Part II: Online Learning: Opportunities for Assessment and

Evaluation

Dr. Curtis J. Bonk Indiana University and CourseShare.com

http://php.indiana.edu/~cjbonk

cjbonk@indiana.edu

                                      

    

Online StudentAssessment

Assessment Takes Center Stage in Online Learning

(Dan Carnevale, April 13, 2001, Chronicle of Higher Education)

“One difference between assessment in classrooms and in distance education is that distance-education programs are largely geared toward students who are already in the workforce, which often involves learning by doing.”

Focus of Assessment?1. Basic Knowledge,

Concepts, Ideas2. Higher-Order Thinking

Skills, Problem Solving, Communication, Teamwork

3. Both of Above!!!4. Other…

Assessments Possible Online Portfolios of Work Discussion/Forum Participation Online Mentoring Weekly Reflections Tasks Attempted or

Completed, Usage, etc.

More Possible Assessments

Quizzes and Tests Peer Feedback and

Responsiveness Cases and Problems Group Work Web Resource Explorations &

Evaluations

Sample Portfolio Scoring Dimensions

(10 pts each)(see: http://php.indiana.edu/~cjbonk/p250syla.htm)

1. Richness2. Coherence3. Elaboration4. Relevancy5. Timeliness6. Completeness7. Persuasivenes

s8. Originality

1. Insightful2. Clear/Logical3. Original4. Learning5. Fdback/

Responsive6. Format7. Thorough8. Reflective9. Overall Holistic

E-Peer Evaluation FormPeer Evaluation. Name: ____________________Rate on Scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high):

___ 1. Insight: creative, offers analogies/examples, relationships drawn, useful ideas and connections, fosters growth.

___ 2. Helpful/Positive: prompt feedback, encouraging, informative, makes suggestions & advice, finds, shares info.

___ 3. Valuable Team Member: dependable, links group members, there for group, leader, participator, pushes group.

___ Total Recommended Contribution Pts (out of 15)

E-Case Analysis Evaluation

Peer Feedback Criteria(1 pt per item; 5 pts/peer feedback)

(a) Provides additional points that may have been missed.

(b) Corrects a concept, asks for clarification where needed, debates issues, disagrees & explains why.

(c) Ties concepts to another situation or refers to the text or coursepack.

(d) Offer valuable insight based on personal experience.

(e) Overall constructive feedback.

Issues to Consider…1. Bonus pts for participation?2. Peer evaluation of work?3. Assess improvement?4. Is it timed? Give unlimited time

to complete? 5. Allow retakes if lose

connection? How many retakes?

Issues to Consider…6. Cheating? Is it really that

student?7. Authenticity?8. Negotiating tasks and criteria?9. How measure competency? 10. How do you demonstrate

learning online?

Increasing Cheating Online

($7-$30/page, http://www.syllabus.com/ January, 2002, Phillip Long, Plagiarism: IT-Enabled Tools for

Deceit?)

http://www.academictermpapers.com/

http://www.termpapers-on-file.com/ http://www.nocheaters.com/ http://www.cheathouse.com/uk/index.html http://www.realpapers.com/ http://www.pinkmonkey.com/ (“you’ll never buy Cliffnotes again”)

Reducing Cheating Online Ask yourself, why are they cheating? Do they value the assignment? Are tasks relevant and challenging? What happens to the task after

submitted—reused, woven in, posted?

Due at end of term? Real audience? Look at pedagogy b4 calling

plagiarism police!

Reducing Cheating Online Proctored exams Vary items in exam Make course too hard to cheat Try Plagiarism.com ($300) Use mastery learning for some tasks Random selection of items for item

pool Use test passwords, rely on IP#

screening Assign collaborative tasks

Reducing Cheating Online($7-$30/page, http://www.syllabus.com/ January,

2002, Phillip Long, Plagiarism: IT-Enabled Tools for Deceit?)

http://www.plagiarism.org/ (resource) http://www.turnitin.com/ (software, $100,

free 30 day demo/trial) http://www.canexus.com/ (software; essay

verification engine, $19.95) http://www.plagiserve.com/ (free database

of 70,000 student term papers & cliff notes) http://www.academicintegrity.org/ (assoc.) http://sja.ucdavis.edu/avoid.htm (guide)

Turnitin Testimonials

"Many of my students believe that if they do not submit their essays, I will not discover their plagiarism. I will often type a paragraph or two of their work in myself if I suspect plagiarism. Every time, there was a "hit." Many students were successful plagiarists in high school. A service like this is needed to teach them that such practices are no longer acceptable and certainly not ethical!”

