Assessment is an essential component of any education program. Most people think of assessment as being a test, with mastery being defined as receiving a certain number correct. However, assessment can occur in many forms, in both the face-to-face classroom and the online course. The use of blogs, wiki, multimedia presentations, online collaborative presentations, social networking, etc., provide a window into the learning of students. Overall, assessment answers the questions:
- What do the students already know?
- Are the students understanding the material or skills that I want them to learn?
- Do I need to revise lesson activities as the result of students having difficulties with the material?
- Have the students mastered the material or skills presented in this unit?
- Have the students reflected upon, or linked their learning, to make it meaningful?
For this project, I have developed online learning objectives and activities that complement the face-to-face instruction in my Principles of Psychology Course. I have restructured the course into modules based on concepts, rather than chapters. The online learning activities I have selected for this project serve as culminating activities for four Modules and will therefore give students a chance to demonstrate their knowledge using technology as a foundation. Many of my students have no experience with online learning strategies and assessments, so I have to walk them through these experiences, but thus far the feedback has been positive!
