Module 3 - Assessment in E-Learning

What was the valuable information that you learned in this module?

This week was the first time I have written full length learning objectives. I have written learning objectives on assignments in the past, but have had no formal instruction on how to correctly write them. I think writing learning objectives and tying them to a concept map was the most valuable exercise I completed this week. I have always been a very visual learner and this helped solidify the connection that exists between a learning objective, an activity and the assessment tool. Here are the learning objectives and the concept map I created this week:

1. Students will display their ability to identify nonverbal communication artifacts by analyzing a print or video advertisement and providing a written summary of their findings with 75% accuracy according to the grading rubric.

2. Students will display their ability to apply and assess their listening skills by completing the “Listening for Details” reusable learning object with 85% accuracy.

3. Students will demonstrate group communication skills and collect cultural communication knowledge by completing a jigsaw group collaboration activity with 75% accuracy according to the grading rubric.

I think the hardest part for me was correctly wording how to include the integration of the assessment tool. This will be an area I will need to continue to improve upon in the future.

My first experience with concept mapping was in my Introduction to Graduate Studies course at UW-Stevens Point. At first, I thought the exercise was time consuming and a bit fruitless, until, I started working on my literature review for my thesis. This is when I first realized the benefits and potential of concept mapping!

While in graduate school, I also worked with a consulting firm one summer. They used extensive concept mapping to examine work processes in organizational settings. The firm had created a concept map that followed a piece of luggage at an airport from the moment you arrived until the moment you received it at your destination. The concept map took up an entire wall. I am amazed that we EVER get our luggage back! Using a concept map is a great way to identify weaknesses, congestion or flaws in any type of system.

Concept mapping is a tool I have touched on in my Written Communication course and area I am hoping to continue to expand upon. With the aid of software, like Inspiration, I believe students will find the process more appealing than in the past. The videos I posted on my blog have some great suggestions on how to utilize concept mapping in the communication studies classroom. I especially liked the silent concept mapping activity. I am looking forward to using this tool more extensively in my classes this fall.

A Meeting of the Minds.....

This week we had our first team meeting for our midterm jigsaw project. We meet in the D2L chat room and hashed out our project. I thought it was a very successful meeting and my group members were all very willing to divide up the responsibilities of the project equally. Yahoo!!

For the project, I will be completing the portion on the Peer to Peer/Instructor-to-student collaboration tools category. I am planning on reviewing Skype as a collaboration tool since I have used this tool successfully in the past as an academic advisor. My challenge is tying it to a learning objective and assessment activity in an online classroom environment. In my oral/interpersonal communication course, there is a group communication component, but I am just uncertain yet as to how I want to integrate the use of Skype.

Garden update!
My first crop of red raspberries is ripe! They are two weeks early this year, but are especially tasty! My dog, Bailey, has discovered how wonderful they taste as well. She pulls them right off of the branches and eats them! 

I have also harvested Kohlrabi, Radishes and Cilantro this week! YUM!

Module 2 - Assessment in E-Learning

Week two of Assessment in E-Learning has begun!! 

Before I begin discussing this week's topic, blogging, I would like to start with some results from last week's assignments. During week one, we were assigned to interview someone from our online class in an effort to get to know our fellow learners. Here is what my partner learned about me:

Why did you choose to take this course?

Kelly decided to complete the UW Stout Online Teaching Certificate.

What is your chosen profession? Where are you currently working?

Kelly has been a Communication Instructor at Mid-State Technical College since August 2011 and prior to that, she taught at for 4 years at Winona State University and part-time at Augsburg College. While at WSU that she became fascinated with incorporating new software and technology into the classroom. WSU is a laptop campus and she had the chance to take great technology focused workshops while she was there.

How will this course help your career and/or your students?
Kelly believes it will look great on the resume in the future, two of the courses count for her WTCS certification, and she is hoping to roll two of the classes into the Ed.D program in the future.

What is your favorite travel location? Why?
Kelly loves to travel. Her favorite location is Ireland, but she has always wanted to see Seattle. She has not been to Washington yet, but it is on her list!! Another favorite is Washington D.C.! She has been there 4 times and has not seen everything yet.

Now, onto blogging......

As a Written Communication instructor, I am very excited to talk about blogs.  Blogs are an excellent tool to display student work, they are easy to create, and allow for constructive feedback.  Since blogs can be displayed to the general public, students are more motivated to edit and perfect their writing.  The final advantage is the ability to embed links, videos, photos, and other interactive tools.  

In an effort to share with others in my assessment class, I will first briefly discuss the blog that I compiled in conjunction with the annual MSTC Mock Trial last semester.  Then I will discuss the required readings from module two and provide my reflection on said readings.  Finally, I will conclude with a very brief update on my garden.  

MSTC Mock Trial Blog…….

