Desire2Learn for Quality Matters

1. Desire2Learn for Quality Matters Haomin Wang, Manager of Instructional Technology Mingming Shao, Instructional Designer Dakota State University

2. Background • Growing attention on assessment • Measurable learning objectives • Alignments between learning objectives and assessment measures

3. Dakota State University • A small public baccalaureate university in South Dakota • Using Course Management System to support online and hybrid course delivery since 1998 • Started using Desire2Learn as the state-wide CMS in Spring 2008

4. Quality Matters • Developed by MarylandOnline • Standard-based rubric to improve quality of online courses through a faculty peer review process • Assessment aligned with learning objectives • Assessment be formative and progressive • Grading procedures be open and transparent to students

5. Desire2Learn to Help • A built-in structure for integrating competency-learning objective-learning activity • Learning activities associated with learning objectives • Learning activities assessed with grading rubrics

6. D2L COA Structure

7. COA Hierarchy

8. Activities • Learning activities can be discussion topics, assignment submissions, quizzes, and surveys. • Most activities, except for quiz or grade item, need to be assessed through rubrics. • Rubrics must be created before activities.

9. Rubrics • A bulleted list or a tabular form specifying levels of performance and grading criteria. • Performance benchmarks • Assignment guidelines • Assessment contract between students and instructor.

10. A Sample Rubric

11. Benefits of Rubrics (1) • Rubrics help students and teachers define "quality." • Rubrics reduce the time teachers spend grading student work and make it easier for teachers to explain to students why they got the grade they did and what they can do to improve.

12. Benefits of Rubrics (2) • When students use rubrics regularly to judge their own work, they begin to accept more responsibility for the end product. • It cuts down on the "am I done yet?" questions.

13. What We Have Learned • Control levels of competencies • Define Measurable learning objectives • Write rubrics with good granularity • Monitor learner progress • Manage learning paths

14. Control Levels of Competency • How many levels?

15. Measurable Learning Objectives • Measurable • Action-oriented • Specific

16. Some Sample Learning Objectives • Be able to describe the conceptual structures of arrays. • Be able to describe how arrays are initialized and accessed. • Be able to declare and initialize arrays, populate arrays with data, and retrieve data from arrays. • Be able to integrate the applications of arrays with loops.

17. Building Granular Rubrics • Measurable: Criteria should be in measurable terms and can be assessed in reference to learning outcomes. • Granular: Levels of performance should be differentiated. • Comprehensive: All important aspects of the task should be covered.

18. A Sample of Granularity • A Level: Posts are consistently reflective, insightful, original, and thoughtful. • B Level: Posts are generally reflective and thoughtful, with some original thoughts. • C Level: Posts are sometimes reflective, and occasionally show original thoughts. • D Level: Posts are not reflective nor original. Posts mostly echo other posts.

19. Rubric Resources • http://rubistar.4teachers.org • http://www.rubrics4teachers.com/ • http://school.discoveryeducation.com/schrockguide/assess.html • iRubric: http://www.blurtit.com/answers.php?query=rubrics&uid=adwords-TS10269-SJ-20071211-050021-37&search_type=content&ad=1083983330

20. Monitoring Learning Progress • Competency Results • ClassList > Learner Progress

22. Using Release Conditions to Manage Learning Paths • Linear paths • Restrictive preview

23. Questions? • Mingming.Shao@dsu.edu • Haomin.Wang@dsu.edu