When developing my assessment activity in Moodle, I found it difficult to start generating any questions without first generating course content substantial enough to be assessed. This fits with the design idea that assessment should be ‘fit-for-purpose’; that is, it should enable evaluation of the extent to which learners have learned and the extent to which they can demonstrate that learning. (Brown, 2004) Without knowing in detail exactly what the student should be expected to learn, it would prove highly ineffective to design any type of assessment activity. My focus was to develop well-structured course activities and readings, then fit the quiz in as an activity that will create an opportunity for learning during the course module. Keeping the quiz as an activity fits the idea that course design should encourage active learning (Chickering & Ehrmann, 1996) and reinforces the comment “learning is not a spectator sport.” (Bates & Poole, 2003). I chose to include a quiz in the middle of the module opposed to the end of a module. My reason for this was that I want students to have a chance to learn from early errors they make. Research would show that completing a quiz or exam at the end of a learning program would render the data useless for the student and teacher. (Paris, 1998)

I was able to come up with thoughtful questions fairly quickly since I had already developed my course content that I wanted to assess. A large portion of my time was spent previewing how the quiz would read and interact. I looked at a number of different types of questions built in to Moodle and experimented with the placements and paging of questions. Keeping with the strict guidelines of the assignment, I found it best to organize my quiz by question type to avoid student confusion when taking the test. I took time to ensure the description of the quiz clearly explained exactly what content is being assessed and the timing and order of the quiz. This was done to afford students the opportunity to prepare properly and not be kept in the dark of the expectations. Literature on assessment argues strongly that the process should be a transparent one, with criteria that are explicit and clear to all concerned (assessors, those being assessed and moderators reviewing the process) from the outset. Assessment can become valid when the assessors use evidence of achievement, clearly matched against the criteria. (Brown, 2004) Creating a quiz that is strictly time limited is not something I find particularly helpful or beneficial to the learner, nor does it fit with the design principle of respecting diverse talents and ways of learning (Chickering & Ehrmann, 1996). A time limit, however, can create an environment that keeps students accountable and helps one to stay focused and on task. When implementing a time limitation, I ensured that the limit was at a minimum double the length I would expect a professional student to need. I also wanted to ensure that the time limit was explained to the student prior to taking the quiz.

A great deal of time was spent ensuring each question had an appropriate level of helpful feedback. For assessment to be integral to learning, feedback must be at the heart of the process. (Brown 2004) My feedback comments were left as a brief summary for any correct answers. However, for an incorrect answer, significant energy was devoted to helping students to understand not only where they have gone wrong, but also what they need to do to improve. I did not include personalized feedback for the short essay questions, as I felt it necessary for the instructor to read each essay and provide specific feedback after marking. When creating overall feedback comments, I felt it important to recognize that a poor grade may damage a student’s ‘self-efficacy’, or sense of ability to be effective. (Gibbs & Simpson, 2005) I made an effort to include post quiz feedback that ensured students receiving poor marks did not get discouraged and give up. I stressed that any student who got a mark lower than 70% should contact the instructor promptly for clarifications and concerns. I also wanted to include an uplifting comment that reads, “Remember, this quiz is primarily to check your understanding of the readings and see if you were keeping up with the demands of the course. Don’t be discouraged by a low mark and know that you can always do better. Please message me for any questions or clarifications.” When it came to the display of the question feedback, I went back and forth and whether it should be deferred until the end of the quiz or presented immediately. I decided that since many of the questions covered similar topics, and feedback may influence the answers of future questions that for my particular course, the quiz would be a better assessment tool if the feedback were provided after submitting all answers.

I took this assignment very seriously as I saw it as not just making a quiz, but designing an assessment activity within the parameters of my own original course. The assignment proved to be a challenging and engaging learning activity for me. Exploring different tools and assessment strategies reinforced the idea that the way we assess our students can really make a difference to how students learn. (Brown, 2004) The need for clear expectations and transparency are critical to accommodating a diverse population of students. Ensuring that detailed and helpful feedback is available to students will enable them to grow and learn from any errors and hopefully keep them from becoming discouraged in their own abilities. Many assessment strategies used by some educators actually get in the way of students’ learning, which is why careful attention must be taken when designing an assessment activity. If assessment is used properly, with feedback provided appropriately, it can afford a positive learning activity for the students engaged.

References:

Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Chapter 4: a Framework for Selecting and Using Technology. In Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success. (pp. 77-105). San Francisco: Jossey Bass Publishers

Brown, S. (2004). Assessment for learning. Learning and teaching in higher education, 1(1), 81-89.

Chickering, A.W. and Gamson, Z.F. (1987).  Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education.  American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 39 (7), p. 3-7

Chickering, A.W. and Ehrmann, S.C. (1996).  “Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever,” American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 49(2), p. 3-6.

Gibbs, G. & Simpson, C. (2005).  “Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning.” Learning and Teaching in Higher Education

Paris, S. G. (1998). Why learner-centered assessment is better than high-stakes testing. How students learn: reforming schools through learner-centered education (pp. 189 – 209). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.