•How should participation in a collaborative learning community be assessed? How do the varying levels of skill and knowledge students bring to a course affect the instructor's "fair and equitable assessment" of learning?
The collaborative learning community (CLC) is an excellent method to bring various levels of experience to a given project. Siemens mentions the difficult nature of the student having been graded on an individualistic manner while it does not truly reflect the networked society in which we live today. Students are constantly engaged in social networking however when asked to apply those basic ideas to an online learning group, many are reluctant to do so.
In my 2nd grade classroom I often group those of varying abilities in order to facilitate the learning of those that need reinforcement and provide a way for those in need of enrichment to demonstrate learning. However, I have often struggled with the idea of grading the group.
For each project I have assigned I have assessed each individual not only on their level of mastery but on their contributions to the group. Each having their own assessment rubric that is shared with the students prior to their project beginning. This is an easy task as I can monitor their work in my classroom. Being able to do this same assessment while students are miles apart is a more difficult task.
Palloff and Pratt mention in Chapter 4 of Collaborating Online: Learning Together in a Community the value of self-assessment. This can be a valuable tool in assessing the individual on a group project. A pre/post survey can be given to the learner to measure the degree of learning. The link that follows provides an additional list of assessment options provided by a blog from a person attending a conference where Palloff and Pratt were speakers. (http://wendymad.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/online-learning-conference-thoughts/ )
Each learner is going to bring their unique abilities to the group. The following link is a video clip that helps demonstrate the varying degrees of background brought to a group and the video itself is a method of assessment. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KPNCjW1Lp0 )
Another manner to help in assessing is to have individual members post assignments to a group dropbox and receive points based on their contributions. These can be added to the group's overall grade of their final project. This way the group is assessed on the project given while the individual learner is still held accountable for their work. This can help achieve "fair and equitable" assessment of learning.
•If a student does not want to network or collaborate in a learning community for an online course, what should the other members of the learning community do? What role should the instructor play? What impact would this have on his or her assessment plan?
In the online classroom collaborative learning can be a struggle as the instructor cannot actually see what is happening in each collaborative group. It is important for the instructor to establish clear guidelines prior to any group projects so that each individual will have any understanding of their expectations.
These expectations should include a basic outline of how groups should function and the method in which all members will be assessed. Palloff and Pratt make a reference to team charters. Although I have to say that I am a little hesitate to jump on board with this aspect of collaboration I can see how it could help facilitate a group and outline the expectations of each member. This may help the student that is reluctant to join the group feel like an equal member. They could see from the beginning what their role is and the amount of work they are responsible for throughout the course. In the event that the student is not their responsibilities, the instructor can then reference the team charter as a means to get them back on track.
Siemens, G. (2008). Learning communities. Vodcast. Laureate Education, Inc.
Palloff, R. M., & Pratt, K. (2005). Collaborating online: Learning together in community. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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Suzanne, I have the same problem getting on the team charter band wagon. I know it is a good idea, but I don't see how it could work for you in a second grade classroom. You would have to spend too much time teaching the kids about how to make a charter, you would never finish the project. Now my problem in a high school is pretty much the same issue, time, but in a very different way. My high school students would spend a week on the charter, minute on the work, and a week on making it pretty. So I would end up being able to point the blame at ever single person and assigning F's down the board. With that said I do think that their is a place for team charters, I see the value. I guess I just have to get back in the classroom and fall on my face a few times. What a great way to learn?!
ReplyDeleteYou talk about a group dropbox, but how will that help you assess as individuals? I guess I need a little more description to see where your going with that.