Assessment
Assessment in collaborative CSCL environments can, at times, be problematic. Lee, Chan, and van Aalst (2006) note that "learning is nearly always evaluated at the level of individual learning outcomes in assessing the effectiveness of systems and designs" (p. 60). Thus, while the programme is designed to promote knowledge building in collaborative environments, assessment tends to fall back to the individual level. The challenge is in finding the balance between assessing the individual learning outcomes, but also finding a way to assess the collaborative knowledge building that is contributing to those learning outcomes as well. Further to this point, Lee, Chan, and van Aalst (2006) state that "we must value not only what academic content is learned, but also how students achieve the learning" (p. 61). With these points in mind, the assessment designed for this programme allows for the teacher to assess not only the individual learning outcomes, but also the collaborative aspect of the design as well.
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The main form of assessment used in these tasks is formative. Much of the assessment is based on face to face observations made by the teacher as students are engaged in the work during class time. The teacher is encouraged to make anecdotal notes throughout the process in order to have a record of the assessment being done. The observations allow the teacher to not only see how students are progressing individually with the academic learning outcomes, but also how they are interacting and building knowledge in a collaborative manner. This is a major benefit provided by a blended learning environment.
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Summative assessment is also important in creating a well rounded view of the learning process, and student achievement. An individual summative assessment rubric, as well as a group assessment rubric, have been created so that the teacher can assess various aspects of the students' learning journey.
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Peer assessment is also an important factor in a collaborative learning environment. This design provides specific opportunities for students to provide their peers with constructive feedback in order to help them build new knowledge. This peer to peer assessment is done in the form of peer editing.
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Adding to the assessment opportunities available to the teacher, the choice of Google Slides and Forms for these tasks was done deliberately because of their ability to allow the teacher access to the work being done, and the ability to view the work the students complete and the changes that they make.
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The links below will take you to a variety of assessment tools that you can use through out these tasks.
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