The 3 most important things for me to consider are(in order of degree):
1. Efficacy. Whether the tool accurately assesses the content mastered
2. Feedback. Am I able to actually provide substantive feedback on what I've assigned. (Sometimes I tend to have lofty expectations of my ability to read/grade essays)
3. Difficulty. To what extent will the technology itself be an obstacle for students to overcome. (Am I testing their knowledge of the content or their knowledge of how to use a PC?)
Earl,
Great points!!!! You used the word efficacy, that is such a great word to describe that the technology should do. You don't want the technology to be the barrier.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The first thing I believe to be important is that the instructor is capable of using the tool. The instructor must be efficient and effective in using the chosen tool. One of my favorite tools is "Track Changes". I find this tool to be very helpful when grading essays and research papers. I also believe that it helps if students have some knowledge of the assessment tools used. My reasoning behind this is that students can sometimes give feedback as to how the tools can be better utilized. Thirdly, a important thing to consider is to use a tool such as WebQuests, which would allow interaction between students.
1. Availibility of technology. Students may not have the required Internet speed of ability download plug ins.
2. Suitability of the tool for the content of the class. Some content is better tested in the form of essays than tests, for example.
3. Student workload required. Some types of assessments are very time consuming and students already spend a lot of time in their weekly assignments.
1. Audience - I must know my audience to decide what form of assessment is the most suitable.
2. Course content - I must consider the subject matter and what type of assessment is the most suitable.
3. Technology available - some assessment methods require technology that may not be available to all students.
I like your comment about user friendliness. I agree that this is important.
I think that you are right on target. Subject matter must be considered first.
I agree. Many instructors are not very technologically savvy although they may be experts in the subject matter taught.
I agree that there must be a mechanism to address student concerns and questions as students tend to get very sensitive when it comes to assessment.
The three most important characteristics to consider are the following:
1) Ease of use for the instructor. Students spend a lot of time preparing and executing the assessment, but instructors also spend a lot of time grading using the assessment tool. One could argue we spend as much time here as in all other aspects of facilitating the course combined. It is very important to have a comfortable, easy-to-use tool for the instructor.
2) Ease of use for the student. I have used several tools in the past that were great, but ineffective because students would not use them. One reason may be that the tool requires Java, which constantly needs to be updated. If students, say, cannot access the tool via their smartphone, then they just won't participate. It is important to have a tool that the student will utilize.
3) Effectiveness. The tool must be effective in meeting it's end goal of delivering a meaningful learning experience to the student. That varies based on the subject, and "effectiveness" can be a grey term, but most of the time students and facilitators know when something works and when it doesn't.
Best,
Brian Stout
Jacqueline,
You are right! If we as instructors are going to use a tool to give students feedback, we better know it ourselves. With assessment tools, not knowing how to use a tools hurts everyone involved in learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Tomi,
I like your list. Do you think institutions should hold students to technology requirements to ensure they can use the different technology?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Katrina,
Great post. You are right. You have to be able to get students "up to speed" in using the technology.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Tomi,
User friendliness includes both student and instructor.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Tomi,
The technology should match the assessment needed for the content. Technology should not drive assessment decisions.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Katrina,
I also find instructors learn enough technology to get started in teaching online but never continue learning and the technology never changes. What a shame when there are so much great technology to use and that is easy to learn.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Katrina,
Right, they have a lot riding on those assessments. You want the technology to almost be transparent to the learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Brian,
What a great post!!! You are right, the tool must be transparent to the student as you want to assess the content not how to use the technology. It isn't a bad thing to ask students their opinion about the technology in that type of environment.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Certainly we have a wide array of technology tools from which to choose. It is important to consider:
1. Does the tools function fill the need.
2. Is the tool easy for the student to use.
3. Is the tool reliable, i.e., does it work.
Today's diverse adult learner needs to know that the work they are doing is meaningful and can be transferred to their work environment. At the same time, many of our older adult learners are not as familiar with technology as our younger adult learners. When assessing the use of technology assessment tools it is important to make sure the assessment is meaningful and really measures what it is designed to measure. Questions that are little more than direct recall of minute details do not provide meaningful learning to the adult learner. Technology based assessment tools must also have an ease of use. This means that using the tool must be easy or have a tutorial associated with it to demonstrate to the leaner how to use the tool. Finally, the assessment tool must provide meaningful feedback. There is nothing worse than completing an activity and never getting meaningful feedback that indicates areas of strength and weakness.
