Learning enhancement through online assessment

A case study of enhancing the student learning experience through forma6ve online tes6ng

Dr Geoffrey Ba+The Centre for Explora0on Targe0ng

Ins0lling an ac0ve learning philosophy by stealth

Dr Geoffrey Ba+The Centre for Explora0on Targe0ng

Commerce

Pedagogy

Customer focus

Student fees

Interna0onal recrui0ng

Increased par0cipa0on

Voca0onal outcomes

Individuality

Independent learning

Intellectual ci0zenship

“It has always been the task of formal educa6on to set up behavior which would prove useful or enjoyable later in a student's life”

Brian SkinnerYale University

Lecture 1

Lecture 2

Lecture 3

Lecture 4

Prac6cal 1

Prac6cal 2

Prac6cal 3 Inde

pend

ent learning

Web

-‐based

resource library

Handouts

Readings

Courseinforma6on

Glossary

Tradi6onal Course Structure

Some students create their own intellectual firewalls

Lecture 1

Lecture 2

Lecture 3

Lecture 4

Prac6cal 1

Prac6cal 2

Prac6cal 3 Inde

pend

ent learning

Web

-‐based

resource library

Handouts

Readings

Courseinforma6on

Glossary


Some students create their own intellectual firewalls

Lecture 1

Lecture 2

Lecture 3

Lecture 4

Prac6cal 1

Prac6cal 2

Prac6cal 3 Inde

pend

ent learning

Web

-‐based

resource library

Handouts

Readings

Courseinforma6on

Glossary

VLE by themselves are oCen ineffec0ve


Enough philosophy -‐ what about the project?

Self tes6ng system: Set of mul6ple choice ques6ons for each lesson


Students en6ced to undertake the tests by the promise of immediate feedback and self

awareness


A propor6on of the ques6ons can NOT be answered on the basis of classroom teaching alone, but can be from the assigned reading

Students en6ced to undertake the tests by the promise of immediate feedback and self

awareness

Why is stealth important?

“Teaching independence” is a tautology

Why can't the salt content of the oceans be used to date the age of the Earth/ocean system?

A. The ini6al salt content of the oceans is unknown.

B. The analysis would require the dessica6on of the oceans.

C. The oceans are not a closed system for salt.

D. Industrial removal of salt has destroyed the record.

E. Salt input into the ocean from extra-‐terrestrial sources prevents solu6on of the age equa6on.

QUESTION 1







No -‐ we could reliably infer an ini0al salt content from basic chemical principles.

No, of course it wouldn't (and doesn't).

Correct -‐ 'salt' comes out of the system through precipita0on, both chemical and biologically mediated.

No -‐ but this is symptoma0c of the true answer...

No, a red herring -‐ and a salted one at that.

QUESTION 1

Right or wrong, students receive instant feedback







No -‐ we could reliably infer an ini0al salt content from basic chemical principles.

No, of course it wouldn't (and doesn't).

Correct -‐ 'salt' comes out of the system through precipita0on, both chemical and biologically mediated.

No -‐ but this is symptoma0c of the true answer...

No, a red herring -‐ and a salted one at that.

QUESTION 1

Advantages and disadvantages

High ini6al 6me investment

High ini6al 6me investment Low ongoing support demands

Non-‐confronta6onal

…but has direct monitoring poten0al

Students ‘discover’ awareness that expecta6ons (and assessment) extend beyond classroom

Students become familiar with the VLE system and the resources it contains

Lecture 1

Lecture 2

Lecture 3

Lecture 4

Prac6cal 1

Prac6cal 2

Prac6cal 3 Inde

pend

ent learning

Web

-‐based

resource library

Handouts

Readings

Courseinforma6on

Glossary

Self-‐assessedtest




On-‐line exam ques6onsOn-‐line discussion forum

Blended Course Structure

Lecture 1

Lecture 2

Lecture 3

Lecture 4

Prac6cal 1

Prac6cal 2

Prac6cal 3 Inde

pend

ent learning

Web

-‐based

resource library

Handouts

Readings

Courseinforma6on

Glossary






Self discovery


Lecture 1

Lecture 2

Lecture 3

Lecture 4

Prac6cal 1

Prac6cal 2

Prac6cal 3 Inde

pend

ent learning

Web

-‐based

resource library

Handouts

Readings

Courseinforma6on

Glossary






Self discovery Facilitated interac0on


Does it work?

Increased student engagement with the learning process

Increased student sa6sfac6on with the course*

*Change of system leaves this qualita0ve

Improved results

70

60

50

40

30

Pass mark

2003 2004 2005 2006

70

60

50

40

30

Pass mark

2003 2004 2005 2006

First year of course

70

60

50

40

30

Pass mark

2003 2004 2005 2006

Introduc6on of VLE


70

60

50

40

30

Pass mark

2003 2004 2005 2006

Introduc6on of VLE


Self tes6ng system

Conclusions

Self tes6ng can be directed to produce awareness of, and encourage engagement

with, independent study

Broadly successful in implementa6on

Improved student aatude and par6cipa6on

Significant improvement of assessed outcomes

Made the course more enjoyable to teach

The task of the excellent teacher is to s6mulate “apparently ordinary” people to unusual effort. The tough problem is not in iden6fying winners: it is in making winners out of ordinary people.

K. Patricia CrossEmeritus Professor of Higher Educa0on, UC

Berkeley

rockysubjects.wordpress.com

Leading Horses to Water

Ba- Blended Learning, April 2013

For further comment on this and other educa6on-‐related ques6ons, contact the author at [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Education

Learning enhancement through online assessment