Assessment in a collaborative learning community should be done by the student, learning colleagues, and the instructor. The actual perception of the students' progress must be taken into account because, as stated by Palloff and Pratt, "what seems like minimal progress to an instructor may be a major leap in a student's eyes" (2007). In distance learning, the self-assessment of the learner is very important as the student works toward learning goals and objectives.
If a student does not want to collaborate in a learning community, other members of the team should try to keep things moving along in an upbeat manner without putting too much pressure on the team member because no one knows why the person is not participating. A couple of email reminder privately asking for the student's input or opinion regarding something on which the team is working, an offer to help if needed, or a gentle reminder of an upcoming due date might help get the person motivated to become involved in the group. The instructor, as facilitator, should follow up with the learner who is not participating and try to find out the reason for the lack of participation, reminding the learner of the shared goals and responsibilities that require for all to participate. Posting guidelines and expectations will be helpful and reminders and comments by the instructor throughout the learning activity can also be beneficial.
References
Pratt, R. P. (2007). Building Online Learning Communities. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Hi Karen,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your informative post about assessing collaborative learning in an online environment. How does an online instructor ensure that the assessment he or she has created is a "fair and equitable assessment?" Is this different than face to face assessments? I look forward to your response. Thank you.
Sincerely,
LeAnn
LeAnn,
ReplyDeleteYou ask some good questions and assessment is one issue that is so complex. Of course, we know that no only are we assessing the students on concept and goal mastery, but on progression toward that next level of life. I think the assessment is more difficult with online learning because of skills necessary just to implement some of the technologies that are included in the lessons. For example, I have never used a blog or a wiki and now I find myself trying to teach myself how to do these things while researching and responding to higher order thinking prompts. Of course, I am learning quite a bit, but the stress level for some of the students is going to be much higher and the quality of work might suffer due to the level of software and web knowledge. I think fair and equitable assessment is an assessment that includes a rubric, a goal, specific quidelines and expectations for all individuals within the collaborating group, and lots of support during the initial phase of implementation.
Hi Karen,
DeleteThank you for your the valuable additional information you have provided about fair and equitable assessments. I appreciate your point of view about the example you provided.
Sincerely,
LeAnn
Karen,
ReplyDeleteI liked your suggestions for dealing with members who don't participate. Online learning can sometimes be overwhelming and support from peers can be helpful in the transition. I deal with similar problems with collaboration efforts in my traditional classroom. However, eventually lack of participation will have a negative reaction (grades, overall group performance). At what point do you think members and instructors should shift from caring and patience to identifying the consequences for furthering their current actions?