My thoughts on on-line assessments

Plenary on assessment Green Group - Clare Chambers

7 February 2011

• If your contribution here was being assessed, what assessment criteria would you use?

I think assessing contributions on-line is a really difficult thing to do as there are many social dynamics that are in affect. Firstly, some people post more than others, yet the number of posts is no reflection to the quality of the post. Other may feel that if a point has been made they have no need to post it again. Therefore there posting and contribution is lost and their idea does not get any credit. Similarly, group may form on-line and within those groups, mini groups may form creating a sense of some people being on the outside where the other members of the group are doing all the work.

I think I would use the criteria outlined below. Having individual marks for each part of the assessment task plus making it compulsory for people to make at least two posting on the subject matter. It is not quantity over quality.

• Would you look for quality or quantity of postings?

I think it should be quality and not quantity as iterated above some people are more verbose than others and this may not produce as quality answers than a succinct couple of lines. I think the tutor has to make value judgements here. However for student quality assessment you should always make it clear as to what the guidelines are that they are being assessed on. Perhaps it should read all students should post at least 2 posting which contributes to their overall grade.

• How would you assess contributions to a collaborative online task?

I think if you are doing on-line group work then you have to grade this work for the whole group on its content but also on the reflective log provided by the group as to how the group worked together. In addition to this I think you have to have another form of assessment that individual need to complete. Therefore it needs to be all compulsory. There could be three elements then, the group work, the reflective log and then the individual assessment. If it were out of 100% then it could be divided into on-line group work 45%, individual assessment 45% and 10% for the reflective log. Care has to be taken though over the reflective log to determine whether the information provided is factual. We have all had group work student who have said ‘she is not working, he hasn’t turned up’, but you cannot take this on face value. You as a tutor have to decide on a policy for group work.  

• Are there any specific issues related to the assessment of online work that do not apply in more traditional assessment of students' work?

In law we do not have any reflective logs or reflective assessments which are assessed or even talked about. This form of learning is not seen as part of the core elements of the law degree. In some legal skills modules in some universities it is sometimes used, but as you can see from my language it is really not something that is widely used. During my MA Academic Practice course we did a lot of reflective learning logs and I found it very useful as a learning tool for myself. I had never used them before in my studies and I think on-line it would give me the opportunity and space to provide this activity for my students. I may not be able to get it through as part of the assessment criteria but I could use as a learning tool.