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This post is provided by guest blogger, Tricia DeFay, graduate student at the University of St. Francis in Joliet, MBA in Health Administration program.

Summary

Papadopoulou (2019) discusses how assessments in online learning should be designed. The author asserts that assessment activities are a “powerful way to achieve learning outcomes” (para. 1). According to the author, there are two types of assessments: formative and summative. Formative assessment happens throughout a course while summative assessment occurs at the end of a course. Online courses should contain both. The author stresses that feedback is important and should be ongoing. Papadopoulou (2019) recommends four steps for creating online assessments:

• Link assessments and course objectives
• Provide assessments from the beginning until the end of the course in the form of:
  • Collaborative projects, video response, show and tell, case studies, discussion posts
• Use Bloom’s Taxonomy to write outcomes and assessment activities
• Encourage self-assessment 

Critique

The author presents the topic in an organized, easy-to-follow manner. Papadopoulou (2019) establishes credibility by way of being a course designer, content creator, and teacher with experience in educational technology and e-learning. The article is a timely choice for up-to-date information on the topic of online learning assessments. Though the article may be aimed at other instructional designers and instructors, the lay audience can follow along. The author does not address the issue of academic misconduct in online learning, however. How can assessment activities be designed to thwart dishonesty?

Reference

Papadopoulou, A. (2019, Apr 2). Learner assessment in online learning: best practices and more. LearnWorlds. Retrieved from https://www.learnworlds.com/learner-assessment-best-practices-course-design/