Using Assessment Within Virtual Learning Environments Colin milligan

Using Assessment Within Virtual Learning Environments

Colin milligan

Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment

S C O P E

• What is a Virtual Learning

Environment?

• The role of VLE’s in higher education,

• Assessment and VLE’s,

• Successful strategies.


What Is a VLE?

• A collection of tools for delivering learning online,

• A means of standardising the learning experience,

• A means of managing the learning experience,

• A one-stop-shop for the learning experience.

Developer

Administrator

Tutor

Student


A Typical Learning Environment

• WebCT

• Pathware

• Learning Space

• TopClass

• Pioneer

• CVU

...


VLE’s Are Good …

• Integrate materials and support - providing a complete solution,

• Allow efficient management of large banks of materials,

• Provide access to user-friendly tools - which empowers the tutor,


… or Not So Good?

• Encourage sites which are little more than ‘page-turning’ (linear),

UN-interactive,• Encourage over-standardisation of

materials - not stimulating, • A collection of mediocre tools,

none exactly suited to the purpose.


Re-assess: Roles for Vle’s

• Supporting & delivering training, Where linear structures can be tolerated,

• Supporting f-2-f teaching,Typical HE implementation,

• Replacing f-2-f teaching,For dual mode delivery.

… Must Implement Carefully.


Computer Assisted Assessment

• Stimulating (interaction),

• Motivating (feedback),

• Targeted (reinforcement),

• Diagnostic (students and topics),

• Efficient (automated).


VLE’s and Assessment

Opportunities for integration...• with student records,• with material delivery and progression,• with alternative routes through learning

materials, extra revision materials etc.,• with comments from a discussion forum.


VLE Assessment Tools:Typical Features

• Multiple question types - t/f, mcq, fill in blanks, calculation, matching,

short answer, paragraph (not marked),

• Feedback (per answer, and general),• Tracking by question, by student, • Make progression dependent on

performance,• Restrict access to test (temporal).



MLE Name

Tracks pages

accessed?Assessment Types Supported

Tests Over Set Time at Periodic

Intervals?

Question Pools (to allow customisation & re-use of questions)

Intervention Based on

Assessment?

COSE YesNone built in, but will support third party assessment products. Does provide secure way of submitting assessments.

No No No

Fretwell Downing

LENo

Supports all types of assessment. Interoperability in development. Yes Yes Yes

Learn Online Yes

Supports a comprehensive range of assessment types including multiple choice, fill in the blank and true/false.

No Yes Yes

Lotus Learning

SpaceNo No No No

Merlin No"Developed in accordance with course developers needs". Does include practice exercises with automated feedback.

Yes No No

Pathware Attain

Yes No No Yes

SCET Pioneer Yes

Multiple choice, matching pairs, ordered lists, fill-in gaps. No Yes No

TopClass YesMultiple choice, boolean, fill in blank, list matching, image maps, multiple correct answer.

Yes Yes Yes

Virtual Campus Yes

Both formative and summative assessment, competence testing, APL etc. can be accommodated.

Yes Yes No

WebCT YesVarious, including multiple choice, matching, short answer, calculated. Yes Yes Yes

MLE Name

Tracks pages

accessed?Assessment Types Supported

Tests Over Set Time at Periodic

Intervals?

Question Pools (to allow customisation & re-use of questions)

Intervention Based on

Assessment?

COSE YesNone built in, but will support third party assessment products. Does provide secure way of submitting assessments.

No No No

Fretwell Downing

LENo

Supports all types of assessment. Interoperability in development. Yes Yes Yes

Learn Online Yes

Supports a comprehensive range of assessment types including multiple choice, fill in the blank and true/false.

No Yes Yes

Lotus Learning

SpaceNo No No No

Merlin No"Developed in accordance with course developers needs". Does include practice exercises with automated feedback.

Yes No No

Pathware Attain

Yes No No Yes

SCET Pioneer Yes

Multiple choice, matching pairs, ordered lists, fill-in gaps. No Yes No

TopClass YesMultiple choice, boolean, fill in blank, list matching, image maps, multiple correct answer.

Yes Yes Yes

Virtual Campus Yes

Both formative and summative assessment, competence testing, APL etc. can be accommodated.

Yes Yes No

WebCT YesVarious, including multiple choice, matching, short answer, calculated. Yes Yes Yes

src: http://ferl.becta.org.uk/features/mle/startpage.htm

Managed Learning Environments - Comparison 33

22

11


VLE’s Support Assessment?

• Mediocre tools - lacking advanced features,

• Short on flexibility,• Highly integrated, but integration can

be labour-intensive,• ‘Quizzes’ often the easy option is to

implement assessment via self-tests, •


VLE Assessment Strategies

• Keep assessment simple,• Adopt flexible VLEs - COSE, CVU…

and use third Party tools, • Make sure your institution is

committed (help and stability)• Pray for IMS - true interoperability?


Conclusions

• Tools are imperfect - but they’re there,• True, rich Virtual Learning Experiences

require significant effort, • Avoid under-exploiting opportunities -

(it’s easy to create simple tests, linear structures etc.),

• Make your materials interactive:assessments do that!


[email protected]

• http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/jtap-573/scaan1200.html

• http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/jtap-573/scaan1200.ppt

Documents

Using Assessment Within Virtual Learning Environments Colin milligan