Module 1 - My opinions for what they may or may not be worth

For this discussion we were asked to connect the McLoughlin article to the three alternative assessment activities that we had to complete and also to discuss any advantages that they may give us in our future classes. The author discusses using alternative methods of assessment to assess “deep learning.” For most being able to apply what you have learned to real life seems to constitute “deep learning” but learning is according to psychologists the ability to change or the potential to change behavior. Is it deep because they can apply it to a hypothetical problem and not deep if you don’t access it that way? While I agree that this is critical I also believe that because of this belief the verification of the knowledge of the basics (which are generally assessed using traditional methods) are underutilized now.

Many people criticize the typical “spit back” methods of accessment but I believe that you need to know the "terminology" before you can speak the language. For instance I cannot expect my students have "deep learning" unless I am convinced that they first understand the basic concepts. I am a traditional student and have always hated working in groups because I would get so frustrated when other group members did not understand what they were required to do and I often had to “teach” them – but most likely I did their work. When considering real life application for the interview activity I did not think that the interview had any value other than causing frustration for people who could not find a partner and further frustration by people who only wanted to put a minimal amount of input into the interview. Although knowing the personal history of my classmates is interesting it does not allow me to have “deep learning.” The Wiki page was also very frustating as I could not get into the page to complete my assignment. Once I am able to get into the page I will post additional information. From what I read it does seem like a good method to get students to collaborate and think about the guidelines and content of an assignment. I also was not able to complete the survey as it was closed. I do agree with other students that surveys are only good if there is a method of using and applying the results.

The McLoughlin article also stated that in traditional education that students approaches to learning are either “surface level or deep level.”

“Applied to assessment and teaching approaches in higher education, the implication being that the creation of an appropriate learning environment can foster a deep approach. This can be achieved by enabling learners to take an active role in learning by initiating, managing, monitoring, reflecting and evaluating learning tasks and processes. Gibbs (1992) emphasises that a focus on process, rather than content, is essential in promoting active learning and that evaluation and assessment procedures are central to these issues as students interpret the objectives of a course of study according to the demands of the assessment system.” (McLoughlin, pg 3)

I believe that no matter what method of assessment that we chose there will always be students who are only interested in just passing and it does not matter what type of assessment we use. However, I do agree with McLoughlin that “alternative assessment in which assessment is integrated with learning and learning processes with real-life performance” is a great way to assess.

One of the reasons that I chose to take this course is because I want to develop rubrics for all my online assessments. If I am going to take time out of my very busy schedule to take a course I want it to be specific, applicable and useable to make my life easier in the long run.