| 4.2.
Tracking and Evaluating Student Progress |
Principle:
4.2.1 Technological
Literacy
The instructor should provide students with adequate time and resources
to master the learning technologies prior to the delivery of course
content. |
| Practices:
A. Students and instructors need to learn and master the technology
tools requires for an online course.
B. Know where
to direct students when they have technical problems and/or questions.
C. An instructor
may wish to hold a face-to-face technology orientation at the beginning
of the course.
D. An an online
technology module can be provided for students who live beyond the
driving distance to FGCU. |
Examples:
| |
| Questions
should be directed to IT Support at 239-590-7100; |
| This
is an example of a technology orientation for a course.
The student is required to use many of the technology tools
that will be used during the course. The instructor could have
those students who were able to come to an introductory face-to-face
session complete the exercises during that time; and allow those
who cannot attend to complete them online. |
|
Principle:
4.2.2 Module Progression
The instructor should be consistent in organizing and presenting modular/session/weekly
instructional activities and facilitating student learning.
|
Practices:
A. A consistent, clear course format will help students to navigate
and stay oriented. |
Examples:
|
To help
orient users, use consistent design format.
The example here
uses a consistent design in all madules to help the student
know where they are. |
|
B. Provide detailed instructions for course assignments and learning
activities. |
| The
following Welcome
provides adequate detail.
Rules
reduce conflict when established in a way that lets everyone
know what they are allowed to do and why. Rules without
understandable reasons are the first ones broken (Bull,
Kimball, & Stansberry, 1998). Make sure all assignments,
projects, examinations, online discussions, and other functions
include detailed directions for completion and submission.
|
|
C. Be clear and consistent in the due date of course assignments.
Establish consistent deadlines for assignments, including bulletin
board postings. |
For
example, if the course is designed using one module for
each week in the semester, schedule assignment deadlines for
the same day every week. Written assignments may be due on
Friday and bulletin board postings on the following Monday.
Students develop a routine for submitting assignments and
meeting deadlines if a pattern is formulated. Make sure to
include detailed instructions for submitting assignments.
|
|
D. Place the responsibility for meeting submission deadlines on the
students, but assist them to meet the deadlines. |
| Let
students know technology is not an excuse for late assignments.
The instructor can assist the student in meeting this obligation
by using a simple e-mail reply, such as 'got it,' to acknowledge
receipt of assignments.
A module
assignment schedule grid can be linked to each module to
allow students easy access to view deadlines. |
|
Principle:
4.2.3 Tracking
Progress
The instructor should track student learning progress in the online
course to provide better advice and assistance. |
Practices:
A. Use
online grids to track individual student learning progress in
a course.
B.
Use a grade
book to track student learning progress in a course.
|
Examples:
| Online
grids may be used to track individual student progress
through a course, either by using a checklist for noting received
assignments or for posting grades. Confidentiality issues
arise when posting grades and the use of passwords or code
names may be needed to maintain confidentiality. |
| Course
Management Systems generally include a gradebook where students
can only see their own grades. |
|
Principle:
4.2.4 Evaluating
Student Progress.
Evaluation activities should be appropriate for online instruction.
|
| Practices:
A. Distance
learning students rely on e-mail, telephone, or online communication.
Clearly explain how students will be evaluated.
B. Evaluation should include several assignments or expectations
rather than just one or two exams or projects.
|
Examples:
|
C.
Set clear parameters for evaluating participation in an online course
if you are evaluating student online participation. |
| One
difference between face-to-face and online courses may be
the decision to grade participation in online activities such
as chat rooms or bulletin boards. Grading these activities
encourages participation. When this is the case, students
should be informed of expectations regarding the parameters
that will be evaluated such as frequency and quantity of student
participation. |
|
D.
Student web page may be used as a learning activity to be evaluated.
|
| The
FGCU student web server
provides web space for each student.
Student
web pages may also be incorporated into a class website
for evaluation as an individual or a team project. Instructions
for creating and uploading webpages are available.
Course
Management Systems may provide web pages or other presentation
tools for students. |
|
E.
Self-assessments are interactive lessons that provide students with
immediate feedback while allowing them to work at their own pace,
without the pressure of punitive marking (Dyreson, 1996).
|
| Since
self-assessments are not graded, students are not inclined
to cheat and may identify areas that require immediate remediation.
Self-assessments
may be voluntary or mandatory as determined by the instructor.
Some Course Management Systems may provide self assessment
tools. For example, WebCT has a "Self test" tool
for that purpose. |
|
F.
Design and use online tests and examinations with caution.
|
|
Online testing programs are available to help instructors
develop online formative self-assessments with immediate
feedback or summative tests. Generally these are part of
an online Course Management System, such as WebCT, Blackboard,
and E-Collage. Results from these test can only be accessed
by the individual student, as well as the instructor.
|
|
G.
When an online test/exam is chosen as a summative evaluation strategy,
assign a small amount of the overall course grade to this evaluation
activity. |
| According
to Dyreson (1996), 1) protecting the integrity of the student
answer database, and 2) preventing cheating during the exam
are the primary security concerns associated with online
evaluation. Integrity of the answer database can be maintained
by limiting access to certain individuals such as instructor
or instructional designer. Preventing cheating can be handled
by proctoring tests and other means ( such as entry of an
identification number, limiting the timeframe for test availability,
displaying questions one-at-a-time). |
|
H.
Proctored tests/exams for online courses can be offered on and off
campus. |
|
|
I. Use other
means to verify student learning performance.
|
| If
you choose not to use a testing center or proctor, you may
wish to allow students to use any and all resources (open
book) to complete an examination. This requires the use
of short answer, essay, and problem solving questions that
force students to apply higher order synthesis and evaluation
skills in their responses.
How do you know whether or not the student is really doing
his or her own work? You don't know. This may become evident
if they take an examination at a testing center or with
a proctor. If you administer an examination online, you
may never know. It is possible to detect cheating by comparing
exams with other writing samples or other student' exams.
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