Using Effective Assessment Protocols to Maximize Learner Experience (Fulfilling QM Standards 3.4 and 3.5)

QM standards 3.4 (The assessment instruments selected are sequenced, varied, and suited to the learner work being assessed) and 3.5 (The course provides learners with multiple opportunities to track their learning progress) are not required standards to pass a QM review but these standards have a direct impact on authentic learning and student achievement through the correct implementation of assessments. Meeting standards 3.4 and 3.5 will greatly impact the power to establish authentic learning and create better opportunities for measurable online learning. This presentation will review the pros and cons of online assessment methods and how they impact the student taking the assessment, the faculty grading the assessment, and the institution’s ability to measure student learning and progress toward degree completion. Another point of discussion will be the importance of authentic assessment in the online environment and methods that can be implemented to discourage cheating.  At the end of this presentation participants will be able to: 1) define the terms assessment and authentic assessment, 2) differentiate between assessment and evaluation, and 3) identify the different forms of assessment.