RODP Assessments

Every course should be developed with multiple forms of assessment. Multiple forms of assesment might include:

• Paperwork/Homework
• Projects/Presentations
• Discusison Posts/Participation
• Quizzes
• Tests/Exams
  

Online assessment also affords students an opportunity to analyze their results; further, when given multiple forms of assessment presentation methods they can compare results to match their own unique learning styles. Rose & Meyer (2002, p 64)

Online Testing

In online courses, developers should use caution when using online multiple-choice exams for a majority portion of a student's grades. Online, multliple-choice exams are the easiest form of online assessment to cheat on, and it puts a lot of pressure on students to cheat if 70% of their grade comes from five multiple-choice exams. This is not to say that you shouldn't use online multiple-choice exams, just lower the total value that they carry in the course and place more value on other forms of assessment.

In online courses, developers should use caution when using online multiple-choice exams for a majority portion of a student's grades. Online, multliple-choice exams are the easiest form of online assessment to cheat on, and it puts a lot of pressure on students to cheat if 70% of their grade comes from five multiple-choice exams. This is not to say that you shouldn't use online multiple-choice exams, just lower the total value that they carry in the course and place more value on other forms of assessment.

Keep in mind that an unproctored online exam is virtually the same as an open-book test. Every exam of this format should have a reminder placed into the "Description" or "Introduction"reminding students that outside materials are not allowed while taking tests. Though there are several methods that can help minimize the potential for cheating. Some of those methods are:

Question Sets - the use of question sets to vary the quiz questions from one attempt to another

Randomization:- randomizing questions and answers

Limit time - imposing time limits minimizes students ability to reference readings, textbooks and outside resources. A general standard for time allowed for multiple-chioce questions is to allow approximately 1 minute for each questions. So, a 50 question exam might be given a one hour time limit. The complexity of the content and length of questions would certainly need to be factors in this decision.

Proctoring - the RODP allows the use of proctored exams on your Mid-Term and Final exams only. Refer to the RODP's proctoring policies website for more information. http://www.rodp.org/students/proctor.htm

Settings

There are a couple of settings within the Assessments tool which are very important to have set properly they are:

1. The Auto Export to Grades and Automatic Grades settings - these settings need to be set so that the grades from the assessment will be autormatically graded and submitted to the gradebook. If they are not set, then the instructor will have to manually grade and submit them to the gradebook.
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. The Auto-Submit Attempt and enforced settings - these settings need to be set so that any attempt by a student will be auto submitted when the alloted time expires. If the Auto-Submit Attempt is not set and a student fails to exit properly submit the exam (say by closing the screen before submitting the exam). The attempt will not be graded or submitted to the gradebook.
   
   If the enforce setting is not set, then the clock (amount of time allowed for a test) has no meaning and is not enforced. The result is that students can keep submitting answers after the alotted time has expired.
   
   If the show clock setting is not enabled, student won't know how long they have till the time is up for the test attempt. With the setting enabled, a clock counts down the time allowed until that attempt is through.
   
   

References:

Rose D.H., & Meyer, A. (2002). Teaching every student in the digital age, Universal design for learning. Alexandria Virginia. ASCD

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