Author: leaf975

This is the link to our final assignment:

https://classroom.google.com/w/NjkwNDg3NTM2Mjky/t/all

To access this course, the course code is 3e3ahli

Assignment #2 – Feedback for Peer Group D

Review completed on June 20th, 2024

https://classroom.google.com/w/NjkwMDcwNjA0NDMw/t/all

Course code: ifhvbmi

Thank you for letting us review your ongoing project. It was great to see your ideas and all of us really enjoyed the creative activities involved. For this feedback, we have sectioned it according to the grading rubric, although there are areas when these inevitably overlap. 

We all hope that you find the feedback given constructive, and use it to make your resource even better than it already is. 

Structure and Organization:

Your GoogleClassroom was easy to work through and see the order of learning when the lesson headings were used. We liked how we had our own assignments to work through – google docs/excel/forms. We also really appreciated having clear examples available for certain tasks as this allowed us to model our work on your introduction and gave confidence with our learning. EdPuzzle isn’t something we have come across before, but being able to complete questions during the video was a great idea and helped apply the ideas you are setting out.

It might be a good idea to break up sections 2-5 as we weren’t as confident in the order that these activities should have been completed as we were from 6-7c. The tasks were a lot of fun in this section, in particular the excel task which all of us really enjoyed completing. As well as this, it might be a good idea to give some additional information at the start of each section, for example in the video for lesson 1, to explain that we need to work with a group/partner and ensure that we might want to prepare writing materials  to take notes or solve the multiple choice questions. The content was very clear in the classwork section of your GoogleClassroom, but finding the information about the learning design in the stream was a bit trickier. To make this super easy to find, we would suggest making a new topic at the end of the classwork to give this information.

Relevance to Course Topics:

Your rationale for creating the resource is both compelling and well-articulated, highlighting the significance of the concept and its potential impact on learners. Your overview is concise yet rich with essential points and references. We were especially intrigued by how this lesson aligns with the Ontario curriculum and its practical approach to achieving these specific objectives.

It would be interesting to see your learning theory and environment rationale, as your activities are so engaging. You do make a comment about the learning being “experiential, social, and cooperative”, some expansion on this and how it relates to specific activities would be great to learn about. It might just be that this needs a heading or direct language to make this clear for all who are reading your information. We did wonder whether the idea of problem-solving approaches in your “Big Idea” section needed some further citation – you do mention Ding & Li (2010) in the overview section which seems to link strongly to these ideas. 

One final thought. We weren’t sure who we, as the learners, were meant to be. In your video you talk about what the adults should do as a teacher, but the resources and activities are targeted at high school students. This caused some confusion about who the resource is aimed towards, as teacher professional development, or as a 9th grader completing the learning online. Perhaps some clarification along the way and at the start of each assessment could be given. For example you could include a brief introduction specifying the intended audience for each section, such as “This section is designed for teachers to enhance their instructional strategies” or “This activity is intended for high school students to complete independently.” This way, it would be clear who the resource is addressing at each stage.

Step Interactivity:

We unanimously enjoyed the creative tasks and found them engaging. We all interacted with the initial video/Edpuzzle, not just by being passive watchers, but by taking part in the activities outlined and referring back to your given examples to make concepts clearer. We noted how this initial activity was great for us, as learners, to assess our knowledge, and would also give the instructor valuable information about where people are starting from. We all really wanted to complete the excel tasks, and noted that the instant feedback and given examples were beneficial to our feelings of engagement and the way we interacted with the task. The breakout room would also have been super engaging however there was a problem getting past the first question (screenshots below):

We wondered if this was a formatting error as this also popped up in the google form for the assessment.  – perhaps multiple choice might be easier to ensure that the learner can easily progress. Just an idea!

We think that having some additional clarity in the order would increase engagement with section 2-5, but the activities themselves were creative, fun, and allowed for much interaction between the student and material. We believe that this is a key strength of this resource. 

Recording yourself talking through the PowerPoint really helped to discuss the ideas. We wondered if you plan to do this for the follow up ones in the revisit days? It might be helpful to, as the Edpuzzle giving some ideas for answers definitely gave us more motivation and deeper learning as an online learner. 

