Best practice example

Title: Designing multiple assessment strategies to collect and compare data in online course

University: Vytautas Magnus University (VMU), Trepule and Tamoliune, 2022, MA study course “Concepts of adult education”, Lithuania     

Section of the framework: Considering, combining and evaluating different sources of evidence on learner progress (e.g. Teachers use data from Moodle Learning analytics to reflect on learning behaviour in comparison with learning results)

What competencies and learning outcomes of the DigicompEdu Framework are we addressing?

 

Competencies

Learning outcomes

Self-regulated learning Assessment strategies Analysing evidence Actively engaging learners

PERFORMANCE - monitoring - To use digital technologies to allow learners to collect evidence and record progress, e.g. audio or video recordings, photos. - To use digital technologies (e.g. ePortfolios, learners’ blogs) to allow learners to record and showcase their work. - To use digital assessment tools to monitor the learning process and obtain information on learners’ progress. - To analyse and interpret available evidence on learner activity and progress, including the data generated by the digital technologies used. - To put learners’ active uses of digital technologies at the centre of the instructional process.

 

Key issues: This practice presents a course on adult education delivered in a blended way. Since students choose this course themselves, it is important for a teacher to know what their expectations and needs are when taking this course. This helps to review learning design, update topics, revise in-class practical tasks, and group works. Since most students are working either as educators or as human resource professionals, most of the classes are delivered online. Therefore, it is possible to include and plan multiple activities throughout the semester and to monitor their learning progress online.

Part of the course focuses on the topic of open education and how it may foster lifelong learning.

Determining the level of knowledge before the class

Before introducing the concept of “open education”, teachers want to learn how advanced learners are and whether they consider themselves as novice, advanced, competent or expert in the topic of open education (fig. 1). In order to accomplish this objective, MsTeams Forms tool can be used, allowing a quick real-time in-class voting. This tool allows teachers to diagnose and fix the initial level of learners’ knowledge.

Figure 1. Quiz used to establish learners’ present knowledge

Assessing learners’ understanding of the key-concepts

In order to assess how learners understand key-concepts, another interactive tool is used (mentimeter.com) to collect key information on what open education means to them (fig. 2). This activity allows teachers to see if learners share similar understanding, what the most popular answers are, if there are any non-typical or non-accurate answers that should be taken into consideration during the lecture or discussion time. The results might be used as guidelines for teaching and learning and help planning upcoming classes.

Figure 2. An example of an interactive task to assess learners’ understanding of the topic at the beginning of the class

In this way, further activities of the class are planned according to the aspects that learners have mentioned when sharing insights on what open education is.

Exit ticket 3-2-1

At the end of the class, learners were asked to fill in an exit ticket ‘3-2-1’ (using Google Forms), where they had to name 3 things that they learned in a todays’ class, 2 things they would like to learn more about and 1 questions that they feel left unanswered (fig. 3). This activity is planned in advance by the teacher, so that it would be easier to monitor and assess whether students have adopted the key information and if there is anything that should be clarified or explored in more details during further classes. At the same time, it helps to see whether their answers focus on different or the same aspects of open education that were mentioned at the beginning of the class.

Figure 3. Exit ticket ‘3-2-1’ assessment activity at the end of the class

Collecting feedback at the end of the class

Another activity is used at the end of other classes to monitor and observe learners’ learning progress. Here students are asked to give feedback on that day's session (fig. 4). This activity is used for diagnostic assessment purposes as well and helps assess learners' understanding of specific topics, allowing them to reflect on how they can apply new knowledge in their daily or professional practice. In addition, it helps teachers see what learning resources or assignments learners considered most useful. For this activity, Moodle Feedback tool is used.

Figure 4. Feedback on today’s session used at the end of the class

The aforementioned examples show how different tools can be integrated and adopted to collect evidence-based data about learners' understanding and knowledge of the given topic. All the activities are uploaded on Moodle and designed in such a way that learners can mark the activity completion after the activity is done.

Monitoring students’ learning progress

For a wider picture of learners’ progress, the teacher uses the progress bar that is integrated in Moodle. Learners can mark which activities they have completed and, in such a way, monitor their own learning progress. Thanks to this tool, teachers can see if learners are consistent in their learning, if they are interested in monitoring their own learning, what resources they have opened and what assignments they have completed (fig. 5).

Figure 5. Monitoring student’s learning progress

 

Relevance for teachers: There are multiple tools and various activities that can be used to collect evidence on learners’ progress. In order to combine and collect different sources of evidence on learners’ progress, it is important to pre-plan activities that are consistent, fostering learners’ metacognition. As this specific case outlines, different tools and activities were used to collect evidence on learning progress by stating the level of knowledge of the given topic -> fixing the understanding of the key concept -> naming the main things that were learnt and what still needs to be learnt -> thinking on how this knowledge can be practically applied. Finally, an overall analysis of the progress bar is conducted allowing to monitor the learning from a wider perspective. Having this information, teachers can share insights and discuss with learners the overall progress, raise concerns about their engagement or participation, motivate them to monitor their own learning and discuss the needs for further learning to make sure it responds to learners' expectations and needs.

Source of the best practice

Tamoliune, G., personal communication, BA study course “Open education policy”, 2022.