Enrichment of Interaction in Online Assessments Conclusions
Assessment methods are commonly selected for the primary purpose of assessing student performance. However, assessment can be used for a wide range of purposes including selection, qualifying for standards, motivating student learning and informing teaching effectiveness (Freeman and Lewis, 1998). Engaging learners in learning through assessment may not be highly valued. However, this study has stressed the potential importance of finding ways to achieve better engagement of student learning through enriched online interactions. Therefore, it is strongly suggested that enriched interactions can be fostered in the future design and implementation of online assessments.
In some cases, enriched interactions can be fairly easily achieved when online activities require students to interact with each other. However, it is more difficult to achieve, and hence more scarce, as our 45 cases revealed, when students have to interact with the content or with teachers on the Web. Good ways to do this are hinted at in the exemplary cases described. The quality of learning through assessment is evidenced by (1) improved conceptual understanding through prompt and enriched feedback; (2) enhanced development of professional skills through computer simulation; (3) broadened perspectives through online discussions; (4) the development of analytical skills through online debate; and (5) improved assignment through just-in-time feedback from teachers.
In designing activities that can embrace the purposes of assessment and value the pursuit of excellence, teachers face many challenges. It should be noted here that a great deal of time and effort was spent by the teachers in the exemplary cases to make these activities possible. The enhancement of assessment that enables students to interact with content and instructors should be developed with an eye on how to minimize teacher workload at the same time. Furthermore, research in devising electronic assessment tools and prototyping question banks with automated feedback for all response options can be a useful way to explore the possibilities of streamlining the design and developing enriched interaction with content and instructors.
