Final Group Project Group 3 Assessment

8/18/2019 Final Group Project Group 3 Assessment

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Rounding up(with Elizabeth, Niamh, Sarah, Shannon and Tom)

In this document we will:

● look at how to best assess asynchronous and synchronous onlinediscussions;

● determine a code of ‘best practice for assessing online courses; and ● provide suitable activities to help end an online course effectively

What factors do we need to consider when we assess asynchronous

and synchronous online discussions?

As mentioned this week, the most popular task types in online courses include forum

discussions and synchronous discussion/chats. The bigger issue, however, is how best to

assess the students’ contributions on these platforms. Here, we have compiled a list of our toptips on how best to assess these discussions...

● Decide whether the assessment should be public or private● Mark something early on in the course so learners know they are being

assessed and what to expect● Anonymous forum posts from previous courses can be used as models● Decide what will be gradedit!s not necessary to grade everything"● As the tutor# participate often and actively to be a model for students● $se a combination of assessing both %uality and %uantity

&ow can we best assess online courses in general?

There are a number of benefits to using online assessments, not just because it can lead to

more efficient submission and marking, but also because it can help foster improved learner

engagement. This is because participants act on their feedback in an innovative environment,

especially through the use of creative media and online peer and selfassessment.

!t’s important to note, though, that assessment criteria can include a number of factors,

including, but not limited to, "uantity #range of interactions$, "uality #relevance of comments$

and accuracy #especially with regard to language output$.

'hings to consider when assessing the %uantity of replies

% The number of times students post in general% The promptness of response/contribution did students contribute early enough

to allow for interaction/discussion&


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% The fre"uency and variety of posts did students comment on a range of

different types of topics/forums/posts&

'hings to consider when assessing the %uality of replies

% The depth and relevance of response did the learner e'pand on his/ her ideas&% The critical reflection did the learner bring up new points or offer something

constructive&% The organi(ation of the response% The creativity of their ideas% The helpfulness of the comments to the original comment in the forum

'hings to consider when assessing the language of replies

% The accuracy of language% The range of language #is the type of language used appropriate for the learner’s

level&$

)ltimately, however, we should be focussing on the following key factors to ensure that online

assessments are fair, relevant, and ultimately work towards improved learner outcomes*

● Manage student expectations about what and how contributions will be

assessed #different approaches can be taken depending on the aims and outcomes of

individual programmes$● (e clear and explicit about the assessment criteria● )ndividual variables should be taken into account*

+ +earner including attitude, motivation, physical variables+ ,nvironmental including physical and organi(ational variables+ -ontextual including socioeconomic, political and cultural

variables+ 'echnological including hardware, software, connectivity

variables+ .edagogic including support systems, methodologies, fle'ibility

and autonomy

● (e flexible when working with students with differing technologies# time

/ones etc #-hoose what to grade "ualitatively and what to record as participation, and

use models from previous courses to help prevent recurring mistakes$● ,ncourage not 0ust self1assessment and reflection# but also peer

assessment #assess the "uality of teamwork and collaboration during these tasks$


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● 2et aside specific times3days for feedback# and then make this clear to

students #)se personali(ation in feedback and a conversational in tone in writing, but

don’t be afraid to vary how you present feedback i.e. via audio clip or video$

What suitable activities can ) use to help end an online course

effectively?

!nspiration for this section has come from the various activities being conducted for the end of

this course, icky Hockly’s eoderation skills blog, and various other online media.

Activity 0ne* 1arting 2ifts

!n this activity, every participant on the course says 3goodbye’ to the rest of the group by posting

a 3parting gift’. The tutor, however, needs to stress that the gift can be practically anything #a

recipe, a picture, a 4ouTube video, an activity to use in class ne't week etc.$. 5tudents then

post this 3gift’ to the forums along with a goodbye message to the rest of the group.

Activity Two* ock Award -eremony

!n this activity, focus on the achievement of the group by creating a mock awards ceremony. The

moderator can either create a number of different categories #keep them lighthearted6$, and

then use an online polling platform #like directpoll$ to let the group vote for the winners in each

category. Alternatively, provide each student with the name of another participant, and have

them design a special award for that particular person. 5hare the awards in a forum, or organise

a special video/audio chat.

Activity Three* 7ord -louds-ompare two word clouds to recognise a broader understanding of the topic. 1rior to the course

starting, brainstorm a list of words associated with the topic #have each student provide ten

words/phrases to the list at the start$. )pon completion of the online course, have students

generate a new list of words associated with topic #again each student posts 89 words/phrases$.

-ompare the two word clouds. 7hat change has happened in the participants’ knowledge of the

topic& :o they know more concepts related to the topic& 7as it easier to generate the list prior

to teaching the unit or after completing the unit&

Activity ;our* 0nline noticeboards

!n this activity, participants need to identify the 0< most important thing that they have learned

during their online course. 5tudents can post these observations on an online noticeboard like

=1adlet>, which makes a change to just posting into a forum.

Activity ;ive* ?ecording audio/videos

!f students are feeling comfortable recording their voices/themselves, have participants record

themselves saying =farewell> to the group. 1rovide prompts on what to say, be it best bit of the

course, what they have learnt, what they want to focus on when the course finishes etc.


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Honourable mention* ;ormal feedback forms

As with most online courses, feedback is an integral part of finding out what went well to ensure

that future courses are continually being improved. Have participants fill out online feedback

forms in the final week of the course to then go over them once the course has ended.

Documents

Final Group Project Group 3 Assessment