To me the biggest piece that an instructor needs to look at is usability and user friendliness. If a software tool is too advanced for the student population the instructor has then the students will not benefit from the instructor using it.
I feel many times instructors that have been in an online environment for a long time lose focus on what level their students are performing at. Just because an instructor has used a similar took for years and can find his/her way around easily does not mean a student new to online will be able to move around as easily.
Looking at a software from a student's point of view is essential in picking the right one.
Kim Christensen
I would agree with the response. The main concern I have always had as my school moved to online was the ease of the tools for the students.
My instructors and I have had positive feedback from students on how assessments tools have been used so far in the their program.
Kimberly,
You make such a great point! You are so right as instructors we become complacent when we teach the same course the same way. It doesn't matter if we are online or f2f. We need to practice life long learning and that means evolving our teaching.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Joseph,
Students love the tools when used appropriately. It is up to use to continue to learn how to use the tools appropriately also. We owe it to the students.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
A few elements to consider while engaging technology within your classroom includes the following:
1. Ensuring you use the right tools for the task. With this, I tend to create youtube videos for the students to further demonstrate how something should work to help ease their frustration.
2. Making sure all students can access and utilize these tools. Reviewing and/or providing other options is a plus!
3. The final consideration should be the platform students are working with. Will these tools work on all devices or do I need to come up with something different?
Terry,
Great post. All of these important and you are the center of it all! It is a challenge.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Hello. When I consider assessment tools, there are three variables that are significant. First, I want to be certain that it's a tool that is appropriate for what I need and that I can sufficiently utilize it in an effective way. Second, it has to be a tool that students can connect with. It shouldn't be difficult for them to use or understand. That could impede their learning. Finally, I want to ensure that it actually promotes learning, development, and growth. Sometimes, technology is present just for the sake of having technology, but I want the tool to be meaningful and useful.
Stacy,
What a great post. You are right, we should never use technology for technology's sake. Students should be able to do what they need to do and the instructor should be able to do what they need to do.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The essential thing to consider when assessing the tools would be whether or not the technology helped provide meaningful feedback to the instructor.
Also, it needs to be determined what kinds of challenges were encountered during the assessment, and how it could be improved.
Finally, individual tools need to be used according to their function, and obviously, they serve different ones. Quizzes would be different from portfolios (content knowledge vs. growth).
Agnes,
You make such a great point. I actually had this situation happen. My institution bought software that was easy to use for the student, easy to design an assessment for the instructor; but I could not get the results in a meaningful fashion. It was horrible. That is poor software.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
First would be my own assessment of ease of use of the application, navigation, time input and final output evaluation. Second would be how well does the tool fit with the objectives of the course and course subject. In addition, lastly would be from the students perspective (end user), how assessable is the tool, ease of understanding the functions, navigation and overall learning curve to use the tool, the built in flexibility and knowledge needed to grasp and understand the flow of material, objectives and output directions.
Do you feel that the authors of the learning tools primary design objectives should be to give to give both instructor and student flexibility and customization as their primary goals to meet the diversity in classroom education today?
Thank you.
Kelly Carrington
Kelly,
What a great idea! Yes, what are the objectives of the technology itself? Was it really intended for the purpose for wish to use it or is it being forced to use it for my purpose. I have actually had problems using technology that the manufacturers were trying to "sell" to us for a specific purpose that it was not designed for. It never worked.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
In my mind, the three most important things to consider are as followes:
1. Does the tool function correctly? In other words, does the tool function as advertised. In my opinion, there is nothing worse than a tood that doe not work correctly.
2. Does capture the data in a form that is easy to analyze and evaluate? A tool that does not collect the data correctly, or does not correc tthe right data, should be abandoned.
3. Is the tool easy to use? If the tool is difficult of complicated to use, then mistakes will be made, and the tool will not be used in the long run.
Donald,
All of your comments are correct but I would like to focus on comment 2. Output can be so overlooked but may be the most important part of the technology. The technology can be easy to input data and easy to facilitate the assessment but can be HORRIBLE to glean information from. That is one of my pet peeves in technology.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Donald,
All of your comments are correct but I would like to focus on comment 2. Output can be so overlooked but may be the most important part of the technology. The technology can be easy to input data and easy to facilitate the assessment but can be HORRIBLE to glean information from. That is one of my pet peeves in technology.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
First I would try to look at it from the student's perspective to see if the assessment makes sense from there point of view as far as what they have read/learned during the course topic. Second I would ask myself does this tool really fit what I am trying to measure and third are there other more appropriate assessment tools that would work better in this particular circumstance.
Robin ,
You make a great point; do you need an assessment at a certain point. Timing is everything. The tool also should measure what you want it to measure. You should not have to make it fit!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
First, I consider exactly what it is that I must assess. This can be dictated by the subject matter or class content. For example, if I am teaching an English course, I would be more apt to use digital portfolios or essay tests in order to see how well the students write. Second, I would consider accessibility and if the tool is user-friendly for the student and myself. If the tool is not compatible and provides ease of use in order to properly measure progress and need, the tool is not useful for either party, or the instructor has not maximized the functions of the tool. Third, I would consider the type of assessment necessary for the class. Certain tools will complement the students' ability to learn the subject, and thus their ability to be assessed based on their optimum ability and learning style. For example, when considering project-based assessments, Web quest is an awesome tool because it lends itself to various methods of learning. Although the students have different learning styles, the assessment for the class as a whole is cohesive since it covers various types of learning styles.
The first thing I consider is how can I provide the best feedback in a way that the student can access and understand. Since our school has a basic set of software that is used for all classes, I generally rely on using the assessment tools provided in that software.
The second thing I consider is how to make the feedback interesting and informative without being seen as a rebuke. I want students to understand that if I am not helping them improve, I am not doing my job as an instructor.
Thirdly, I want to make sure the feedback is available to the learner in as many types of technology devices as possible: tablets, intelligent phones, etc not just by computers.
Eileen Gallagher
Hi Don,
I agree, tools that do not work the way they are supposed to are the worst. Anything that causes delay for the instructor or for the student becomes very frustrating and may lead to not completing the feedback.