New Zealand Universities Consider Lawsuit Against Sites Selling Diplomas in Their Names.

The Web sites, which already offer fake diplomas in the names of hundreds of colleges in the United States and abroad, recently added New Zealand’s Universities of Auckland, Canterbury, and Otago to their lineup. The degrees sell for up to $250 each.

Feb 11, 2002, David Cohen, Chronicle of Higher Education

Online Testing Tools

Choice: Select companies that

specialize in online assessment.

Or: Use what the courseware package gives ya…

Test Selection Criteria

(Hezel, 1999)

Easy to Configure Items and Test Handle Symbols Scheduling of Feedback (immediate?) Provides Clear Input of Exam Dates Easy to Pick Items for Randomizing Randomize Answers Within a Question Weighting of Answer Options

More Test Selection Criteria Recording of Multiple Submissions Timed Tests Comprehensive Statistics Summarize in Portfolio and/or

Gradebook Confirmation of Test Submission

More Test Selection Criteria

(Perry & Colon, 2001)

Supports multiple items types—multiple choice, true-false, essay, keyword

Can easily modify or delete items Incorporate graphic or audio elements? Control over number of times students

can submit an activity or test Provides feedback for each response

Flexible scoring—score first, last, or average submission

Flexible reporting—by individual or by item and cross tabulations.

Outputs data for further analysis Provides item analysis statistics

(e.g., Test Item Frequency Distributions).

More Test Selection Criteria

(Perry & Colon, 2001)

Web Resource: http://www.indiana.edu/~best/

Online Survey Tools for

Assessment

Sample Survey Tools Zoomerang

(http://www.zoomerang.com) IOTA Solutions

(http://www.iotasolutions.com) QuestionMark

(http://www.questionmark.com/home.html) SurveyShare (http://SurveyShare.com;

from Courseshare.com) Survey Solutions from Perseus

(http://www.perseusdevelopment.com/fromsurv.htm)

Infopoll (http://www.infopoll.com)

Web-Based Survey Advantages Faster collection of data Standardized collection format Computer graphics may reduce

fatigue Computer controlled branching

and skip sections Easy to answer clicking Wider distribution of

respondents

Web-Based Survey Problems: Why Lower

Response Rates? Low response rate Lack of time Unclear instructions Too lengthy Too many steps Can’t find URL

Survey Tool Features Support different types of items (Likert,

multiple choice, forced ranking, paired comparisons, etc.) Maintain email lists and email invitations Conduct polls Adaptive branching and cross tabulations Modifiable templates & library of past

surveys Publish reports Different types of accounts—hosted,

corporate, professional, etc.

Web-Based Survey Solutions: Some Tips… Send second request Make URL link prominent Offer incentives near top of request Shorten survey, make attractive,

easy to read Credible sponsorship—e.g.,

university Disclose purpose, use, and privacy E-mail cover letters Prenotify of intent to survey

Tips on Authentification Check e-mail access against

list Use password access Provide keycode, PIN, or ID # (Futuristic Other: Palm Print,

fingerprint, voice recognition, iris scanning, facial scanning, handwriting recognition, picture ID)

Evaluation…

Champagne & Wisher (in press)

“Simply put, an evaluation is concerned with judging the worth of a program and is essentially conducted to aid in the making of decisions by stakeholders.” (e.g., does it work as effectively as the standard instructional approach).

Evaluation Purposes Cost Savings Improved Efficiency/Effectiveness Learner Performance/Competency

Improvement/Progress What did they learn?

Assessing learning impact How well do learners use what they

learned? How much do learners use what they learn?

Kirkpatrick’s 4 Levels Reaction Learning Behavior Results

Figure 26. How Respondent Organizations Measure Success of Web-Based Learning According to the

Kirkpatrick Model

0102030405060708090

Learner satisfaction Change inknowledge, skill,

atttitude

Job performance ROI

Kirkpatrick's Evaluation Level

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f R

esp

on

den

ts

My Evaluation Plan…Considerations in Evaluation Plan

1. Student

2. Instructor

3. Training

4. Task5. Tech Tool

6. Course

7. Program

8. University or

Organization

What to Evaluate?1. Student—attitudes, learning, jobs.

