and Institution Management
Student/Environment
Student/Content
Content/Environment
Review and Improvement
Based on diagram inAnderson 2003
Academic Activity
Interactions and MonitoringType of Interaction Tracking FunctionHuman to human Within Forums
Via a ticket system for formal student to tutor interactions
Student to Learning Platform Via built in tracking tools on Platform
Student to contentStudent and formative assessmentsStudents and personal reflections
Our in-built tracking and monitoring tool
Interacting with Content Objects
Learner interacting with content, leaving traces
Student interacts with content
Makes notes, responds to quiz, send messages, etc
Capture notesStore in MLE
Print off record of learning The Digital Workbook
The Digital Workbook is• A portfolio embedded in
the content• A dashboard for learning • Rich seam of data and
behaviours for mining• Ongoing formative
assessment, and potential summative assessment
• A pdf for the student
MOOC Value Proposition• Education Access
– On a massive, international scale. Currently, most students who are not enrolled college students.
– May change as colleges integrate MOOC content to traditional teaching• Experimentation
– New business model– New resources for learners– New learning technologies based on mining
• Brand Extension – MOOCs can extend the institution’s reach and reputation internationally. – Particularly among elite research institutions, MOOCs have become a way of
enhancing the institution’s brand and signalling innovation. – Successful professors can gain a global following, building their own reputation
http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/PUB4005.pdf
How does this affect Learning and Assessment?
Assessment In theSQA environment
All units are stand alone, they can be delivered in a very flexible manner, but there are very clear pointers to how assessment should be carried out.
It is no longer appropriate to base the assessment of competence on a final 3 hour written examination.
Assessment and Verification what happens
Candidate Requests
Assessment Instrument from VLE
Assessment sent to
Candidate – time limited
Candidate responds to Assessment
Assessor reviews
Assessment Attempt Makes
comments
Assessment pdf
Candidate Attempt
Satisfactoryyes
No
Assessor sends comments to
candidate
Assessor comments
Candidate Resubmits
Resubmit?
yes
Candidate attempt
NoSign assessment record detailing re-assessment
Sign assessment record detailing
Satisfactory
Candidate Assessment
Record
Send assessment record to
candidate – complete record in VLE/SQA Connect
Verifier consultation
Verifier consultation
Open Distance Learning
The Tensions in Technology Based Open and Distance Learning
• Who is actually at the end of the screen?• What is the level of Granularity for assessment?
– We want freedom for student to learn what they want when they want
– We want to integrate assessment across a group of units
• What is the cohort size?– We want individualised learning– We want efficiency in the use of tutor support
Who is at the end of the screen?
Opus Policy is:
Digital Authentication
+Physical Authentication
Managing Learning with Technology
• At Opus we track student behaviour. • We use 2 levels of tracking
– Moodle Based (the VLE) and – Content Based.
Tracking through the learning content
• Opus content is massively connected to the students workbook
• Every reflection, exercise, quiz, short response and so on are logged within the learning content and in the workbook
• The tutor can view, track and compare workbooks
DWB Examples – Source Page
DWB Dashboard –Managing groups of students
Some conclusions from tracking
• Tracking appears to:– Provide the potential of personalised learning
within mechanical presentation of study– Assist formative assessment in the content driving
tracking and the experience of learning progress– Provide feedback on Tutor effectiveness and the
effectiveness of the pedagogy underpinning the content
The Commercial Imperative
We wish to – drive down cost of assessment– Drive up the quality and efficiency of assessment
within the context of a well resourced learner.
We have to manage costs, and the use of human resource
Assessor/Tutor Activity Model in Distance Learning
1. Monitor VLE activity, identify any candidate with lack of progress and contact course leader for action.
2. Monitor Digital Workbook (if used) and identify any outliers in progress, contact course leader with details.
3. Respond to direct tickets from candidate, making use of FAQs for responses, if new response is required, copy response to course leader.
4. Responding to assessments; remediation advice
Assessor/Tutor Activity Model in MOOCs
1. Monitor VLE activity automatically. 2. Monitor Digital Workbook but ignore any outliers in
progress, contact course leader with details. 3. Send any queries to student peer group for support4. Responding to machine assessed assessments; only
automatic remediation advice
Take out the tutor!
Managing Resource
• We can time and cost elements in traditional online courses• Times and costs vary with cohort size in traditional courses• For the MOOC approach, times and costs must be
independent of cohort size.
Timing Model vs Cohort size
HND Business Timings Assumptions
Students per assessor
1 5 10 15 20
Average timing per unit for HND Business - minutes
93 85 77 70 64
Learning Centre Cost ModelSPOC
• Based on the previous models– Time per tutor/unit/student can be estimated– Payment to Tutor/assessor is known– Viability of the Distance Course can be calculated.
• We need to know these numbers and to watch them
Potential Cost Model
Possible costs/charges per studentawarding body charges = £250;tutoring = £1000; tech + online content licence = £300; agent fees = £250Centre overheads per student = £500
Total cost per student = £2300
Potential Centre Surplus
• In UK Charge to student £3500-£4500• In India Charge to student £1500-£2500
We cannot serve one of largest markets in the world, with this model.
We have to be able to manage costs.
MOOC Costs models
• Charge to student – Zero• Cost for development of module not well
reported– EdX charge $250k to produce a MOOC**– University of North Carolina quoted $150k for in-
house production*• Revenue shares between platform provider
and university
Learning from MOOCS
• Massive size of cohort• Highly programmed week by week• Clearly signposted weekly targets• Using the student body as the main tutor
toolset• Building a community of activists and lurkers• Managing and controlling costs• Generate revenue by conversions?
Learning from MOOCS
• Do not do assessments – Until students join full programme
• Keep the granularity of the course fairly small – not full degrees
• Set up an honour system – make the students police themselves and even support each others’ learning.
Applying all these lessons
• Manage the cohort size• Make sure investment reflects assessment and
tutor support provided – the added value of a non-free course
• Make assessments social, encourage group help. Track this activity!
Opus StrategySmall Private Open Courses
• Organise cohorts in groups of 10s, not groups of 10k’s or 100k’s
• Localise tutors and assessors• Build communities including assessors• Track activity and behaviour at keyboard level and at
cognitive level• Record activity – perhaps award a badge for partially
completed activity• Guide the learners towards completion, intervene as
necessary
Opus MOOC Experiment
• From the 1st April 2014, there will at least 2 Opus Units following SQA curriculum– With no registration at SQA– No access to Assessment Support Pack items– With formative assessment – peer assessed– With summative assessment with peer commenting– Open badges for course completion/attainment
• With the potential to register post mooc, and fast track to assessment.
The Opus Open Courses
• Management: Developing Self Management Skills based on course H1F1 34
• Project Management: An Introduction based on course F1NH 34
Developing Self Management SkillsSummative Assessment
• Students are encouraged to provide evidence in a format which suits their particular situation.
• It is particularly suited to an electronic portfolio method of assessment.
Project Management Summative Assessment
• Outcomes can be assessed by the development of project management documentation, for a workplace project for which the candidate has responsibility
Our to do list
• Design the courses• Design the peer assessment elements• Design the learning pathway (based on
current open online pedagogy)• Design the Badge structure• Work with SQA to provide pathway to
certification!!!!
