PLO 6 & 7. Evaluate technology resources to facilitate effective assessment and evaluation. Utilize technology to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings.

When choosing an assessment, or evaluation, strategy in an online learning environment it is important to make use of the technology that available to create an effective and authentic learning environment. Group discussions, private discussions, online journals, blogs, wikis, telephony, and conferencing tools are some of the effective online tools available for use in assessing learning (Bedard-Voorhees, Johnson, & Dobson, 2011). Since students were creating a group wiki, a discussion forum where students could benefit from peer assessments seemed to be the most appropriate form of a formative assessment.

            Assessments of a course, or student progress, or an evaluation of an educational program as a whole can be done using many different methods and techniques. When considering what changes I looked to see what assessment strategies within my course site that needed improvement, and what strategies would most benefit my potential students. In any classroom setting formative assessments is an essential part of the learning experience giving a way for students and instructor to make ongoing adjustments to attain predetermined course goals and objective (Bedard-Voorhees, Johnson, & Dobson, 2011). For my course, Elementary Reading and Literature, TK-3, students are to create a group wiki that contains a bibliography of children books that promote emergent literacy. I realized that students would benefit from a discussion post wh00ere they can submit their wiki link and gain feedback from their instructor and peers before turning in their final product.

             I ran into a couple of challenges when creating the discussion forum for my students. The first challenge I faced came after creating the entire discussion forum only to find that I did not properly submit the forum and therefore my entire work did not save onto the course site. The other challenge came from not knowing how to link the discussion forum to the proper module, module 2. I was able to complete this step on my first try, but I was not confident that I was completing the task correctly. The benefit my students would receive from the changes made to my learning module would outweigh the few challenges that I faced. Overall, my experience creating the discussion forum was a positive and rewarding experience.

            When choosing an assessment it is imperative to choose one that would benefit your students the most. Since peer assessments have been found to have positive student feedback, promote student engagement and cultivate learning it was a welcome addition to my course site (Kearney &Perkins, 2014, p. 9). In an online learning environment is important to take advantage of the technology available to simulate the natural occurrences found in a traditional classroom, like formative assessments in the form of class discussions. By including the discussion forum it is my hope that I students will benefit from assessing each other’s work in a social, and engaging, environment.

Here is the original course assignment:

This group assignment will require the creation of a wiki page with the following information.

1. A short book review of five children's books that promote emergent literacy. 

o    Books chosen can be for teachers to read or picture books for student to read.

o    The site should be visually appealing with images and graphics, where appropriate.

2. A detail description of each members contribution in completing the assignment.

o    The following roles need to be chosen

             Project manager- One person needs to the point person for ensuring everyone is on the same page. It is highly suggested to plan for at least one sychronous meeting.

             Designer/ Layout manager- One person needs to be in charge of creating a fluid wiki page (i.e, same font, font size, appropriate images) that is visually appealing.

             Editor- One person needs to ensure all content is free of grammatical errors and evaluate books for appropriateness. 

             Content- Each member needs to be responsible for creating the content of at least one book to review.

o    Each member will turn in their detail account of member participation with a link to the wiki site to the assignment basket. Cover and reference page required

Here is the discussion forum that I added to the module:

Hi, Class!

For this discussion please submit the link to your wiki, in progress. Note: Only the project manager will need to post the link to the discussion forum, however every student will need to respond to other groups' discussion post.

Guided Response: View and critique at least two other group's wiki. Make notes of needed improvements, unsupported views, and areas that are outstanding. 

Note: The group wiki is due Monday, so please submit initial discussion post no later than Thursday for optimal feedback time. 

References
Bedard-Voorhees, A., Johnson, L.M., & Dobson, P. (2011). Letting them show what they know: Digital assessment strategies. [Book Submission Chapter Final Version]. In S. Hirtz and K. Kelly (Eds.) Education for a Digital World 2.0, Section F: eAssessment: Measuring in Ways that Matter. British Columbia: Province of British Columbia.  Retrieved from Ashford University EDU 697 course site.


Kearney, S. P., & Perkins, T. (2014). Engaging Students through Assessment: The Success and Limitations of the ASPAL (Authentic Self and Peer Assessment for Learning) Model. Journal Of University Teaching And Learning Practice, 11(3), Retrieved from ERIC http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1048870.pdf