Every spring, the Introduction to Government students on the Mid-State Technical College’s Stevens Point Campus create and present a mock trial at the Portage County Courthouse.   In the past, students in the Introduction to College Writing course conducted interviews and created a newspaper after the trial.  This year, as a new communication instructor to the organization, I was asked if my students and I would like to participate in the trial. 

Therefore, I decided my contribution would be to enhance the current project by infusing it with new technology to generate more student interest and increase student engagement.  I thought a blog would be a fun, interactive way for students to display their work!  My students contributed by creating video clips, taking photos, writing blog articles, and by tweeting during the event. 

Since I was hesitant the first year to assess their work in blog form, my students were given a pass/fail grade or extra credit for contributing to the blog.  I was presented with this opportunity about two months prior to the event thus I was unable to build it into my course syllabus.

I submitted the results of the project to the Wisconsin Council of English Teachers Conference in Madison in October.  I am hoping to present a workshop sharing the information I gleaned from conducting this project.  To learn more about how my students participated in the project, you can read my submission to the conference. 

Module Two Readings……

There was a lot to read this week, but it was all very interesting.  I have struggled all week on what to say about blogs, assessment and technology.  I did not feel I had any huge "aha" moments, but did great blog idea from another student about using a blog to showcase the importance of communication skills, public speaking and/or writing skills.  I could have students create the blog in my Oral/Interpersonal Communication or my Written Communication course.  Students could interview professionals in their chosen fields and post video testimonials highlighting the importance of communication skills in their jobs.  I also contacted other communication colleagues from other states already to see if they or their students would like to contribute and create content.  I think it would be need to have a blog where students from three different states collaborate to together to add content and provide constructive feedback! At the end of the week, I finally decided to discuss authentic assessment in my discussion posting since it is the majority of the assessment I do in communication studies courses. I discussed the time management challenges that often face instructors.

Garden update!

This week, I added wooden cages to help support my 18 tomato plants.  As educators, we also need to support students in a positive way and ensure that their assessment also contains positive messages, as well as, constructive criticism.  If educators do not support and encourage student learning, students will become frustrated and will disengage from the course.  

Module 1 - Assessment in E-Learning

Summer has begun and so has my online class! For the next eight weeks, I will be taking the course titled "Assessment in E-learning" through the University of Wisconsin - Stout. I am completing the course as part of my 5 year technical college certification and as part of the graduate certificate program in E-Learning and Online Teaching. I really enjoyed my class last semester and am looking forward to learning more about assessment.

As part of the course, I will be completing a reflection journal concerning my progress throughout the course. In addition, I have decided to include updates on the progress of my garden! As my garden grows, so too, will my knowledge about assessing student learning! I will add pictures of my garden and very short updates regarding its progress.

 My herb garden contains dill, rosemary, thyme, sage & various flowering annuals.

This week, we were not required to journal or reflect upon on our learning, but I thought I would post an entry to get me into the habit of completing this task. Plus, I did have an "AHA" moment I wanted to record! This semester I am hoping to record more links, ideas, and potential activities I come up with while participating in the course. This was something I wish I would done more of last semester. Opps!

Here was the assessment idea that I came up with and recorded in my discussion posting:

As a required competency for my Speech course, students must be able to evaluate the speaking abilities of themselves and of other speakers. Students could, as a form of self-reflection and evaluation, ask another student questions regarding their speech performance. Currently, students fill out a pre-determined set of questions I designed, but what if they were in charge of their own learning and were required to ask another student a set of questions regarding the performance of their speech? Perhaps, then, students would obtain more valuable feedback, would become vested stakeholders in their learning, and could find answers to question that may have previously left unanswered. I could provide students with a guide and require a certain number of questions per criteria area. With the use of Blackboard or other online educational platform, this activity could be modified to allow for anonymous feedback. Students could be partnered with other students anonymously to allow for a more honest critique.  I have asked the rest of the class to provide feedback regarding my idea and am hoping for a some feedback to assist in avoiding any hiccups in implementing this strategy.

The second idea I discovered was to have students compile a class notes wiki. I was going to compile handouts for students to use to take notes during periods of short lecture, but instead, I could have them create a wiki notes page. This would cut down on my prep time
for fall, it would encourage students to find outside resources, and become more invested in their education.

Finally, as part of this course, our instructor created a wiki page where students can collaborate with each other. This week, we used the wiki to create and post "netiquette" or discussion board rules for our online class. These rules are posted to create a more constructive group of learners. 

With that being said, I am off to finish my homework for the week and weed my garden!

My vegetable garden includes: Onions, beets, carrots, tomatoes, kholarabi,  various varieties of peppers, peas, beans, cucumbers and watermelon.  I have another garden that has eggplants, cabbage, potatoes, and pumpkins.

My new dahlia plant!