Deliver
E1 Ensure learners are informed of criteria for assessment
Learners working in an online environment do not have the same opportunities as they would in a face-to-face situation to question the teacher about the assessment tasks. Therefore it is really 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.
In some online platforms such as WebCT, it is possible to set up a simple quiz to ensure that learners understand the criteria before they are allowed to proceed further with the learning content (this is called selective release). This may be a useful tool to ensure AQTF compliance. William Horton describes how learners are presented with the Rules for the Tests and cannot proceed further until they accept the conditions stated.
Toolkit
Rubric for assessing discussions
If you are intending to use contributions to discussion forums or chat for assessment purposes you should clearly outline to the learners how you will be assessing their online contributions.
We have prepared this Word document as an example of a document that may be given to learners prior to the commencement of a course. You may wish to modify it for your own purposes and context. It also appears in E3 and D2.
E1 Assessing Online discussions - Word document
