Deliver

Inform learners of criteria l Conduct assessment l Manage the assessment process l Ensure authenticity

Faculty involved in online assessment delivery note the benefits of increased flexibility, time saving after initial set up, ability to monitor progress and appeal to a younger generation of learners. Educationally there are many opportunities for delivering consistent, interesting and authentic tasks and for engaging learners in meaningful collaborative learning.

1. Ensure learners are informed of criteria for assessment

It is critical that learners are clearly informed of assessment criteria at the beginning of the course delivery. You may want to include

• an induction pack with all the relevant information
• an evidence plan
• information about timelines
• information about feedback/satisfaction procedures and the appeals process
• detailed information on each assessment task outlining the task, the requirements, the technology required, submission and how feedback will be given.

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2. Conduct the assessment process
   
   

   When you are conducting online assessment you will need to make sure that the learner is adequately supported. Think about how you

• provide feedback to learners. Timely, constructive and appropriate feedback on assessment issues may be critical in maintaining learner effort.
• include opportunities for feedback from the learner's peers
• provide support for learners with access and equity issues
• provide support for learners in accessing and submitting assessments. Sometimes the technology frustrates learners and they may need a helping hand.
• provide opportunities for learners to clarify the assessment tasks. Consider
  • an online chat session early in the delivery to ensure learners are clear about the requirements
  • a Frequently Asked Questions section
  • outlining the protocols for e-mail access to the facilitator with agreed response time.

Finally it is your task to assess competency using the evidence that has been submitted. (p. 71)

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3. Manage the assessment process
   
   Assessors often ask how they will manage the myriad of tasks that seem to be associated with the online environment. Each person will need to develop their own strategies, but some of the following may assist:

• develop an electronic rubric for assessing the criteria of a task. This can be filled in and returned to the learner electronically.
• set up online folders for learners where you can store their electronic submissions
• use the 'Insert Comment' function in word processing software to add comments and feedback
• develop a naming convention for tasks to ensure accurate record keeping
• set up databases to store records
• set up systems for learners to complete peer assessment of group work. (p. 73)

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4. Ensure the authenticity of the task

For many assessors this is a critical factor in their decision to use online technologies. Plagiarism looms large as an issue and institutions and assessors need to find strategies to ensure that the work presented has actually been completed by the learner. Developing a learner centred delivery paradigm is critical to beginning to address the issue. The learner needs to be encouraged to see the value of the learning and assessment and to view the process as important to their own development. Some strategies that assist include

• offering a range of different types of assessment over time. This allows the faculty member to gain an understanding of the learner's capabilities and development.
• designing authentic tasks which require the learner to develop skills and knowledge based on a real life context
• making the boundaries clear to the learners. The facilitator needs to make clear the 'intellectual property rights' of material taken from the Internet.
• clearly outlining to learners the electronic tools which will be used to examine online submissions
• considering an electronic form which requires learners to validate their work prior to submission
• providing learners with information on copyright. (p. 75)

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Reference: Australian National Training Authority. (2004). Assessing online: the manual. [Electronic version] Retrieved March 10, 2005, from the Australian Flexible Learning Framework http://www.flexiblelearning.net.au/assessing/downloads/assessingmanual.doc)