Inclusivity:

Your resource has used a variety of media, including text, video, and spreadsheets. We also noted the pdfs of written information, and thought that being able to print off the ‘paper’ resources would be helpful for those learners who find physically writing more beneficial to their learning. The variety of assessment methods (not just tests) helped to engage us in the assessments, and we can see how they would add to the instructor’s overview of the learner and increase opportunities for success with all learners. Additional signposting (now you have done that…  next we will do this…) is a great convenience to readers as it helps them make their way through learning appropriately (Kimble, 2021). This approach is especially helpful for learners who need step-by-step instruction. 

One way of increasing inclusivity might be to add a transcript of your video, or subheadings. For some reason the CC option wasn’t working when playing the video, this might be an integration issue on the GoogleClassroom. Another idea is to voice record your example in section 2-5, talking through the decisions made in your working out.

Technology Use:

Google Classroom does seem a good place to organize this resource, and you have utilized the headings in a helpful way. As a google user, this is all very familiar, and we have also come across GoogleClassroom being used in many educational settings as a platform for online learning so it should be something that learners and teachers are more confident using. As a teacher, this would allow easy integration with google documents and drive, and would make sharing and adapting the resources quite straightforward. Despite a few tweaks (like the answers on the forms), this does seem an appropriate and helpful platform to be using. Teachers would need to be on top of who is registering in the class, but the time involved in this wouldn’t be onerous. It would be good to see the write up for your technology choice, as this didn’t seem to be on the blueprint/overview. Your choices of media are also wide and have a good impact on the learning taking place. 

Thank you for giving us access to your project! We hope that you find our feedback useful, and would love to see the final edit if that would be possible. 

References:

Kimble, J. (2021, December 28). The importance of signposting — and following through. Retrieved from judicature.duke.edu website: https://judicature.duke.edu/articles/the-importance-of-signposting-and-following-through/

The video I chose to use is accessible using this link:
https://youtu.be/u8SsE_QPKlM

What kind of interaction would the video require from your students? Does it force them to respond in some way (inherent)?

This appears a passive resource, with learners watching and taking in information. Every learner is different, and will react to content in their own way (Nelson, 2013). Although this resource doesn’t require any interaction, it is possible that they might be reflecting on their misconceptions, asking themselves questions, or thinking about how this could work in their own classroom or affect their own students.

In what way are they likely to respond to the video on their own, e.g., make notes, do an activity, or think about the topic (learner-generated)?

If I were watching this as a learner, I would likely take notes. I find it useful when watching videos, as you can pause them and take screenshots to help you remember things. There is a question posed at the end “How will you get more active today?”, which could encourage some self-reflection on the part of the learner.
It is important that the reason for watching the video is made clear before learners do so. If they know they are watching it, and how it contributes to their learning outcomes, they are more likely to do so in a focused way (Nelson, 2013). They might think about using this resource with their own classes.

What activity could you suggest that they do after they have watched the video (designed)? What type of knowledge or skill would that activity help develop? What medium or technology would students use to do the activity?

This resource could be used to help learners with the first learning outcome in our resource:

“Identify key positive benefits of movement and physical activity on children’s learning.”

To gain knowledge, we could ask learners to:
– Write what they have learned from the video after an open-ended prompt such as “What have you learned?” Or “How does this relate to your class?”, for learners to answer after watching the video. This would allow them to openly choose their response, and focus on parts that are meaningful to them.
– Complete a quiz based on the information in the video.
– Ask learners to summarize the main points from watching the video. This would help to focus their attention to the acquisition of knowledge, which is the main part of this learning outcome.

How would students get feedback on the activity that you set? What medium or technology would they and/or you use for getting and giving feedback on their activity?

Open-ended prompt – Responses could be shared via a google document or on a blog post so that other learners can see and comment on this. Sharing ideas via a peer review/comment might help to make the learning more relevant, and they could learn from others or see something that they hadn’t considered. This would contribute to a constructivist learning design and create community (Anderson, 2003).

Quiz – could be marked with automatic and instant, computer generated feedback. This could be directly sent to the instructor and it is possible that until they reach a certain score the learning doesn’t move on. However, this is based on behaviourist theories of learning (Bates, 2019) which wasn’t the original design of our resource.

Summary – This could be marked by the instructor, using a rubric as part of an assessment. The rubric could be given out first so learners know what is expected of them and how to be successful. For example, to show they have achieved the outcome they have to explain in detail, using clear examples, how physical activity can promote learning in the classroom. Feedback can be given from the instructor in a written format referring to the rubric.

