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Using Assessment Within Virtual Learning Environments. Colin milligan. 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. What Is a VLE?. A collection of tools for delivering learning online,
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Using Assessment Within Virtual Learning Environments Colin milligan
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. 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 VLEs and Assessment
A Typical Learning Environment • WebCT • Pathware • Learning Space • TopClass • Pioneer • CVU ... 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, 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. 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. VLEs and Assessment
Computer Assisted Assessment • Stimulating (interaction), • Motivating (feedback), • Targeted (reinforcement), • Diagnostic (students and topics), • Efficient (automated). 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. 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). VLEs and Assessment
Managed Learning Environments - Comparison 3 2 1 VLEs and Assessment src: http://ferl.becta.org.uk/features/mle/startpage.htm
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, 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? 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! VLEs and Assessment
colin@icbl.hw.ac.uk http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ jtap-573/scaan1200.html http://www.icbl.hw.ac.uk/ jtap-573/scaan1200.ppt VLEs and Assessment