According to Palloff and Pratt (2005), “evaluation of students in an online course can be challenging” (pg. 41). “Students need a road map not only to guide the activity, but also to know how that activity will be assessed and evaluated” (pg. 42). Dr. Siemens (2008) describes several models for assessment in a collaborative environment. One model is students assess their peers using some form of a rating scale. This will take away some of the assessment responsibility from the instructor. Another model is students receive feedback from online communities. Learning community members give other members direct feedback. This allows open communication among the members which increases collaboration and a stronger sense of community. Educators assess based on student contributions. The instructor can monitor/check the student’s participation by using a contribution log. Lastly, educators assess based on metrics from learning management systems. The instructor can see how many times the student log on, the hours spent online, the hours spent on group-related activities and the number of posts that they contributed.
Dr. Siemens make mention that in a collaborative learning environment, not all assessments should be evaluated by marks or grades. Students enter these courses at various levels of skills and knowledge. Instructors need to take into account the degree of the student’s growth. Look where the student began and where they finished and measure their growth of learning. The assessments need to be based on authentic contexts. Students are engaged in actual tasks and activities. According to Siemens, “assessment is a teaching-based activity that provides an opportunity to give feedback and evaluate ourselves as educators”.
Swan (2004) states students should be encouraged to share their beliefs and experiences during online discussions. Also, it is important to establish the importance of online discussions in order to make the learning experience effective. Members must gain each other’s trust in order for them to network and collaborate in a learning community for an online course. According to Palloff and Pratt (2007), the role of the instructor plays is an educational facilitator, cheerleader, and guide by “motivating students to go deeper and further with the material” (pg. 111). If a student continues to be reluctant and lack participation, then the instructor needs to take the lack of participation into consideration when he/she is assessing the student. Using a rubric allows the student’s performance to be graded. “Rubrics provide students with a concrete way of evaluating their own performance as well as the performance of the members of their team” (Palloff &Pratt, 2005, pg. 44).
Laureate Education, Inc. (2008). Assessment of collaborative learning. Baltimore: Author.
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Swan, K. (2004). Relationship between interactions and learning in online environments. The Sloan Consortium.
Charee-
ReplyDeleteI often use collaborative assessment methods when I have my students work together. Knowing that they are accountable for participating and maintaining their work load helps them acccomplish their ultimate goal.
So often I have students come to me comlaining that others in their group are not working as they should. Assessing collaboratively makes them aware of their responsibilities.
Heather
Charee,
ReplyDeleteUsing authentic assessments is a good suggestion. I think our assessment for this course (introducing a speaker that will talk about an issue related to distance learning) is a good example of an authentic assessment. Interesting post!