Assessment and Feedbackat a distance

Jenny LorimerJaviera Atenas Helen Barefoot

Aim and Learning Outcomes

Aim• The aim of the workshop is to consider ways of assessing and

providing feedback online

Learning outcomes:By the end of the session participants will: • be familiar with online assessment methods such as wikis and blogs• have considered the benefits and challenges associated with audio/video feedback • be familiar with the University system for online submission and marking

Assessment for LearningGood assessment for learning … …Engages students with assessment criteria…Supports personalised learning…Focuses on student development…Ensures feedback leads to improvement…Stimulates dialogue…Considers staff and student effort

Online submission

Benefits? Challenges?

Online submission

Online submission

• New online systemhttp://www.studynet.herts.ac.uk/go/assignmenthelp

Setting up new system

Marking tools:

• Tablet PC

• Track Changes

• Bamboo pad

B7 Students should have access to:• information on the ways in which their

achievements will be judged, and the relative weighting of units, modules orelements of the programme in respect of assessment overall;

• timely formative assessment on their academic performance to provide a basis for individual constructive feedback and guidance, and to illustrate the awarding institution's expectations for summative assessment.

Section 2: Collaborative provision and flexible and distributed learning (including e-learning) - Amplified version (2010)

Quality Assurance considerations

B8: The awarding institution, whether or not working through a programme presenter or support provider, should ensure thatstudents can be confident that:• their assessed work is properly attributed to them, particularly in

cases where the assessment is conducted through remote methods that might be vulnerable to interception or other interference

• those with responsibility for assessment are capable of confirming that a student's assessed work is the original work of that student only, particularly in cases where the assessment is conducted through remote methods;

• any mechanisms, such as web-based methods or correspondence, for the transfer of their work directly to assessors, are secure and reliable, and that there is a means of proving or confirming the safe receipt of their work.

Quality Assurance considerations

Examples:• Law Distance learning course: Virtual flash

meeting – 1 participant presents and 2 participants have to give feedback

• Engineering Face to face Masters course: students submit video presentations

• Computer Science Distance learning course: questionmark perception for online testing

Online assessments• Written assignments• Summative assessments –

http://www.questionmark.com/uk/perception/index.aspx

• Podcasts/videocasts• Regular reflection – blog?• Group work – wikis? Group poster?

http://www.studynet2.herts.ac.uk/crs/09/1LFS00290909.nsf/MarkAssignmentsv2?OpenAgent&docid=65117CDB6E69FB29802576CD007A6B50

Digital feedback• Audio or video• Same principles apply• Method of promoting active engagement• Emotional involvement - importance of

language used (Higgins, Hartley & Skelton, 2002)

• Judgements felt personally

Activity• Work in pairs• One person to draw a Christmas card• One person to give feedback – audio or

video• Upload the file• Time allowed; 20 minutes

Online feedback

Benefits? Challenges?

Students’ perceptions• Anthony Herbland and Kirsten Rennie

(HEP)• Used at both PG and UG

Using wiki’s• A wiki3 is a webpage or set of

webpages that can be easily edited by anyone who is allowed access (Ebersbach et al., 2006).

• Collaborative tool that facilitates the production of a group work

• Easy-to-use online editing tool to change or even delete the contents of

• the page in question.

Wiki’s in practice• Principles & Practice of Sport Science

(70 students)• Re-thinking traditional assessment• Used studynet wiki

Advantages• On line• No paper• Transparent – postings

with name & date• ‘real world’• Increased amount of

quality feedback

Concerns• Group ground rules• Random groups may

cause problems• Use as a formative task

before summative

Assessing the wiki (CPAD3)

• The content of the Wiki shows little evidence of following the remit of the task and no conclusion is reached

• No/very limited criticality of topic is demonstrated

• Discussion consists of random unlinked

• ideas that do not form a coherent whole

• The content of the Wiki clearly follows the remit of the task to excellent effect and a conclusion is reached

• Criticality of the topic is demonstrated to excellent effect

• An excellently structured discussion that reads coherently as a whole

Assessing individual contributions

• Has made a reasonable contribution to each week’s activity.

• Has shown reasonable engagement with the contributions of others each week.

• Has added a reasonable amount of new information each week.

Using Blogs• Refers to a simple webpage consisting

of brief paragraphs of opinion, information, personal diary entries, or links, called posts, arranged chronologically with the most recent first, in the style of an online journal Most blogs also allow visitors to add a comment below a blog entry.

Blogs in Practice• Collaboration and reflection• Detailed self-assessment • Provide important guidance, as well as

clear guidelines• An useful feedback tool

References• Benkler Y (2006) The Wealth of Networks: how social

production transforms markets and freedom. Yale University Press: USA.

• Cych L (2006) Social Networks. In: Emerging Technologies for Education, BECTA (ed.). Becta ICT Research: Coventry, UK.

• Ebersbach A Glaser M Heigl R (2006) Wiki: Web Collaboration. Springer-Verlag: Germany.

• Higgins, R Hartley, P and Skelton A (2002) ‘The conscientios consumer: reconsidering the role of assessment feedback in student learning’ Studies in Higher Education 27(1) 53-64

• Stvilia B Twidale MB Gasser L Smith L C (2005) Information quality discussions in Wikipedia.