Online Assessment - An Overview

As with any course, the way in which it is assessed is crucial to its success.

Two words which are often heard in conjunction with assessment are "authenticity" and "performance-based". Authentic assessment means that the tasks or items used to assess what the student has learned are framed in a real life setting consistent with the course goals. For example, if a course on how to cut hair were followed by a pencil and paper test only on what instruments to use, this assessment would not be deemed authentic. On the other hand, an assessment of how the student actually cuts hair would be considered authentic. Most of us would not feel comfortable flying with a pilot whose only assessment had been a paper and pencil test. Most online courses are based on acquiring and using skills learned online. Hence there are all kind of possibilities for devising authentic assessment for online courses. A thread that is likely to run through all such assessment is the opportunity to demonstrate what has been learned by means of some kind of online performance.

Online courses will almost always involve some kind of performance. For example a course on Learning Basic Internet Skills will involve learning how do such things as send email, join a listserv, or download a document. A course on telecollaboration in the classroom will usually involve participating in some kind of collaborative project. Hence the assessment of such a course can an should be performance based. Follow this link to see an example of an authentic, performance based test designed for a course on beginning Internet.

An alternative (or supplement) to a test is to have students create a portfolio demonstrating skills that they have learned. The instructor should create a rubric defining various levels at which a skill may be mastered. Students then check their level of mastery on that skill and provide some evidence in their portfolio to substantiate that claim. An example of a rubric for a lesson on e-mail is provided here.

In some respects, the assessment of an online course differs from its face to face counterpart. Since you can't see a student online, there is no sure way of knowing who is actually doing the work. However, once students begin interacting, their writing style and skill level will become fair indicators of the origin of their online work. A voice chat can quickly reveal whether a student has actually acquired the knowledge their messages suggest.

Assignments should be structured so there is some online proof that the mentees actually did the required assignments. Strategies can include having students capture sample text, if their assignment involves visiting other online resources, or of providing the instructor with specific information only accessible through actually performing the required assignments. Students can still share this information with each other, though messages that appear exactly alike are a tip that such sharing is taking place.

If the course is being taken by adults for their own pleasure, and if no grade is required, then be open to the possibility of structuring the assessment around helping the students progress, and not with giving a final grade. In the real sense of the word, this is what assessment is all about.