Kudos to my colleague Pat M over on the EDUC 762 Discussion Board. He made the following post the other day in our discussion of the use of a particular technology in online assessment.
The article, is well worth a read and the short survey comes from Roger's categories.
I'd love to hear your comments: over time have you changed categories? I know in my case, as a younger teacher coming to the innovative use of instructional technology I admired the innovators and, for a brief period in the 1990s was an early adopter. For any number of reasons I am now a part of the early majority (not the silent majority) and I feel comfortable here, at least for now.
Below is my colleague Pat's post regarding this excellent source.
Diane
I think Everett M. Rogers "Diffusion of Innovations theory" might help - we actually used it in our department for years to implement chage (especially in technology from blackboard and chalk to smart classrooms connected to the Net). This was before we could put a label on what we did.
See http://a.parsons.edu/~lima/thesis/documents/Diffusion_of_Innovations.pdf (they even have a concept map, cool huh).
Thanks again, Pat.
Greg@AZ
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6 comments:
Greg,
Thank you for being an innovator and THE early adopter of the course:). Adding the avatar and audio is a perfect experiment. I hope your fellow students see it.
The voting poll is a very good addition, too. I can see you using this blog in many ways in your future...hmmm.
Well done!
Datta Kaur
Thanks for your kind comments and the survey.
I see myself as somewhere between early adopter and early majority.
In our class we have a number of innovators. In fact, EDUC 762 is a great blend of educators across the spectrum, which may explain in part the animated and very, very productive discussion.
Greg@AZ
Hey Greg,
Thanks for the opportunity to contribute towards your course blogs, even though you’ve since moved on to another topic. As one of your adjunct colleagues at Mesa CC the past five, I’ve always admired your enthusiasm and creativeness towards improving student learning.
As you know, I teach strictly online and hybrid economics classes at Central AZ College. Currently, here is the mix of assessment methods for the online course – 27% quizzes and exams, 65% discussion questions and article analysis, and 28% group assignments. I’ve enjoyed others’ comment on each of these techniques, and I’d like to make a comment on each.
Quizzes/Exams: I like having a variety of learning opportunities in the assignment mix, yet many students don’t “test” well (I never and did, and still don’t), and some economic issues don’t lend themselves well to this type of assessment. This is why quizzes & exams are weighted towards their final grade at only 27%. I still remember my first economics classes at the University of Arizona consisting of the three or four exams (85% or the grade) and a paper (15%). Needless to day, I flunked that class and couple others set up the same way. On the other hand, to give students and incentive to continually self assess their progress and expose them to multiple topics, each chapter quiz in Blackboard (Bb) is just 10 questions, t/f or m/c, - however, they a allowed multiple attempts at each, with the most recent score replacing the previous. Since the ten questions per chapter are randomly pulled from a very large bank of chapter questions, each new quiz attempt consists of mostly different questions than their previous quiz. For their three exams which have one hour time limits, they get only, one attempt, but obviously can use the text. Both of these quiz and exam techniques seem to minimize the anxiety involved in testing, yet contribute towards diversity in assessing learning. For my hybrid class, the quizzes are set up the same way, but exams are proctored at our local testing centers where students are allowed to use one page (8.5”x11” – one sided) of handwritten notes. This also removes some anxiety, while physically writing down these notes helps reinforce learning.
Group assignments: I am a big proponent of collaborative/cooperative learning, and even though early on (four years ago) I struggled to make it work, I’m now convinced that it can be of benefit most levels of learning. From attending workshops, seminars, and discussions with other online instructors, I learned that forcing students to interact with each other is one of big keys to online education. Some students don’t like the group work, and they are mainly the ones who have learned to accept responsibility for their actions, so in some ways I consider the rigors of group work as training ground for the real world. I also tell students that employers want workers with collaborative skills and are looking for graduates of educational programs that teach these skills. Research has indicated that cooperative learning can be more effective than interpersonal competitive and individualistic efforts in promoting cognitive development, self-esteem, and positive student-to-student relationships. Like the Discussion Questions, the synergy generated through online dialog is one of the most important learning tools in the online environment and has an impact on defining the learning outcomes. In order for this to happen, create several very explicit deadlines as to when they need to contribute in their Bb group forums. These instructions are two pages long in the syllabus, so I’ll spare you the details, unless someone asks for them. At the end of the semester, - This exercise is one popular way of “leveling the playing field” for those concerned that group work would not directly reflect the scores/grades deserved by those who put in extra effort, or very little effort.
Discussion Question assignments & Article Analysis assignments: as with most other instructors, my discussion questions simply require one response to the question, and two replies to other students responses. Sometimes the question is a Positive (objective) issue, but all are others Normative in nature. The trick I know to help keep the ball rolling is to require the initial response by mid-week, instead of seeing flurry of posting the final night, which limits the number and quality of replies. Article analysis assignments are copies of articles relevant to chapters we will be studying, as an attempt to make the connection between textbook theory and real world happenings. At the end of each article are seven questions, two of the questions require short answers. Students like these because they are fairly straight forward, while adding to sometime dry textbook content.
Thanks again for the opportunity to share. Lead on Compadre!
Bill
Thanks very much for sharing your experience here. Interesting how, in sprite of what we know, our own personal experience and research conclusions, the most frequently used assessment online continues to be quiz/survey.
You comments about collaboration and reflective activity are significant, I think, and over on the wiki posting associated with the survey on wiki attributes, a classmate of mine from last semester posted her assessment of efficacy of come of these assessments with her students.
I will summarize, but like your comments they are thoughtfully considered and presented and deserve a full read, I encourage a click over to wiki comment and feedback and a look at Beatrice's comments.
Like us, she is a community college instructor (spanish) in Orange Co. She expressed reservations about the ability of her online students to fully utilize these tools or to demonstrate fully their learning in these environments.
Bill, thank you, very helpful.
Greg@AZ
You're right about the overuse of quizzes/exams. Thirty years ago it was more common and acceptable. Surprisingly, one of the most renowned instructors at the U. of Arizona who teaches the big 400 student economics classes is still basing 80% of a student's grade on exams and a final. Surely, even in big lecture classes like that, there's a better way. I feel comfortable with a meager 27% of the overall grade being based on retakeable chapter quizzes and three exams.
I'll jump over and see what Beatrice has to say about online collaboration.
Forgive the ommission errors in my lengthy posting - obviously I need to proof better before submission. Good thing this was not part of my REAL course, as opposed to contributing towards your other one.
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