Instructional Technology Conference 2008

Title: Enriching the Learning Experience for e-Learners: Making Assessment Real

Name: Dr. Kelly Wilkinson & Dr. Ed Kinley

Audience Level: The content is suitable for all but is of particular value to the teaching/learning practitioner. Participants will also be engaged in a discussion of various technology based assessment techniques.

Audience: The presentation topic and content will be of particular value to faculty. The presenters will develop the concepts in three areas: 1) Identify effective feedback/assessment approaches, 2) Evaluate feedback/assessment approaches and discuss uses in varying content areas, and 3) Discuss viable uses of technology for feedback/assessment.

Length: One hour

Abstract:
The session will focus on providing significant feedback along with meaningful assessment to eLearners through innovative strategies. These new strategies for e-learning assessment are designed to amplify the instructional experience of eLearners. Innovative video-based assessment approaches to connect with e-learning students will be presented. Effective e-learning assessment techniques that move assessment from simple faculty response to instructionally rich feedback that make learning real will be shared.

Description:
Providing effective assessment and feedback to e-learners has traditionally been a challenge, particularly if the faculty expects the assessment process to augment and reinforce learning. The presenters have been engaged in the development of a visual, auditory, and written feedback/assessment system specifically designed to provide students with targeted, and value-added assessment. For rich feedback and meaningful assessment to occur, it is important that information is presented in an engaging manner that serves both the formative and summative pedagogical needs of the course. The feedback and assessment that e-instructors automate and provide to students in an asynchronous/synchronous e-environment is essential and critical to create value added learning. While the use of video and audio assessment, coupled with traditional written feedback approaches work well in the traditional classroom environment, they are particularly well suited to e-learning students.

Engaging students and providing appropriate, rich feedback and meaningful assessment are key factors in enhancing students' online experiences and success. These critical issues arise in e-environments as it is important to engage students to increase retention rates and reduce remediation rates. Working adults not only demand convenient e-programs, they also demand convenient and timely online feedback/assessment. Moreover, because time-on-task and student engagement with the material and content are critical pedagogical elements of e-learning, the learning assessment process represents a prime opportunity to reinforce both the faculty-student and student-content engagement necessary for effective learning.

The effectiveness of e-learning feedback/assessment can be amplified when the assessment process incorporates visual, auditory, and written presentation. The use of a multi-media approach not only serve to reinforce learning in general, it personalizes the assessment process, engages the student and helps ensure that the learning and assessment respond to multiple student learning styles. The use of multi-sensory feedback (video, audio, and text) are particularly important as faculty encounter more students of the millennial generation who demand anytime, anywhere learning and who have grown up in an MTV, iPod connected world.

The following issues will be addressed:

1. Importance of rich feedback and meaningful assessment for student success.
2. Importance of using technology to develop multiple and innovative feedback/assessment approaches.
3. Understanding that these approaches can work in any online or traditional classroom environment.

Session Type: Lecture/Presentation

Contact information/affiliation:
Presenter 1:
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson, Associate Professor
Indiana State University
College of Business
Terre Haute , IN 47809
Phone: (812) 237-2077 ext. Fax: (812) 237-8133
Email: kwilkinson2@indstate.edu

Presenter 2:
Dr. Ed Kinley, Associate Vice President and Chief Information Officer
Indiana State University
Office of Information Technology
Gillum Hall Room 103
Terre Haute , IN 47809 -
Phone: (812) 237-2100
Email: ed.kinley@indstate.edu

Equipment: Projection capabilities

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