Assessment, Evaluation & Feedback

In the PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Diana Zilberman, assessment is defined as any systematic basis for making inferences about student knowledge usually based on of evidence. In the book, “Teaching and Learning at a Distance,” the authors describe assessment as a way to measure learning gains. (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, Zvacek 2006). In my classes, I use a variety of methods for student assessment: objective tests, summary reports, lab performance activities which include MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint lab assignments, homework assignments, and projects.

In the PowerPoint presentation, evaluation is defined as a judgment regarding the quality of a response or performance based on established criteria. In the book, “Teaching and Learning at a Distance,” the authors discuss Woodley and Kirkwood’s six categories of evaluation. One of the categories is measures of outcomes which refers to measures of adequate learning, and it is considered to be the most important measure of outcomes of distance education. In the Computer Science Department at my school, one of the ways we measure outcomes is by conducting surveys of upperclassmen and graduates who have completed our basic computer applications course. We gather information in these surveys that will help us determine if they have continued to use the applications and if they have applied their computer application knowledge and skills to assignments in their other courses.

In the PowerPoint presentation, feedback is described as a work in progress and as something that should be constructive rather than redundant. In the book, “Teaching and Learning at a Distance,” the authors believe that the most influential purpose of assessing learning gains is to provide feedback to learners and instructors. Learners certainly need to know how well they are doing before going on to the next step in a course. The instructor needs to know if students are ready to proceed to the next level or whether remediation is necessary. Feedback helps the instructor evaluate the success of the lesson.

According to the authors of “Teaching and Learning at a Distance” learning outcomes consist of three components: conditions under which learning is facilitated, observable and measurable actions or products, and a minimum standard of expectations. In my school, we recently developed some learning outcomes during a Middle States evaluation. These learning outcomes are observable and measurable. In my department we measure learning outcomes related to the use of application programs by students after they have completed the computer applications course in their freshmen year. We have set minimum expectations with regard to the frequency of the continued use of the software products by the students.