Using Assessment Within Virtual Learning Environments
Colin milligan
Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment
S C O P E
• What is a Virtual Learning
Environment?
• The role of VLE’s in higher education,
• Assessment and VLE’s,
• Successful strategies.
Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment
What Is a VLE?
• A collection of tools for delivering learning online,
• A means of standardising the learning experience,
• A means of managing the learning experience,
• A one-stop-shop for the learning experience.
Developer
Administrator
Tutor
Student
Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment
A Typical Learning Environment
• WebCT
• Pathware
• Learning Space
• TopClass
• Pioneer
• CVU
...
Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment
VLE’s Are Good …
• Integrate materials and support - providing a complete solution,
• Allow efficient management of large banks of materials,
• Provide access to user-friendly tools - which empowers the tutor,
Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment
… or Not So Good?
• Encourage sites which are little more than ‘page-turning’ (linear),
UN-interactive,• Encourage over-standardisation of
materials - not stimulating, • A collection of mediocre tools,
none exactly suited to the purpose.
Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment
Re-assess: Roles for Vle’s
• Supporting & delivering training, Where linear structures can be tolerated,
• Supporting f-2-f teaching,Typical HE implementation,
• Replacing f-2-f teaching,For dual mode delivery.
… Must Implement Carefully.
Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment
Computer Assisted Assessment
• Stimulating (interaction),
• Motivating (feedback),
• Targeted (reinforcement),
• Diagnostic (students and topics),
• Efficient (automated).
Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment
VLE’s and Assessment
Opportunities for integration...• with student records,• with material delivery and progression,• with alternative routes through learning
materials, extra revision materials etc.,• with comments from a discussion forum.
Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment
VLE Assessment Tools:Typical Features
• Multiple question types - t/f, mcq, fill in blanks, calculation, matching,
short answer, paragraph (not marked),
• Feedback (per answer, and general),• Tracking by question, by student, • Make progression dependent on
performance,• Restrict access to test (temporal).
Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment
Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment
MLE Name
Tracks pages
accessed?Assessment Types Supported
Tests Over Set Time at Periodic
Intervals?
Question Pools (to allow customisation & re-use of questions)
Intervention Based on
Assessment?
COSE YesNone built in, but will support third party assessment products. Does provide secure way of submitting assessments.
No No No
Fretwell Downing
LENo
Supports all types of assessment. Interoperability in development. Yes Yes Yes
Learn Online Yes
Supports a comprehensive range of assessment types including multiple choice, fill in the blank and true/false.
No Yes Yes
Lotus Learning
SpaceNo No No No
Merlin No"Developed in accordance with course developers needs". Does include practice exercises with automated feedback.
Yes No No
Pathware Attain
Yes No No Yes
SCET Pioneer Yes
Multiple choice, matching pairs, ordered lists, fill-in gaps. No Yes No
TopClass YesMultiple choice, boolean, fill in blank, list matching, image maps, multiple correct answer.
Yes Yes Yes
Virtual Campus Yes
Both formative and summative assessment, competence testing, APL etc. can be accommodated.
Yes Yes No
WebCT YesVarious, including multiple choice, matching, short answer, calculated. Yes Yes Yes
MLE Name
Tracks pages
accessed?Assessment Types Supported
Tests Over Set Time at Periodic
Intervals?
Question Pools (to allow customisation & re-use of questions)
Intervention Based on
Assessment?
COSE YesNone built in, but will support third party assessment products. Does provide secure way of submitting assessments.
No No No
Fretwell Downing
LENo
Supports all types of assessment. Interoperability in development. Yes Yes Yes
Learn Online Yes
Supports a comprehensive range of assessment types including multiple choice, fill in the blank and true/false.
No Yes Yes
Lotus Learning
SpaceNo No No No
Merlin No"Developed in accordance with course developers needs". Does include practice exercises with automated feedback.
Yes No No
Pathware Attain
Yes No No Yes
SCET Pioneer Yes
Multiple choice, matching pairs, ordered lists, fill-in gaps. No Yes No
TopClass YesMultiple choice, boolean, fill in blank, list matching, image maps, multiple correct answer.
Yes Yes Yes
Virtual Campus Yes
Both formative and summative assessment, competence testing, APL etc. can be accommodated.
Yes Yes No
WebCT YesVarious, including multiple choice, matching, short answer, calculated. Yes Yes Yes
src: http://ferl.becta.org.uk/features/mle/startpage.htm
Managed Learning Environments - Comparison 33
22
11
Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment
VLE’s Support Assessment?
• Mediocre tools - lacking advanced features,
• Short on flexibility,• Highly integrated, but integration can
be labour-intensive,• ‘Quizzes’ often the easy option is to
implement assessment via self-tests, •
Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment
VLE Assessment Strategies
• Keep assessment simple,• Adopt flexible VLEs - COSE, CVU…
and use third Party tools, • Make sure your institution is
committed (help and stability)• Pray for IMS - true interoperability?
Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment
Conclusions
• Tools are imperfect - but they’re there,• True, rich Virtual Learning Experiences
require significant effort, • Avoid under-exploiting opportunities -
(it’s easy to create simple tests, linear structures etc.),
• Make your materials interactive:assessments do that!
Dec 2000 VLEs and Assessment
• http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/jtap-573/scaan1200.html
• http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/jtap-573/scaan1200.ppt