How much work for you would that activity cause? Would the work be both manageable and worthwhile? Could the activity be scaled for larger numbers of students?

Open-ended prompt – This would need to be overseen by the instructor, and could contribute towards a final summative score. Feedback would mainly be peer given and driven, but the instructor would need to ensure that this is equitable.

Quiz – Very little work for the instructor, can easily be scaled up, might not have as much value as the other activities in terms of learning and higher level thinking (Bates, 2019).

Summary – This activity would be more individual, although it could be shared and peer-assessed if done on a blog or shared document. If individually handed in, and used for assessment, this could pose the most time consuming for the instructor and would not be easily scaled up. However, learners do place more value on a teacher interaction, so this could be a motivating opportunity and lead to them putting more thought into the task (Anderson, 2003). Time management would also be a factor, as feedback would need to be given soon it was handed in.

How could the video have been designed to generate more or better activity from viewers or students?

The video is clear and not too long, which means that it kept my attention for the duration. The message is easy to follow, however, there are no captions and it might be better to have more detail for adults who are watching this. I feel like this could be a good introductory video, with further information for the learners to access before an activity or assessment task. There is one reflective question, perhaps more during the video would encourage some deeper thinking from the viewers.

How will you address any potential barriers for your learners in the use of this video to ensure an inclusive design?

I would ensure that there are clear instructions for turning on the sub-titles so that those who are hard of hearing would be able to access the resource. I would also give the option to read the transcript instead of watching the video, as the bright colours and music could provide some people with sensory distress. The video is accessible on YouTube, so the internet is needed (although the design of the course is online, so it is fair to assume that most of the learners would have an internet connection).

References:

Anderson, T. (2003). Getting the mix right again: An updated and theoretical rationale for interaction. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 4(2), 1–14.

Bates, A.W. (2019). Teaching in a Digital Age – Second Edition. Vancouver, B.C.: Tony Bates Associates Ltd. Retrieved from https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev2/

Nelson, L. L. (2013) . Design and Deliver : Planning and Teaching Using Universal Design for Learning, Brookes Publishing, ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=1787427

This week, we focus on how to ensure our learning is for all, with a focus on Universal Design Principles, making learning inclusive and accessible, as well as relevant (Smith, 2020). Being intentional about this is important, and really thinking about the barriers that the learning resource could put up can help us to mitigate against this happening in the first place – a bit like completing a risk assessment before organizing an event. I came across an analogy of thinking about this in terms of designing a kitchen, everyone will use that room differently, so the design needs to be considered carefully, minimizing hazards for all (Null, 2013).

While reading materials this week, I am reminded of my own experience as a grade 3 and 4 teacher in England during 2020/21. We were suddenly expected to deliver our lessons online, when we had no training or guidance to do so – an experience shared by many others (Burns, 2020). Although I could write about this experience in detail, I wish to link my thoughts to my colleague’s blog – https://cheuckminglaiedci335.opened.ca/

They mention the need for flexibility, in terms of both hand in dates and the speed that learning takes place. This was certainly the case when we made the quick switch to online learning, parents had to work too, so limiting when students were able to use home computers. However, we were also trying to create a community of learners who badly needed social interaction. Alike to Casa-Todd’s (2020) suggestions, we were prerecording learning and allowing them to self-pace, but as a teacher it was a constant concern that I might not be available to give feedback as and when it was needed. I found that lunchtime video socials helped to reduce the lack of contact with the learners, and working on shared google documents, and sharing the children’s work helped them to create a learning community, but creating connection was hard using the online platforms with young children.

Thinking about our blueprint: https://abbyashfield.opened.ca/assignments/

Activity	Barriers	Alterations and considerations
Writing reflections or insights into which activities best fit their context and the reasons why.	Time	The learners will need enough time to implement more than one of the physical activities with their class – hand in dates will need to be thought about to allow for this.
	Writing / mode of response	Do learners need to make this written? Could also complete this using a voice or video recording, handing in a lesson plan with notes added, or through an online discussion forum.
	Scaffolding / Support (depending on when this takes place in the learning sequence)	This could be something that is scaffolded through giving examples, providing the activities to choose from, showing the activities being used by other teachers. Perhaps a template could be used to better support the learner’s answers and thinking – making it clear what focus should be given.
	Mode of delivery	This doesn’t have to be just be delivered as a written question/activity. They instructor could record themselves speaking, explaining, or talking through an example to ensure that this is not a barrier. If using a video, providing a transcript and subtitles would also allow learning for all.

