Uncharted Territory

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Online Assessment

Uncharted Territory

3/1/2008

By Matt Villano

Setting the Standards

IF ANYONE KNOWS how to assess the value of online assessment tools, it's the folks at the Quality Matters program, an assessment-oriented effort from MarylandOnline. Over the last few years, under the leadership of Executive Director Ron Legon, the Quality Matters group has identified 40 specific (and proprietary) standards under eight general categories, to evaluate the way an online course is structured.

These standards have been incorporated into a rubric and weighted from 1 (important) to 3 (essential). Currently, five of the 40 standards on the rubric relate specifically to assessment. They are:

The types of assessments selected measure the stated learning objectives and are consistent with course activities and resources.
The course grading policy is stated clearly.
Specific and descriptive criteria are provided for the evaluation of students' work and participation.
The assessment instruments selected are sequenced, varied, and appropriate to the content being assessed.
'Self-check' or practice types of assignments are provided for timely student feedback.

Legon points to learner engagement as a major assessment criterion. He insists that online learning should not be a passive experience for any student, and emphasizes the need for educators to implement courses that inspire students to get involved. He notes that getting students successfully launched in the course also is important, since most dropouts occur in the first two weeks. "The great thing about online courses is that there's a full record of everything that's captured, and it can be looked at by outside third parties," he says. "While teachers might not like this when they falter, it's a great way for us to go back into a classroom experience and learn from it."

Currently, Quality Matters is working with several hundred institutions around the country, to help shape their online learning platforms and associated assessments. For more information about the program, or to access its rubrics and standards, visit here.

Most professors apply metrics through predetermined assessment rubrics. At Rio Salado College (AZ), however, many of the rubrics are fun: multiple-choice practice quizzes turned into the form of online games with a little help from Quia web-based software. Jennifer Freed, Rio Salado faculty chair of instructional design, says the playful interface gives students a chance to learn comfortably.

"The games are fun and they provide instant feedback," says Freed, who notes these formative assessments are interspersed with more "serious" webbased summative assessments once or twice throughout the semester. "I can't think of a better way for students to process new material."