Hey everyone,
In this week’s reading material, Assessment Strategies for Online Learning, Conrad and Openo present a variety of assessment strategies for online learning. By comparing these strategies to the syllabus of our course, Learning Design for Technology-Mediated Environments, it is possible to identify which strategies are being applied and which are not, and to relate these strategies to behaviorist, cognitivist, and constructivist learning theories.
Assessment Strategies Used in the Course
Continuous Assessment (Formative Assessment)
A number of tasks have been designed in the course syllabus as part of ongoing assessment. For example, weekly blog posts and comments require students to regularly share their progress and comment on each other’s progress. This form of assessment helps students to progress throughout the learning process.
Ongoing assessment is also correctly associated with constructivism because it puts focus on the necessity to help students through interaction construct knowledge and feedback. For instance, weekly blog postings enable students to reflect on the progress of studies and receive immediate feedback from peers and instructors that will adjust further understanding and approach.
Summative Assessment
There are two major assignments in this class: the “Learning Blueprint” and the “Interactive Learning Resources,” which are both expected to be completed towards the end of the term in order to test students’ comprehensive skills. For example, the “Learning Blueprint” invites students to design a learning plan in detail, and the “Interactive Learning Resource” is actually a whole teaching tool to be designed by the students.
Thus, in a large part, summative assessment comes very close to and is associated with behaviorism because it takes into account specific performance-based outcomes that are assessed as a product of learning. For example, the ‘Learning Blueprint’ assignment is looking for an understanding of the subject from the student through the making of a detailed plan and the ‘Interactive Learning Resource’ project seeks to test application of learnt concepts by actually doing something in a practical standardized sense.
Self and Mutual Assessment (SPA)
The course syllabus explicitly requires students to engage in mutual assessment and blog comments. For example, in peer assessment, students are asked to evaluate other students’ learning blueprints and provide constructive feedback.
This therefore relates to constructivism in that it puts more emphasis on self-reflection by learners and knowledge-building in the process of evaluation. For instance, through peer assessment, students give a critical evaluation of peers’ work hence strengths and weaknesses in students’ work. This reflective practice enhances deeper understanding due to students’ constructing new knowledge from the evaluations and feedback.
Assessment Strategies Not Used in the Course
Automated Assessment Tools (AATs)
The course syllabus does not mention the use of automated assessment tools such as online tests or adaptive learning systems. For example, there is no mention of using online quizzes or question banks that are automatically graded by the system.
Theoretical Connection: Automated assessment tools are typically associated more with behaviorism because they rely on standardized tests and immediate feedback to reinforce learning behaviors.
Project-Based Assessment (PBA)
Although the course entails project tasks, it is not strictly adherent to the Project-Based Learning model. For instance, even though students are required to develop interactive learning resources, these projects are not built systematically through the semester as a primary assessment technique. The PBL strategy is consonant with approaches of constructivism because it insists on real-world problem-solving and active learning through projects, hence reinforcing students’ ability to apply and construct knowledge in contexts relevant and meaningful.
The PBL strategy is closely related to constructivism because it emphasizes facilitating learning through real-world projects and problem solving.
Comparison to other courses
As a computer science student, assessment strategies in other courses I’ve taken have tended to favor standardized tests and programming tasks. Example:
Behaviorist assessment strategies
In the Data Structures and Algorithms course, a large number of standardized tests and programming tasks were used. These tasks emphasize correctness and efficiency. For example, weekly programming assignments require students to complete implementations of specific algorithms and verify their correctness through an automated testing system within a time limit.
Cognitivist Assessment Strategies
Case-based learning and problem-solving tasks are used in AI courses. For example, students are required to analyze and solve a complex machine learning problem and submit a detailed report explaining their solution and thinking. This approach emphasizes students’ understanding and application of complex concepts.
The comparison shows that the Learning Design for Technology-Mediated Environments course focuses more on constructivist assessment strategies that help students construct knowledge through interaction and reflection, rather than mere knowledge transfer and assessment.
Conclusion
By comparing the assessment strategies mentioned in Assessment Strategies for Online Learning with the course syllabus, we can see that strategies such as continuous assessment, summative assessment, and self-assessment are mainly used in the course, while automated assessment tools and complete project-based assessment are not used. These strategies are primarily related to constructivist learning theory, which emphasizes facilitating knowledge construction through interaction, feedback, and self-reflection. This contrasts with the more behaviorist and cognitivist assessment strategies I experienced in my computer science courses.
Cheers,
Hengshen Chen
References
Conrad, Dianne L., & Openo, Jason.(2018). Assessment Strategies for Online Learning.
Course Outline: Learning Design for Technology-Mediated Environments.
Ertmer, Peggy A., & Newby, Timothy J. (2013). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism: Comparing Critical Features from an Instructional Design Perspective.
Regarding comment from other students:
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