As we move towards creating our learning resource, it is important to keep the UDL (Universal Design for Learning) principles in mind, thinking carefully about using the framework, and the three areas of engagement, representation, and expression. It is important to choose a design that links closely to the goals of the learning rather than try to incorporate everything within the framework (Nelson, 2013).

References:

Bates, A.W. (2019). Teaching in a Digital Age – Second Edition. Vancouver, B.C.: Tony Bates Associates Ltd. Retrieved from https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/teachinginadigitalagev2/

Burns, M. (2020, May 26). Getting ready to teach next year. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/article/getting-ready-teach-next-year

Casa-Todd, J. (2020, May 26). Synchronous vs asynchronous learning. Retrieved from https://jcasatodd.com/synchronous-vs-asynchronous-learning/

Nelson, Loui Lord. (2013). Design and deliver: Planning and teaching using universal design for learning. Brookes Publishing. [ProQuest Ebook Central]. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=1787427

Null, R. (2013). What is universal design? In Universal design. Taylor & Francis Group.

Smith, N. (2020, June 3). The pandemic has shown us where real learning happens. The Tyee. Retrieved from https://thetyee.ca/Analysis/2020/06/03/Pandemic-Where-Real-Learning-Happens/

Assignments

This blog includes information and discussion around two of the main learning environments – Direct Instruction and Inquiry Based Learning.

Direct Instruction – Overview:
Direct Instruction emerged in the USA, following concerns about differences of educational achievement between children from different backgrounds in the public education system (Education hub, n.d.). It is based on behavioural principles of learning, relying much on quick recall of information or process to solve a problem (Engelmann et al., 1988) with scripted teacher-led lessons (Kim & Axelrod, 2005).
There are two main values involved:

“Teach more in less time”.

““Control the details of what happens”.

(Engelmann et al., 1988, p.303)

To do this, instruction is pre-planned with a focus on the core knowledge being taught and the best way to scaffold and sequence this – often through teacher modelling and repetition (Engelmann et al., 1988; Kim & Axelrod, 2005). Feedback is given quickly to individuals, giving learners a method to find the right answer, not just correcting them and aiming for a high achievement rate (Engelmann et al., 1988). Generally this style of instruction is used for K-12, within reading, writing, mathematics, or the sciences (Kim & Axelrod, 2005).

My experience:
This approach to teaching reminds me of teaching phonics in English primary schools – something that the Department for Education now insists must be done with a pre-certified and approved systematic phonics system (Department for Education, 2023). It is clear that the materials and delivery are consistent with direct instruction, as a way to quickly teach children reading and writing skills.

Discussion:
Although direct instruction has been shown to improve academic achievement for all (Education hub, n.d.) there is a concern that this approach could teach the mechanics of something (e.g. how to decode words in phonics) rather than the meaning of something (e.g. reading comprehension) (Kim & Axelrod, 2005). This approach, mostly utilized with elementary aged learners, could be seen as a good way to teach a novice learner something quickly with wide implications across academic subjects as a whole (Engelmann et al., 1988; Kim & Axelrod, 2005).
However, our group has discussed some possible topics for our learning resource, none of which would be teaching a novice learner. I believe that this approach would not be engaging for the target audience, seemingly imposing the learning rather than allowing for intrinsic motivation (Park, 2018). I believe that our topics would require deeper, critical thinking and reflection, which would not be supported by this learning environment (Kim & Axelrod, 2005).

Inquiry Based Learning – Overview:
Inquiry based learning is a student centred approach to learning based on constructivist educational theory (Kori, 2021; Pedaste et al., 2015). One of the major founders of this approach is John Dewey, who writes, “The child’s own instincts and powers furnish the material and give the starting-point for all education.” (Dewey, 2018, p.36). So, inquiry based learning starts with a problem that the learner/s want to solve and the teacher acts as a guide or coach to help them come to a conclusion (Kori, 2021). This method can draw parallels between education and scientific exploration (Pedaste et al., 2015).