2. Instructor—popularity, course enrollments.

3. Training—internal and external.

4. Task--relevance, interactivity, collaborative.

5. Tool--usable, learner-centered, friendly, supportive.

6. Course—interactivity, completion rates.

7. Program—growth, long-range plans.

8. University—cost-benefit, policies, vision.

1. Measures of Student Success

(Focus groups, interviews, observations, surveys, exams,

records)

Positive Feedback, Recommendations Increased Comprehension,

Achievement High Retention in Program Completion Rates or Course Attrition Jobs Obtained, Internships Enrollment Trends for Next Semester

1. Student Basic Quantitative

Grades, Achievement Number of Posts Participated Computer Log Activity—peak usage,

messages/day, time of task or in system

Attitude Surveys

1. Student High-End Success

Message complexity, depth, interactivity, q’ing

Collaboration skills Problem finding/solving and critical thinking Challenging and debating others Case-based reasoning, critical thinking

measures Portfolios, performances, PBL activities

2. Instructor Success

High student evals; more signing up High student completion rates Utilize Web to share teaching Course recognized in tenure

decisions Varies online feedback and

assistance techniques

3. TrainingOutside Support

Training (FacultyTraining.net) Courses & Certificates (JIU, e-education) Reports, Newsletters, & Pubs Aggregators of Info (CourseShare, Merlot) Global Forums (FacultyOnline.com; GEN) Resources, Guides/Tips, Link

Collections, Online Journals, Library Resources

Certified Online Instructor Program Walden Institute—12

Week Online Certification (Cost = $995)

2 tracks: one for higher ed and one for online corporate trainer Online tools and purpose Instructional design theory

& techniques Distance ed evaluation Quality assurance Collab learning

communities

http://www.utexas.edu/world/lecture/

3. TrainingInside Support…

Instructional Consulting Mentoring (strategic planning $) Small Pots of Funding Facilities Summer and Year Round Workshops Office of Distributed Learning Colloquiums, Tech Showcases, Guest

Speakers Newsletters, guides, active learning grants,

annual reports, faculty development, brown bags

Technology and Professional Dev: Ten Tips to Make it Better (Rogers, 2000)

1. Offer training2. Give technology to take home3. Provide on-site technical support4. Encourage collegial collaboration5. Send to prof development conference6. Stretch the day7. Encourage research8. Provide online resources9. Lunch bytes, faculty institutes10. Celebrate success

RIDIC5-ULO3US Model of Technology Use

4. Tasks (RIDIC): Relevance Individualization Depth of Discussion Interactivity Collaboration-Control-Choice-

Constructivistic-Community

RIDIC5-ULO3US Model of Technology Use

5. Tech Tools (ULOUS): Utility/Usable Learner-Centeredness Opportunities with Outsiders

Online Ultra Friendly Supportive

6. Course Success Few technological glitches/bugs Adequate online support Increasing enrollment trends Course quality (interactivity

rating) Monies paid Accepted by other programs

7. Online Program or Course Budget (i.e., how pay, how large is course, tech fees charged, # of courses, tuition rate, etc.)

Indirect Costs: learner disk space, phone, accreditation, integration with existing technology, library resources, on site orientation & tech training, faculty training, office space

Direct Costs: courseware, instructor, help desk, books, seat time, bandwidth and data communications, server, server back-up, course developers, postage

7. Program:Online Content Considerations

Self-Paced or Live mentors? Interactive or content dumping? Individual or Collaborative? Lecture or problem-based

learning? Factual or performance

assessment?

8. Institutional Success

E-Enrollments from new students, alumni, existing

students Additional grants Press, publication, partners,

attention Cost-Benefit model Faculty attitudes Acceptable policies

8. Increase Accessibility

Make Web material ADA compliant (Bobby)

Embed interactivity in lessons Determine student learning preferences Conduct usability testing Consider slowest speed systems Orientations, training, support materials

e.g., CD-ROM

Final advice…whatever you do…