Measuring Up: Building Better Assessments in Learning Environments
- Apr 4, 2016
- 3 min read
How do we build better assessments that measure what is actually being learned in blended and online courses? There are a couple of answers to that question: judicious learning design, instructor/student engagement, and utilizing appropriate technology.
Learning Design:
As I mentioned in my post The Right Mirror: Finding Authenticity in Assessment, a key element in formulating authentic assessment is creating a learning design that is based off of specific performance and learning goals. By ensuring that all learning activities drive towards specific goals, instructional designers can create a deliberate learning path that builds student knowledge and skill as the course or curriculum progresses. During the course creation, designers can insert learning activities that double as formative assessments including group discussions, role play practice sessions, and then progress to just in time self-evaluation by the student.
Instructor/Student Engagement:
I almost feel like this should be self-evident, but how can any kind of learning be successful when the instructor AND the student are not fully engaged? For instructors, they must make engagement in the course meaningful and personal for all students. Gone are the days when the teacher could “teach” from the front of the class and students would absorb the knowledge like sponges. Instructors have to step away from the chalkboard or the lectern and come to students, on their level, and present thoughtful and (dare I say it) entertaining learning that keeps student attention and drives intellectual curiosity.
That being said, students have an equal responsibility to own their learning experience and meet their instructor halfway. In higher or professional education, students have an obligation to step forward if they are struggling with the pace or depth of the course and if they believe the course is not meeting their needs. The are equally obliged to ensure that they have allocated enough of their time and resources to complete their work and participate in a meaningful way.
One of the most successful ways of ensuring that both instructors and students understand the engagement expectations with a course is to create and use clear course and assignment rubrics. These tools help both sides of the learning equation have clear measurements of how students should participate in assignments and discussions, how projects should be designed, and what will determine overall grades or evaluations.
Utilizing Appropriate Technology:
I think it’s fair to say that technology in the classroom is here to stay but how it is applied to learning has a long way to go before reaching maturity, especially when determining and delivering assessments. The first step towards growing the maturity is doing a better job incorporating the technology students are already using and enjoying. Gamification in eLearning and educational apps offers potential in creating opportunities for students to interact with technology in a way that disguises learning as fun. Micro-learning serves up learning tapas-style, breaking up large chunks of information into smaller portions that are more easily remembered.
Another key feature that is helpful, but not required, is a robust LMS (learning management system) that supports the technology needs of both instructors and students. Contemporary LMS systems have rich audio, video, discussion, conferencing and messaging capabilities in addition to grading and eLearning hosting features. The trick is for instructors to not just pick and choose what features they are comfortable with, but to experiment with new ways of using the tools you have and to encourage students to experiment with all the tools to make the course come to life. Some of the newer systems also have comprehensive reporting and analytics which can help instructors track how, when, and for how long their students are engaging with learning modules.
In conclusion, there’s a lot of opportunity in education around making learning, specifically assessments, more effective and engaging. To do this, instructional designers and instructors need to work together to drive learning based on specific goals centering around knowledge and behavioral change. If built correctly, learning activities can serve double duty as both delivering learning and measuring its outcome.