My experience:
As an MA student, a lot of my research takes this approach, with lectures/instructors/advisors giving some ideas but the learning and direction that this takes being down to me. I can also see parallels in some of the design of this class (335), including for this task, below this is loosely outlined using Pedaste et al.’s (2015) model for the structure of inquiry based learning:

Stage	Explanation	Relation to this task
Orientation	Being presented with a situation or problem	Creating a blog post about a learning environment
Conceptualization	Research or hypothesis is formulated	Given the blog prompts, asked to find one that aligns with the group’s learning blueprint
Investigation	Finding data, analyzing information.	Finding and reading articles related to the learning environments
Conclusion	Inferring, referring to the investigation stage	Writing the blog post
Discussion	Sharing findings and learning	Sharing our blog posts, meeting to decide which aligns best with our resource design

It is important to note that although presented in a linear way here, inquiry based learning is not such a tick-box exercise and may jump around between these steps (Pedaste et al., 2015).

Discussion:
Inquiry based learning environments can help to make learning meaningful and guide learners towards using the new knowledge and skills in their everyday life (Hwang et al., 2023). It is a way to encourage reflection and deeper learning, as well as engaging the learner in critical thinking (Kori, 2021; Pedaste et al., 2015). All of these aspects of learning will be important for the topics that we have discussed as a group – indicating that this approach could prove useful for part of our resource delivery. However, there are aspects of this which could prove difficult on an online environment. Creating the community needed for discussion, and thinking carefully about the questions or problems posed, as well as the assessment design, will be vital to the success of this approach.

References:

Department for Education, (2023, 10th March). Guidance: Choosing a phonics teaching programme https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/choosing-a-phonics-teaching-programme/list-of-phonics-teaching-programmes

Dewey, J. (2018). Moral principles in education and my pedagogic creed by John Dewey : With a critical introduction by Patricia H. Hinchey. Myers Education Press.

Education hub, (n.d.) A Brief Introduction to Direct Instruction https://www.theeducationhub.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Direct-Instruction.pdf

Engelmann, S., Becker, W. C., Carnine, D., & Gersten, R. (1988). The direct instruction follow through model: Design and outcomes. Education & Treatment of Children, 11(4), 303–317 https://www.jstor.org/stable/42899079

Hwang, H. J., Miraz, M. H., Saleheen, F., Ashif, A. S. M., Hossain, M. A., Hasan, M. T., & Kabir, A. (2023). The Collaborative Effort and Efficiency of Inquiry-Based Learning: Effect on the Teacher Performance – The Role of Student Performance. International Journal of Online Pedagogy and Course Design, 13(1), 1–23. https://doi.org/10.4018/IJOPCD.323569

Kim, T., & Axelrod, S. (2005). Direct instruction: An educators’ guide and a plea for action. The Behavior Analyst Today, 6 (2)

Kori, K. (2021). Inquiry-Based Learning in Higher Education. In: Vaz de Carvalho, C., Bauters, M. (eds) Technology Supported Active Learning. Lecture Notes in Educational Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/10.1007/978-981-16-2082-9_4

Park, S. (2018). Motivation Theories and Instructional Design. In R. E. West (Ed.), Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology. EdTech Books. https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/motivation_theories_and_instructional_design

Pedaste, M., Mäeots, M., Siiman, L. A., de Jong, T., van Riesen, S. A. N., Kamp, E. T., Manoli, C. C., Zacharia, Z. C., & Tsourlidaki, E. (2015). Phases of inquiry-based learning: Definitions and the inquiry cycle. Educational Research Review, 14, 47–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.02.003

First off, I apologize for the length of this blog post! Assessment is such a complex part of learning/teaching and I feel that in order to address my thoughts on this, I’ve ended up with a rather long piece. Although I don’t talk about the reliability/validity aspect of assessment, or summative/formative feedback in great depth within this blog, these are central features that link to the very meaning of assessment and feedback and their purpose.

During my teaching career, assessment was a constant conversation. As Pellegrino et al. (2001) note, assessment can be used for a range of reasons, and by a range of stakeholders from the teacher all the way up to government and policy makers. It is interesting, and somewhat baffling, that I continually felt that there was a lack of clarity on the nature of assessment. When I first started teaching, in the U.K., we used levels 1 – 5 as assessment criteria, which then changed to a different system: working below, working towards, at age related expectations, or above age related expectations. This was to try to foster a less grade-focussed approach, but it took a very long time for parents to stop asking me which level their child was working at. Indeed, it felt like the new assessment ended up being new levels or grades, just with a different name.

