Summary
This week covered the second phase of the ADDIE model, Design, and it's aspects:
- Designing Assessments,
- Choosing a Course Format,
- Creating an Instructional Strategy.
We watched a video regarding effective assessments and read the appropriate pages in our textbook regarding assessments and objectives. This gave us the information we needed to input appropriate assessments and objectives into our Course Outline Assignment. Using the example provided and other resources, I think I have been able to input several effective assessment methods that are designed to keep students motivated, assess content mastery and even provide immediate feedback.
Item of Interest
I found it interesting that I realized that weekly discussion posts and responses in a discussion board are not just for providing some form of weekly assignment, they are actually a formative assessment that the students can use to gauge progress and understanding of the material covered and also a way for instructors to assess whether a student may be falling behind or need clarification on a topic. Discussion boards provide the instructor with insight that can inform him or her whether or not to intervene or provide additional assistance.
Problem or Concern
There are a couple of assessments that I placed into my Course Outline Assignment that I am reserving judgement on as to whether they will remain in the outline or be replaced by something more effective. The first item is an assessment that comes in the form of a one minute speech given by the student during a virtual session with the instructor and the class. The student would turn on the microphone and speak in French, either something they wrote ahead of time or off the cuff if they feel confident enough. I think this assessment strategy would be great for being able to provide immediate feedback due to the fact that it is in a real-time setting but I am a bit unsure if it would actually be effective. Obviously, students who are unable to attend virtual sessions would need to be provided with alternative opportunities.
The second item is a weekly self-grade given to the student by the student based on their opinion of the amount of effort given to the course each week. As it is an online course, I thought that this assessment strategy might help to boost participation and the amount of time and effort given by individual students each week. I am eager to hear if anyone agrees or has tips that would make this strategy better.
Thank you,
Vic Lakso
Vic,
ReplyDeleteAs an introvert, I would have a hard time with giving a speech in a virtual session. When I took spanish, it was very hard for me to stand up and give a speech, but I often felt comfortable engaging in basic conversations with other students. Would the option of a virtual session with open-dialogue be an option? If these are upper level foreign language students that have already achieved basic proficiency, perhaps you could assign them a topic to discuss beforehand and let the dialogue flow on it's own or with your prompting to engage learners who are logged on but are shy and not as willing to engage. This would make you more of a facilitator and would still give you the opportunity to observe their performance and correct any mistakes in real time. Alternatively, afterwards you could provide a summary of what happened in the session and the things that were learned (You could also have the students prepare their own summaries individually as an assignment, or make this assignment only for those who were unable to make the virtual session).
I think your idea of a self-assessment for the amount of effort given to the course is a great idea. I may steal this idea in the future. :) Giving the student a chance to reflect on how much effort and time they are giving the course is a great motivator.
It sounds like your course is coming along great!
Brittany
Brittany,
DeleteThank you for your input! I will definitely consider your suggestions and try to come up with a solution that wouldn't put introverted students on the spot but while also being able to hear them individually.
Thanks!
Vic
Maybe you could do the virtual sessions and then break them into smaller groups in the virtual room to simulate what Brittany pointed out?
DeleteThank you very much for your suggestions!
DeleteVic,
ReplyDeleteAs far as the one minute speech, I do think having students actually speak the language is a great way to assess them. However, I do feel that an actual speech might create some anxiety for students. Which can hinder how they perform. I do think an authentic way to assess the students would be to have them engage in conversation speaking french. This might help reduce some of the anxiety. They could start with conversations such as introducing themselves or talking about the weather. Throughout the course the conversations can become more in-depth.
I do think self-assessment is a good idea. I think when students know they will have to evaluate themselves at the end they typically give more effort in the beginning. You will just need to compare their self-assessments to their progress in the classroom. If you feel the students are accurately measuring themselves, then you can continue with it. If you see they are not, you can stop with the self-assessments and you can give little evaluations here and there to let the students know how they are progressing. Hope this post helped in some way.
Thank you for your suggestion!
DeleteVic,
ReplyDeleteVirtual sessions can be a blessing and a curse. It's nice to have that open conversation with an instructor. While I work in a Pharmacy, I struggle with being free during the virtual sessions. I work 9 A.M. to 7 P.M. most days with an hour drive time each way. Some days, I work until 9 P.M. Some courses require you to write a page summary if you miss a session. I saw this a punishment for not being available during the one hour out of the week. I do think that's a great idea to use virtual sessions for speeches, but you will need to consider the your student's schedules. I recommend more than one time frame a week. You could suggest days and times, and schedule the sessions based on your class's feedback. I would recommend doing this for each week.
Tiffany Maddox
Thank you for your suggestion!
Delete