Designing an Assessment Plan

As with any course, the final grade can and should be made up from several sources. Implications for an online course are discussed.

Most courses have multiple options when it comes to assessment of student progress. An online course is no exception. Possible contributors to an assessment plan include:

• "Attendance" and interaction
• Activities or assignments associated with lessons
• Tests or examinations
• Class projects

"Attendance" for an online course consists of logging in. If attendance is to be part of the grade, then it will need to be made clear what the requirements are. For example, the expectation might be that everyone taking the course is to log in and leave a message to the instructor or to the class listserv at least twice a week. A minimum level of interaction is recommended. These expectations should be clarified and negotiated at the beginning of the course and then reinforced throughout it, especially when students fall behind.

Many online lessons are designed with activities that will help consolidate some of the concepts covered in that lesson. One option would be to require some of these activities and to use them as part of the grade for the class. As discussed earlier, some of the activities could be optional and some could be student designed. However, the expectations should be clearly laid out at the beginning of the course, as should the way in which these activities contribute towards the final grade.

Tests are a traditional way of assessing student learning. However, access to the Internet provides powerful and creative opportunities to explore the possibilities of authentic assessment.

Class projects also have a long history as part of assessment, but as with testing, the online medium creates new and exciting possibilities.

Before embarking on teaching an online course, consider what types of assessment will be used, and if appropriate, what combination of assessment types will be used to determine a grade.