Assessment should be linked back to fundamental beliefs about what teaching and the curriculum’s main purposes should be, whether the priority should be teaching skills, learning attitudes, citizenship, or for economic gains and individual achievement (Black & Wiliam, 2014; Conrad & Openo, 2018). Grades are a key part of this, and grading emerges as an interesting site for discussion. It is very hard to get away from grades, it feels as though they have become so ingrained into our knowledge of success or achievement, and yet, evidence suggests that they are hurtful and contribute to demotivating learners (Kohn, 2016; Park, 2018). It can also be seen that grading is often influenced by more than just a percentage point or mark gained in a test or throughout a class. “… in grading, the distinction between interpretation and use is more blurred than for most other educational measures.” (Brookhart, 1993, p. 125).

So, despite people feeling that they understand grades, and that they are a good measure of a learner’s competence, grades are often ascribed with some leeway or modification from the teacher, depending on effort, the perceived ability, or the progress made by a particular learner (Brookhart, 1993). I will admit to finding it hard to see a way forwards without them, as they continue to be so ingrained into our academic systems and collective understanding. However, how assessments are created and used after their completion is a different story, and something that teachers and the design of learning materials can influence in order to make assessment meaningful for learning.

Assessment strategies used in this course and links to learning theory:

This class has utilized many ideas to ensure that assessment contributes to learning. It is also relevant to the learning taking place, as assessment should be flexible to suit the aims of the class being given (Black & Wiliam, 2014). Many of the assessment practices within this course can be seen in Conrad and Openo’s (2018) writing on authentic assessment as outlined below:

Group tasks – these should enable us to discuss our learning, come to a deeper understanding of the topics being addressed, and give us a way to clarify information or different interpretations of the readings. The online platform of Mattermost is being used as a community building forum to enable collaboration. Learning from each other provides a link to constructivist pedagogy, allowing us to create our knowledge based on different inputs, including through social interactions (Ertmer & Newby, 2013).

Learning outcomes are communicated – Weekly, we are being given outcomes for our learning, which we can relate back to and reflect on. This can help us to focus our readings and thinking back to the core learning of the class and ensure that we are on task, alike to a roadmap. These learning outcomes are pre-set and linked to the core course content, showing a leaning towards cognitive learning theory – organizing knowledge and the steps needed to acquire it (Ertmer & Newby, 2013).

Reflection – The blog posts are giving us an outlet to discuss our readings and understanding, and can give the instructors information on our learning. Although these are individual, being asked to comment and question others enables us to learn through collaboration. Allowing musings via blog-posts and reflections on our readings links to a cognitive slant to the learning design, allowing us to link new material to our prior knowledge, (Ertmer & Newby, 2013).

Real-life tasks – It can be seen that tasks linking the learning to something real or relevant for the learners can help motivate and engage them. I can see the value of this assessment task, and it provides an opportunity to put my learning into practice rather than just read about it. Completing it with others is also more alike to a real-world environment where we might be asked to develop resources within a team (Conrad & Openo, 2018). This assessment opportunity is aligned to constructivist theory, as it allows learners to go beyond the information given and assesses on the transfer of skills and knowledge to a task (Ertmer & Newby, 2013).

Open ended task – Although there are clear parameters for the task, we are able to choose our own subject matter and create something new. This is not just regurgitating facts or being able to write about our readings, but something applied where we can complete it as we wish, with reference to our learning. This could be seen as cognitivist, or constructivist, as it allows us to make connections with other areas of learning and be active in determining the plan or end-product of the task, (Ertmer & Newby, 2013).

Peer-feedback – part of the assessment in this class is to provide meaningful peer feedback to another group. This can enable a greater understanding of the assessment process and give deeper knowledge of how to improve our own work. Using a rubric is different to just reading or trying to follow it (Black & Wiliam, 2014), and can allow for multiple perspectives to be considered in the learning, a constructivist approach (Ertmer & Newby, 2013).

Giving a rubric – Being able to self-reflect or self-assess using the rubric given (for blog posts etc) has been helpful in outlining the expectations for the tasks being given. It has made it more understandable and I am more aware of what is needed to be shown in order to gain marks. As Shepard (2005) notes, using self-assessment can increase motivation and make it feel that the learner has some control of their own performance. This can be seen as linking to a more cognitivist learning theory, as the learner is active in creating their own outcomes using a structure of information (Ertmer & Newby, 2013).

