Best Practices for Assessment in Large-Enrollment Online Courses

When student enrollment increases significantly in an online course, instructors are well-advised to consider changes in three domains: instructor engagement with students; student engagement with peers; and assessment of student performance. Here we offer best practices for assessment.

Use quizzes and exams strategically

Consider whether an auto-graded quiz or exam could be used to assess students’ knowledge of a topic, either in conjunction or instead of assessments that require individual attention.

Create automatic feedback for right and wrong answers in order to explain incorrect responses and reinforce correct responses.

Challenge students with multiple-choice questions that require higher-order cognitive processes (such as applying, analyzing, and evaluating, rather than just remembering and understanding).

Use Moodle’s “Quiz Statistics” report to identify any problematic questions and/or any areas of student confusion.

Reduce the likelihood of cheating by allowing students to refer to resources, shuffling questions and answers, randomly selecting questions, adding new questions each semester, and/or utilizing Respondus Lockdown Browser.

Grade assignments and activities strategically

Use open-ended discussion prompts that do not have a “correct” answer and either respond at various points in the discussion board (rather than as a private comment to each individual student) or provide feedback to the whole class as an “announcement.”

Moodle’s Rubric function for grading not only reduces instructor time and effort, but also increases students’ understanding of expectations and quality of work.

If course objectives do not require a particular kind of writing and/or adherence to particular style or formatting, consider the use of templates and worksheets. Asking directly about the required elements of the assignment and providing space for the answer makes it easier for instructors to confirm that all criteria were met and to what extent.

For assignments that require timely, meaningful, individualized feedback, consider dividing the work into meaningful stages and/or choosing due dates at a time when demands other than grading will be reduced.

Manage student expectations

In addition to planning assessments clearly, it is important to communicate the approach to students clearly, particularly for those who may not have experience with large online courses.

Let students know when they can expect feedback and/or grades and what form it will take, so as to reduce the risk of frustration on their part.

Provide options for those students who want or need additional support in understanding and meeting expectations, whether through virtual office hours or email.

Reference

Adapted from Lake, B. (2018, September 20). Best Practices for Large-Enrollment Online Courses, Part I: Managing student expectations, leveraging quizzes, and reducing grading load

#largeenrollmentonlinecourses #quizzes #remoteteaching