Aundrea,
What a great post! You are right, we have to make sure we know what to consider before we assess. It snot just about the input, it is about the output and interpretation.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dr. Eileen ,
Nice post. I agree with you, students need to think of the feedback as. . . feedback not just a grade. You want the feedback to be constructive and focused on a behavior not a person.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dr. Eileen ,
That is true! You don't want the technology to become the barrier to assessment. Students must be comfortable with the technology before the assessment is administered.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Hello,
The following items are the most important things to consider when assessing a technology assessment tool:
1. Will the tool meet the need? It is important that the tool meets the objective and that grading can be easily completed by the instructor.
2. Is the tool user friendly? The tool should be used with ease by the majority of the students. If the tool is difficult, then many student could fail the assessment due to frustration from using the tool.
3. Will the tool enhance the student online experience? The tool should assist the student in better understanding the material in the course. A tool should only be added if it would benefit the student and their learning experience. The tool needs to be useful to both the instructor and the student.
Warm Regards,
Annabel
Annabel,
You make great points. The enhancement of the student online experience is an interesting comment. I agree with you and students need to be comfortable with the technology. I see educational institutions (state testing) that only use technology for high stakes testing and the students have never used it. How short sighted it that?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
When assessing a new tool or even the continuation of an existing tool I think one of the first questions would be does it answer the need of the course. If the tool is a great tool but does not fit the subject matter than another tool should be utilized.
Secondly, I would consider the ease of the tool, both from the perspective of the student and the instructor. If the tool frustrates the student to the point that it deters from the assessment it is not considered an adequate tool. The same from the instructor's perspective.
Thirdly, I would consider the effectiveness of assessing student knowledge, performance, or skills. Is this took appropriately assessing the student's knowledge or performance?
Jerri,
Great post! It does amaze me many times the student first gets a look at the technology used for assessment is the time the student is assessed. That is not a good strategy at all.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Dr. Wilkinson,
When assessing the use of technology assessment tools in an online learning environment, the three most important criteria are:
1. Does the assessment tool meet all the objectives of my assessment?
2. Is the assessment tool compatible with all my students' computer operating systems?
3. Does my assessment tool include a user friendly "Help Video" or "Help documentation"?
Best,
-Khal
Khal,
You make such great points; I want to focus on one that we don't always evaluate and that is documentation, training, or help. The resources available with the product is such an important consideration we don't always make.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
What a great question. The three most important things that I consider with the use of technology is
1. Is it the most appropriate tool for the task.
2. Does the student respond well to the use of the particular form of technology
3. The ease of use when it come to this technology.
I feel like in an online environment we already have so many other variables and barriers to get through that ease of use will determine whether the students respond well to the technology tools being used.
It is appropriate for the content and assess what you want.
Does it fit the environment.
Is it clearly explained for the student/easy to understand expectations.
Sarah,
What a great post! You don't want the technology to become the barrier for student learning. It amazes me when "people" assume that all our students know technology when they really don't. Then we assess their learning using a tool they are not familiar with. Crazy. . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Jennifer,
You make a great point. Does it fit the environment. I always ask, do students know how to use in the context of the content. We may be just testing how well they use the technology. . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
When assessing the use of technology assessment tools in an online environment, the desired learning outcome is the most important thing to consider. Depending on what the instructor want's the student to be able to do, different assessment tools might lend themselves better to that outcome. Next, it's important to consider the likelihood of the tool's success. Depending on the teacher, student, access to technology, and structure of the classroom, some assessment tools might seem ideal, but not realistic. Finally, it's important to consider student's prior knowledge regarding technology. For example, when I taught high school, I required students to use Prezi to develop presentations. Now, working for a college, with adults from all generations, I cannot require Prezi because it might take some students longer to learn the program than it should take to actually design the presentation.
Erica,
What a great post and great sharing. It can be difficult when you have a diverse course. You are right as you have to look at the success of the technology and how it matches with your course.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I would have to say for assessing the assessment tools, the most important thing would be does it work with the format? Does it cover the information I am trying to asses.
Secondly, I would have to say ease of use. Is it user friendly for both the student and the instructor? If it is a difficult tool to use, bot the learner and instructor will dread using the tool.
Thirdly, would have to be the interaction with the course program and computers. Is this something that is going to need to be downloaded or loaded via CD? Is it accessible via the Internet? If it has to be downloaded, how much space with the learner and instructor need on the computers?
Valerie Miller
What is the purpose for utilizing a particular assessment? Students’ should be prepared to successfully pass a technology assessment with the use of study guides listening to Instructors’ lectures, and attending learning labs. For instance, an online test function allows students’ to take a certain number of test attempts within a week one. Though students’ are able to improve their grade by taking multiple test attempts, they still have to review their study material for each retake which increases students’ knowledge about that subject. As for a Rubric, the highest test attempt is recorded as a final test grade. Students’ should have multiple options to access technology assessments other than a PC or Laptop. A Cell Phone is another option especially for students’ who have access to the Internet.
Sabrina S.
Valerie,
You make such great points. It amazes me how many times I hear institutions using technology for high stakes testing and the students have never used the technology and the administrators have never tested it ability to provide "service" as the assessment.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Sabrina,
Do you give exams that students can take over their phones. I have tried and didn't have much success as they are not reliable within our system. Does your institution consider a smart phone as an appropriate tool for taking an online course? Just curious . . . .
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The three most important things to consider are:
1. The objectives of the course.The objectives you are looking for as the instructor should play a role in the technology assessment tool you use to see if the students are meeting those objectives
2. The components of the technology tool. As the instructor you want to ensure that the technology tool is a good fit for your course.
3. The ability of your student to use and master the technology tool. Technology tools are only effective if used accurately. Using a technology tool that is difficult for the student to master can hinder the assessment process.
Thank you
