The education learning environment is continually changing as technological advancements are made in today’s society. Distance education has become the primary method of learning for many learners. The manner that educators assess learners is also changing. Distance education involves a large portion of collaborative learning. Various learning tools are available for learners to use for collaboration in an online environment. Some available collaboration learning tools are wikis, blogs, and chats, to include various learning management systems (LMS). A study by Judd, Kennedy& Cropper (2010) speaks about using wikis in a collaborative environment (p. 352). The study points out those tasks using the wiki should have been given more weight in the assessment process.
Participation in collaborative learning environments is essential to the success of collaboration. Professors have various ways using LMS to evaluate participation. Siemens (2008) speaks about using LMS logs to assist in assessment by reviewing the number of times a learner logs into the class and posts to a discussion. The professor must analyze the improvement a student has made during the course of instruction. All students will not enter courses at the same knowledge level. Many students are custom to working individually, but understand their contributions are essential to the team’s success. Instructor plays a key role in assuring group participation is taking place. The instructor can assign each member of the group tasks. Malburg (2009) suggests using time games to assist in assessment (para. 4).
Palloff & Pratt (2005) states, “a simple rule to remember when assessing collaborative work is that collaborative activities are best assessed collaboratively (p.44). Most students give good assessment to peers when responding to discussion posts. Students can realize by the response posting if they have missed key points in the discussion. Siemens (2008) spoke of students assess their own performance which is directly in line with the words of (Palloff & Pratt, 2007, p. 212). Traditional assessment of students will no longer work in today’s learning environment and educators must look for ways to assess students fairly. The research study prepared by WestEd & Edvance Research (2008) reminds evaluators to consider technology challenges when assessing new students in an online collaborative environment(p. 42). The students will need time to adjust to new technology in an uncomfortable and new learning environment. Instructors should serve as facilitators as they assess learners in a student centered collaborative online learning environment.
References
Judd, T., Kennedy, G., & Cropper, S. (2010). Using wikis for collaborative learning: Assessing collaboration through contribution. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 2010, 26(3) Retrieved from http://www.ascilite.org.au/ajet/ajet26/judd.pdf
Malburg, S. (2009, December 7). Online assessment tools for the online teacher: Group games and activities. [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.brighthub.com/education/online-learning/articles/27392.aspx
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2007). Building online learning communities: Effective strategies for the virtual classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Siemens, G. (2008). Assessment of collaborative learning. [Vodcast]. Principles of Distance Education DVD produced by Laureate Education, Inc. Baltimore.
WestEd & Edvance Research, Inc. (2008) Evaluating online learning and challenges and strategies for success. Retrieved from http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/academic/evalonline/evalonline.pdf
Hi Sullus,
ReplyDeleteI agree that the instructor is the facilitator of our learning in a colaborative effort to reach the final objectives of the course. The instructor is the expert and knows where he/she wants the students to end up with. We as students feed into each other with information that is helpful. I feel comfortable with the instructor as the only evaluator.
Joy
Hi Sullus,
ReplyDeleteOne thought that came to mind while reading your post was, if traditional assessments of student work will no longer work in today's learning environments, how and when will teachers become versed in assessing students beyond the traditional method? Are colleges teaching teachers the skills they need to keep up with emerging technologies and student skill levels? Take a powerpoint presentation for example. I have encountered a number of teachers who graded the presentation based upon glitz and glamour versus content based upon their own lack of knowledge and skills.