learning enhancement unit centre for learning and teaching 20 october, 2015 staff education:...

learning enhancement unitCentre for Learning and Teaching April 20, 2023

Staff Education:

Learning about Online Assessment -

OnlineDavid Walker, Margaret AdamsonRichard Parsons

University of [email protected]


Online Assessment: The Student Experience

A Dundee student recently said:

“Taking an exam online feels a lot more natural to me because I’m used to sitting and working in the IT suites. In an exam hall I feel much more stressed because

it’s so unfamiliar.”


Online Assessment: The Staff ExperienceAt Dundee we have put in place: Quality Software Quality Hardware Pedagogic and technical support Clear Policy and Procedures Integrated Learning Environment

The limiting factor remains staff perception and staff skills – we aim to address this with staff education


Introducing ‘Assessment Online’ Established in 2002 5 week staff education

course Participants study online

for 3 to 6 hours a week Run by elearning

professionals with support from academic ‘practitioners’


Why an online course?

We aim to make the online environment as natural for staff as it is for students

Tuition in online assessment is naturally suited to the online environment

Can demonstrate the use of advanced tools and approaches to online assessment

Staff gain a student insight into elearning Establish relationships, trust and mutual respect


What are the advantages?

Time of participant’s choosing – try scheduling a staff development to suit 20 people

Place of participant’s choosing, utilising their hardware and resources

Pace appropriate for their experience. Longer in some parts, quicker in other parts

Facilitates greater collaboration We learn about teaching and learning online


So what does the course cover?Two Key Streams:

1. Pedagogy of online assessment2. Technicalities of assessing online

General assessment issues Good question/assessment design Procedures in authoring and delivering Analysis of student answers and assessment

lifecycle Complexity and future of online assessment


How is it assessed?

Weekly assignments Progressive build up of knowledge and skills Advanced activities End of course single-attempt exam – online!


Does it work?

Yes – for mostPartially – for others


What do the staff think?Positive

Like the depth and the understanding they gainLearn a lot about how may students might feel about using the VLELearn that Online Assessment is more flexible than they thought

NegativeRequired knowledge and technical skills beyond capabilitiesDue to other commitments could not complete the course


What becomes of our graduates? About 40 to 50 % go on

immediately to use OA with their students

Feedbacks suggests they improve their own online courses

Keep in contact with all graduates, and some start to produce assessments

Used as an illustration of their professional development


What have we learnt? Participants must recognise that the course

requires regular quality time Group work important for motivating many

participants Be clear/strict about structures and deadlines Enhanced with wider participation Staff are the subject experts Technical skills and resources can be limiting Staff do behave like students


What next?

Course has been validated and accredited (10 ScotCat Points)

Required participant commitment made more transparent

Participants from other universities welcomed An advanced eLearning course

We continue to make the online environment a more natural place in which to teach, learn and grow.


To Summarise… Assessment

hardware design & deployme

nt

Staff educatio

n

Central assessment support

Assessment software design &

deployment

Learning systems

integration

Clear policy and procedure

s


Further Information

Course runs biannually Next start date is 10th November 2004

Further information: [email protected]

www.dundee.ac.uk/learning/dol/

learning enhancement unit centre for learning and teaching 20 october, 2015 staff education:...

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