Link to Moodle Site
http://moodle.met.ubc.ca/mod/quiz/view.php?id=24269
Introduction
The purpose of assessment should be to “motivate, inform, and provide feedback to both learners and teachers” (Anderson, 2008, p. 49). This was at the forefront of my mind as I created a Moodle quiz. Generating a computer-assisted assessment required me to consider what I wanted to assess and why, as well as how Moodle would allow me to check students’ understanding. Gibbs & Simpson’s (2005) “Conditions under which assessment support students’ learning” helped me to reflect upon the potential benefits and drawbacks of using Moodle as an assessment tool.
Background
My Moodle module, Science 10 Plate Tectonics, is intended as part of a blended learning strategy. The assessment is set up to have 3 multiple-choice questions, 3 matching questions, 2 short answer questions, and 2 essay questions.
Reflections
Gibbs and Simpson (2005) state that “the most reliable, rigorous, and cheat-proof assessment systems are often accompanied by dull and lifeless learning that has short lasting outcomes” (p. 3). This is partly how I feel about the Science 10 Provincial Exam. It consists of eighty multiple-choice questions, and in my opinion, it encourages surface revision rather than emphasizing deeper understanding of course concepts. Even though I am not a big fan of the exam I do want to see my students succeed, so I think it is helpful to expose them to this style of questions in order to prepare. Therefore, my multiple-choice questions are formatted the way that provincial exam questions are, involving the use of diagrams that would be given in students’ data booklets.
Matching questions were useful for testing if students understood which geological features were found at each type of plate boundary. Formats like multiple-choice and matching provide timely feedback “that is received by students while it still matters to them and in time for them to pay attention to further learning or receive further assistance” (Gibbs & Simpson, 2005, p. 18). I see huge potential for automated feedback that is afforded by Moodle quizzes, and can envision using this as a formative assessment strategy in the future.
The short answer questions test students’ recall of names and terms, but I don’t think I would use this format much in future Moodle Quizzes. I see it being a problem if students know the correct answer, but can’t get close enough with the spelling or phrasing of what they want to say.
The short essay questions in my Moodle quiz provide students with the greatest opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned about earthquakes and volcanoes. These questions are anchored within the constructivist design of my site, where students start by demonstrating what they already know about local geological structures and events, then come back to these same questions after receiving instruction. The downside of the essay questions is that they need to be marked by an instructor, and cannot be graded automatically by the computer. This will take longer for students to receive feedback than they would with the other question types. However, I think that the combination of higher-level thinking essay questions and immediate feedback lower to medium-level thinking questions will provide students with useful assessment that they can use to shape future learning. This relates to Gibbs and Simpson’s (2005) condition that “sufficient feedback is provided, both often enough and in enough detail” (p. 17).
Conclusion
My Moodle Quiz provides students with immediate, individualized feedback with suggestions for further improvement. It is highly beneficial due to its timeliness and personalization features, and I can see using it with my grade tens. However, it should be only one tool in an instructor’s toolkit as it does have some drawbacks. A better way for students to demonstrate higher-level thinking may be afforded by Moodle’s wiki platform, which allows collaborative, inquiry based demonstrations of learning.
References
Anderson, T. (2008). Towards a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and practice of online learning. Athabasca University. Retrieved from http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/02_Anderson_2008-Theory_and_Practice_of_Online_Learning.pdf
Gibbs, G. & Simpson, C. (2005). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 1, 3-31. Retrieved from http://www.open.ac.uk/fast/pdfs/Gibbs%20and%20Simpson%202004-05.pdf