Andrea Rimer

I learned about using rubrics to assess online learning. Suggestions include providing them to students when the project is assigned, or halfway through the project so they can assess and revise their work if needed.

I will look at both reliability and validity when determining whether my exams are meeting the objectives and outcome requirements of the course, specifically the validity, which will let me know if the questions did what I intended them to do.

Bloom's Revised Taxonomy is a great way to evaluate students by creating evaluations that align with the objectives and outcomes of the course. It is also a great way to scaffold learning in a course, but starting out with knowledge-based questions, and advancing in complexity as the students progress in the course.

I was unaware of all of the different online assessment tools available. I like the idea of using test banks and having students repeat them to get a different score, while having them get different questions each time.

I had not thought about using a rubric to guide students in appropriate communication guidelines in an online course. I intend to use this idea in the future.

Maintaining frequent, open communication with students in an online classroom is pertinent to the student's success. If students are silent, instructors must reach out to them by email. Further, students must be made aware and reminded that online students are not easier. They might also be more time-consuming than traditional courses. I will ensure that my students are given a timeframe they should expect to be online each week - meaning, the number of hours it will most likely take them to learn and succeed in the course.

I like the idea of posting the communication guidelines in the syllabus and having them take an "exam" on it, so they are aware of the expectations from the beginning. Too often instructors rely on students to read the syllabus or handbook, but do not make any additional efforts to ensure they read and understand the guidelines.

Several communication tools are acceptable for online learning, as long as they convey the message clearly and effectively. Formative evaluations of these tools should be completed throughout the course and revised, modified, or replaced as deemed necessary based on the feedback.

It is pertinent that educators use multiple avenues of evaluation to assist in revising courses. This ensures that the educators receive quantitative and qualitative data from students, colleagues, and other professional stakeholders. Doing so will help the instructor create and deliver courses that align with the mission and values of the organization as well as industry standards and best practices.

Generic feedback can be used, but personalized feedback is much more meaningful and can lead to better learning outcomes. Additionally, self-feedback and peer-feedback can assist in this process.