Learner survey – During the learner survey I was asked to give my previous experience of creating learning resources using a technology mediated environment, allowing my instructor to see my prior knowledge. This is important, to help guide the teaching and to inform the teacher of the starting point for the learners (Shepard, 2005). Pre-assessment can be linked to behaviourist learning theory (Ertmer & Newby, 2013), but it really depends on how this information is used as to which learning theory it would be support.

Not being used:

Examinations – although in some areas this might be an appropriate form of assessment (Black & Wiliam, 2014), for this class it would not show that the relevant skills or knowledge has been learned in a meaningful way. Examinations would link back to a more behaviourist way of teaching, fact checking and knowledge based rather than process based (Ertmer & Newby, 2013). In my educational experiences, examinations have often been used at the end of a class, and often with very large social implications such as whether I would go on to study at the university of my choice. However, I don’t remember ever seeing the exam papers after they have been marked.

Essay writing – although we are writing blog posts, long essays are not being used as an assessment in this class. Often these are used at the end of a class, as has been my experience, as a summative assessment. However, last term I experienced the instructor allowing us to hand in drafts before the final deadline in order to receive formative feedback. This was new for me, and something that I greatly valued as it gave me greater confidence and clear pathways for improvement.

Comparison to other courses:

Although some of these assessment tasks have been used in my other classes for my MA, this is the first that has focussed more on community/collaborative learning instead of an individual end product. As mentioned, formative feedback has been provided in one of my other classes, however for others, the final grade has depended on presentations or papers to be handed in or presented by a deadline. In these situations, I have found that a rubric has been provided, which I did use to guide my task completion and help identify the areas that need further improvement. Peer feedback was part of one assignment, however the feedback was not monitored and varied greatly between the people who gave me feedback – there was no structure or information on how to give meaningful peer feedback which I feel would have helped to give me constructive improvement points.

Reflection:

It is clear that carefully planned assessment should be part of the learning design, and that assessment needs to be meaningful to learning, give appropriate and useful feedback, and link back to the learning outcomes that are being presented through the lessons. Using the assessment triangle of cognition, observation, and interpretation can help us to ensure that this is the case (Pelligrino et al., 2001).

As I move forward to planning a sequence of learning, I need to keep this in mind, ensuring that the assessment is valid and reliable, to help learners rather than simply give a judgement. How this is possible on an online environment is interesting, as it relies teacher/learner dialogue (Black & Wiliam, 2014) and I wonder how this can be achieved in this technological learning system.

I also think about my personal feelings about assessments being used in this class, and will admit that there is a part of me that misses the paper-writing, summative element of my other classes. I acknowledge that this is a safe assessment system for me, something that I am used to and have proven myself to be able to ‘do’. The different assessment tasks being used within this class are, therefore, challenging for me and encouraging me to be more self-reflective in my learning.

References:

Brookhart, S. M. (1993). Teachers’ Grading Practices: Meaning and Values. Journal of Educational Measurement, 30(2), 123–142. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3984.1993.tb01070.x

Black, P., Wiliam, D. (2014) Assessment and the Design of Educational Materials. Educational Designer, 2(7).

Conrad, D., & Openo, J. (2018). Assessment strategies for online learning: engagement and authenticity. In Assessment strategies for online learning (1st ed.). Athabasca University Press. https://doi.org/10.15215/aupress/9781771992329.01

Ertmer, P. A., & Newby, T. J. (2013). Behaviorism, cognitivism, constructivism: Comparing critical features from an instructional design perspective. Performance Improvement Quarterly, 26(2), 43-71.

Kohn, A. (2016, February 21). Why Grades Shouldn’t Exist [Video]. Fiddlestick Productions, Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfRALeA3mdU

Park, S. (2018). Motivation theories and instructional design. In R. E. West (Ed.), Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology. EdTech Books. https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/motivation_theories_and_instructional_design

Pellegrino, J. W., Chudowsky, N., & Glaser, R. (2001). Knowing what students know the science and design of educational assessment. National Academy Press.

Shepard, L.A. (2005). Linking formative assessment to scaffolding, Educational Leadership, 63(3) p. 66-70