As online learning gains popularity, how to effectively assess teaching and learning outcomes in web-based environments becomes an important issue that educators should carefully think about. The article, No such thing as failure, only feedback: designing innovative opportunities for e-assessment and technology-mediated feedback (Miller, Doering and Scharber, 2010), brings us fresh ideas on this issue.
This article takes three real teaching cases as examples to illustrate how to appropriately implement e-assessment and technology-mediated assessment to support specific learning tasks. Each case enlightens me from different aspects.
Case 1. AvenueASL, an integrated e-assessment system developed to capture, evaluate, and manage postsecondary ASLlearner video performances. This case has me realize the importance of student self-assessment and the value of creating performance and feedback portfolios for students to keep them aware of their personal progress. The experience of self-assessment and regular looking up feedback portfolios encourage students to be more reflective regarding their ASL communication skills.
Pic 1 :This is the online assessment platform of AvenueASL. First, a curriculum-based communication task is assigned (left), and then student performance the task in front of a web-camera (middle), finally the instructor demonstrates the task and provides feedback in an other video. On this platform, quantitative and qualitative assessment tools are open to both students and instructors.
Pic 2: ‘My progress’ visualization from this student’s feedback portfolio enables him to trace his progress.
Case 2. GeoThentic, a hybrid learning environment designed to engage K-12 teachers and students with solving real-world geography problems through use of geospatial technologies. The innovative assessment and feedback designs attracts me because of two reasons: first, this case has teachers to assess their teaching skills while they are teaching the course; second, the web-based assessment system is accessible through cell phones, which makes more frequent and immediate feedback possible.
Pic 3: This is the interface of the Teacher-Reported Model (TRM) used in GeoThentic. Through applying this model, teachers can assess their current knowledge about the learning content, the pedagogies and technologies required in teaching this course.
Pic 4: Teachers can access TRM on their cellphones anytime and everywhere.
Case 3. AvenueDHH, a progress-monitoring environment designed to help assess reading, writing, and language development for use with deaf or hard-of-hearing (DHH) students. This case enlightens me also in two ways. First, it emphasizes on goal-setting and progress-monitoring in the whole process of teaching and learning. Through the continuous measurement of student progress and goal proximity, students are motivated; meanwhile, the instructors are able to modify their instruction accordingly to better meet student needs. Second, this case successfully applies a series of simple and effective assessment visualizations, which makes the assessment results easy to interpret by instructors, students and parents.
Pic 5: Visualizations clearly show current student progress and goal proximity. Green circles represent students who have achieved proficiency, blue circles represent students on the verge of achieving their goals, and red circles represent students who are struggling with their tests.
Reference:
Miller, C., Doering. A, & Scharber, C. (2010). No Such Thing as Failure, Only Feedback: Designing Innovative Opportunities for E-assessment and Technology-mediated Feedback. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 21(1), 65-92.
Wow! Although it seems a little bit complicated, I'm sure training would take care of those problems. I find the idea of monitoring progress with colors and shapes to be very interesting - I would love to see such a representation of my own status in my courses. That said, I feel that the grading scale of letter grades is so entrenched in this country that it would be difficult to switch to another means of gauging success. Although, I guess that this kind of visualization would not need to replace letter grades - it could be used to keep the teacher apprised of the students' progress or lack thereof and then at the end of the course, grades could still be assigned.
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